Gimmicks, Elvis and Food Talk at Baconfest

Gimmicks, Elvis and Food Talk at Baconfest

"Gimmick, capital G,” I thought, when I saw this Elvis impersonator standing in front of The Black Sheep’s booth at Baconfest yesterday. I’ve recently inveighed against trends, which like gimmicks are suspect though not inherently bad: they had better, though, have more to deliver than just themselves.



The late period Elvis turned out to be Chef James Toland, who’d whipped up a delicious offering: banana panna cotta with smoked bacon brittle and peanut butter foam. Interestingly, of the sixty or so offerings here, this one was selected by me and one of the other judges as our favorite, which is saying a lot as there were many, many outstanding bacon-inspired dishes served at this third annual convocation of the pork-belly- pixilated*.



Toland’s creation was more than just a gimmick: it tasted very good, and I’m no fan of foam (looks too much like dog vomit) or, for that matter, banana. Thus, the power of bacon.

This combination of elements was funny, quite good to eat, and a fitting take on a down-home classic (I believe, though, that the King would have preferred his bacon burned).

This dish ended up being awarded “Most Creative,” which bodes well for Toland’s Black Sheep, scheduled to open in May.



Watching LTH co-founder/Baconfest mastermind Seth Zurer shake hands with the man who would be King, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another gimmicky bit of stagecraft engineered by our most darkly American president and one of our most darkly American pop stars:



For me, a big allure of Baconfest, just as it is for Chicago Gourmet and Green City Market BBQ, is the sheer schmoozosity of it all, the opportunity to run into LTH regulars (RAB, REB, and others), food people I meet only at these events (Mike, the deer hunter from Templeton), and people like Ashley Simone, who I’ve written about but up until yesterday had never met.



What was most enjoyable about this whole event, though, was sitting around the judges’ table in the green room talking intently with Sula, Chu and pork belly heiress Tanya Nueske about the food we were eating. Discussing food with people who love to eat is one of the things I love best; I actually think that’s one of the reasons I decided to hook up with The Wife; and it’s certainly one of the reasons Wiviott, Vital Information and many others decided LTHForum would be a good thing to create.

Talking about food actually makes the stuff more tasty.

* Damn shame the digital age has blurred the original use of this word, which is “to be confused and entranced, as though led along by mischievous pixies.”

I looked for LTH folks, but didn't see any, other than Seth. Of course, that could be because I was with non-LTH friends, and we were all busy making sure each of us got everything the others liked.

My paean to the event is posted on the Baconfest 2010, thread, since that's where Seth posted the list of chefs and restaurants for this year's event, so I won't repeat my gushing, but will restate my gratitude and appreciation of a tremendously well thought out and executed event.

LTH,

Though I was unable to attend Baconfest 2011 I want to offer congratulations and wondrous amazement at the $25,000 the men of Baconfest, Seth, Michael and Andre, donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository on behalf of Baconfest 2011.

Well done gentlemen, well done indeed.

In admiration,
Gary