WICKER PARK — The masterminds behind Donut and Poutine Fests have now created an event for fans of chips and cheese — Nacho Fest.
Tickets go on sale at noon Tuesday for the fest, set for noon to 3 p.m. June 25 at Wicker Park's Chop Shop, 2033 W. North Ave.
Confirmed participants include Whisk, Son of a Butcher, Half Acre, Hub 51, Porkchop, The Fifty/50, Gaslight and Texican. The restaurants will compete for the titles of "Most Creative," "Crowd Favorite" and "Tongue Burner."
The cost is $35 for a general admission ticket, which gets attendees nachos from each vendor and two full-sized pours of craft beer or cider. For an extra $15, VIP tickets gain guests early admission at 11 a.m. and four full-sized drinks.
The fest's platters of tortilla chips, cheese and toppings will no doubt be a far cry from the original nachos, created in the 1940s by a guy nicknamed Nacho.
According to a history of the dish, published in Smithsonian magazine, Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya was the maitre d' at a restaurant in Mexico called the Victory Club. One day, a group of American army wives walked in and, in the absence of a chef, Anaya scavenged kitchen ingredients to concoct "Nacho's Especiales" for the women.
The dish was a huge hit, but it really launched into the stratosphere of snacks when concessionaire Frank Liberto invented a pumpable cheese sauce and began hawking his version of nachos, with jalapeños sprinkled on top, at Texas Rangers baseball games in the 1970s.
Liberto made a fortune and his company now distributes products globally.
And Anaya? Never saw a dime from the creation he didn't think to patent or trademark.
Chef and food writer Adan Medrano has rescued Anaya's original Nacho's recipe from the culinary dustbin.
Before heading to Nacho Fest, try Medrano's adaptation at home and compare:
Recipe For The Original Nachos (Adan Medrano)
Makes 12 wafers. Recipe is adapted from a 1969 interview with Ignacio Anaya.
Ingredients
3 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded longhorn cheese, about 3 ounces by weight
1 tbsp. canola oil
12 pickled jalapeño slices
Method
Preheat oven to 350ºF
1. Brush the oil on both sides of each tortilla, cut each into quarters, and bake them in a 350ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will turn a darker brown, but do not let them burn.
2. Shred the cheese and distribute it among the tortilla triangles. Place a slice of jalapeño on each.
3. Bake the triangles in a 350ºF oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Alternately, you can place them under the broiler for a minute or so. Keep a close watch so that they do not burn.
