Baconfest Draws 4,500 People in 8th Year

Comedian Hannibal Burress even stopped by on Saturday to sample some pork

by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel May 2, 2016, 12:35pm CDT

Photography by Peter Tsai, Anne Petersen and Ben Collins-Sussman

Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

This weekend, bad-eating habits continued to develop as the eight-annual Baconfest took place over at the UIC Forum. Organizers said about 4,500 people showed up —the same as last year— while 150 chefs showcased their creativity with pork products.

The folks from Osteria Langhe and chef Cameron Grant were gunning hard for the festival's Golden Rasher, recognizing the most creative use of bacon. Grant and his team spent numerous hours hand-rolling their pastas, stuffing it with bacon and adding jalapeño and serrano peppers. Grant made his dream come true as he took home the award for the Saturday dinner session.

There was even a celebrity sighting. Chicago native Hannibal Buress and friends strolled around on Saturday night, keeping a low profile. Check out the winners below.