The birth of a Bacon Fest

Baconfest organizers (left to right) John Tiffany, 31, Marshall Porter, 33, Brooks Reynolds, 33, and Seth Hall, 32, at High Life Lounge, the site of the 2009 Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. (Credit: Eric Rowley/Metromix)

Saturday, bacon lovers will fill el Bait Shop and the High Life Lounge for the sold-out Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.

This is only the event’s second year, but make no mistake, it’s part of a longer tradition.

Beginning in 2001, Brooks Reynolds and a group of friends would take an annual retreat to a vacation home in Spirit Lake. The rules were simple: Each person brought two pounds of bacon, and the group spent the weekend in a pork-fueled frenzy. The bacon committee continued the event for five years, but eventually jobs, spouses, children and other distractions made it hard to justify spending a weekend gorging on the perfect food.

A sweet and savory resurrection was on its way, and Juice played a small part (yeah, we’ll take credit for it).

One delicious idea
In an “On the Street” question inside Juice in 2007, Reynolds was asked what Des Moines was missing. He answered “A festival dedicated to bacon.” The truthiness of his answer caught the eye of Jeff Bruning, a partner in Full Court Press — the owners of El Bait Shop, High Life Lounge and other downtown bars. At the time Full Court Press was organizing events like Oktoberfest and more offbeat occasions like the Nut Fry (aka the Testicle Festival). Bruning and Reynolds were also friends, leading to a magical phone call.

“(Bruning) said 'we can make that happen.’” Reynolds said. The rest is history. Sweet, crunchy, perfect-on-a-burger history.

The debut
The first Bacon Festival took place last March, but the 200 tickets sold out before they officially went on sale. This year, 300 tickets were available, but sold out in less than five days. Reynolds, Bruning and his friends from the bacon retreats organized the event and received enthusiastic e-mails from would-be attendees desperately seeking admittance.

“I got an e-mail from a guy in Chicago who said he’d dance for them,” Reynolds said. “I just laugh. The response we got is very overwhelming.”

Reynolds wants the festival to be a celebration of all things bacon, not just an excuse to shovel it down your throat . He wants to see more innovative uses for the meat. Last year Lance Avery, chef with Little Lady Foods, made a bacon cheesecake. This year, Avery is returning with a Mayan chocolate and bacon empanada with raspberries and hints of chipotle peppers. You’re not going to find a dish like that at Denny’s.

The future
Dates for the next Bacon Fest, and discussions about expanding the event are still being discussed, but Reynolds doesn’t want the event to lose its charm if it winds up growing.

“We’ve found a niche and are just trying to ride the wave and have a good time,” Reynolds said.