UNIVERSITY VILLAGE — Bacon lovers, rejoice — Baconfest 2016 is nearly here.
More than 150 restaurants are expected to participate in the eighth annual bacon heaven Saturday and Sunday at the UIC Forum, as they cook up creative bacon dishes alongside bacon-inspired cocktails and other bacon fun.
The fest includes three sessions over two days: lunch and dinner on Saturday and brunch on Sunday. Each session features a new lineup of 50 to 60 chefs who will be cooking up their bacon best.
General admission tickets to one three-hour session, which includes unlimited dishes, seven drink tickets and a Baconfest tote bag, are available online for $100. VIP tickets, priced at $200, include an hour of early access to the Cooking Channel VIP Hour.
Reporter Stephanie Lulay on the delicacies of Baconfest.
Each session features a mix of chefs, from veterans who have participated in all eight years of Baconfest to newcomers. Participating restaurants this year include: Bang Bang Pie Shop, Carnivale, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Kuma's Corner, Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Pleasant House Bakery, Slurping Turtle, Glazed & Infused, Sunda, The Dawson, Cemitas Puebla, Kaiser Tiger, The Duck Inn, Vie and others.
In addition to food, artisan bacon-makers and bacon entrepreneurs will be selling bacon products, and bartenders and brewers will be mixing up their bacon-inspired cocktails, beer and wine.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Since 2009, the fest has donated more than $300,000 to the nonprofit, providing nearly 1 million meals to Chicagoans in need.
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