TASTE: Bacon everything at the Second Annual Sacramento Bacon Fest – Jan. 20-27, 2013

It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t love bacon.

This month, the Sacramento area will dedicate a whole week to the popular pork product that’s now making its way into less expected bites such as donuts and pizza. Every day of Bacon Fest there will be events surrounding the delicious meat put on by a host of Sacramento restaurants. The list includes the newly opened (and extremely awesome) LowBrau, as well as more established restaurants such as Magpie Cafe, Selland’s Market-Cafe, The Golden Bear, The Waterboy, Bows and Arrows, Grange and so many more.

On Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, Bacon Fest’s opening night, Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Company will be throwing a free party starting at 5 p.m. when special guest chefs will join Chef Brian Mizner in creating a special Bacon Fest menu. The last night of the festival will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 27 with the second annual Chef’s Competition at Mulvaney’s B&L Pig Next Door (19th and L Streets) starting at 2 p.m. For the $30 admission fee, you’ll receive samples from the participating chefs, appetizers and two drink tickets all while you groove to music spun by DJ Shaun Slaughter.

All proceeds of this event go toward The Center for Land Based Learning in nearby Winters, Calif., and the American River College culinary-arts program. Buy tickets for this particular event at http://baconfestsac.eventbrite.com/. Happy hours will be going on each day of the event and breakfast will be served on weekends.

To add even more to the fun, there will also be mysterious secret parties held around the city, so bookmark http://baconfestsac.com/ or follow them on Twitter (@sacbaconfest) so you don’t miss a thing.

If the tasty food and celebrations weren’t good enough to entice you, your animal-loving conscience can also be put at ease by knowing that all of the meat served at the festival will be from pigs who lived happy and healthy lives on farms where ethical and sustainable food production was paramount.

And of course, the food will be prepared by Sacramento chefs who “give a damn about quality natural foods,” as Bacon Fest’s website states proudly. Most of the events during the week will be free or affordable so everyone can indulge in all the tasty quality bacon being served. But if you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t like bacon, don’t worry. They’ll have pork chops too! For more information about which restaurants will be participating or to find out about individual events, visit http://www.baconfestsac.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest.