2016 Food Fest #1: Cochon 555

Let's talk about food fests.

It's no secret that Chicagoans love our food. We have so many world-class restaurants, that the James Beard Foundation decided to hold their award events here for the second time in a row this year.

And we have so many restaurants, that it's impossible to visit them all. So if you can't visit them all, what can you do? 

Put them all in one place and try them all at once!

And that is why I LOVE food fests. I had a blast hitting up about a dozen fests last year and I cannot wait for what 2016 brings.

My first food fest this year was Cochon 555. Cochon 555 is a national, traveling food fest heavily concentrated in the best meat of all: Porky Pig. In each city, they invite 5 chefs to compete on their best dishes, and at the end of the night, only one chef is crowned King or Queen of Cochon 555. Although, honestly, all the attendees are the true winners- they are the ones that got to first-hand try and judge all dishes. You can find more info about Cochon 555 here, and be sure to check them out when they hit your city.

Thanks to a friend, I was invited to attend Cochon 555 when it hit Chicago's Loews Hotel on April 24, 2016. We arrived at noon (the VIP hour) and embraced ourselves for 4 hours of crazy eating and drinking. It was quite a sight! You shoulda been there to see how it all started with guests drinking from cocktail punch bowls while waiting in the check-in line and ended with everybody in comatose pose on the Loew's super comfortable lobby recliners. And here is what happened in between:

At Check-in: It begins

Cashew milk float from Lula Cafe- I made the mistake of filling up on these. But they were so good, I couldn't help drinking 5-6.

Taking it slowly with pulled pork tacos and tamales. Notice the small crowd in the foreground- It pays to be at the VIP hour,

Love these tamales from Chef Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde Restaurant- they were just the right kind of spicy

Pate on a Pig Biscuit 

Ramen Bar Pop-Up

That was a lot of food, but let's not forget about the drinks:

Love the old-fashioned with wood smoked right in front of our faces

A rum cart that traveled throughout the food hall

The Beautiful Ones: A very magically delicious cocktail made with blackberry

Overall, I love this fest. It was greatly organize and the amount of food was reasonable. There was only 5 chefs 3-5 dishes each, so we didn't feel overwhelmed. Drinks were aplenty, with one in every direction, and even a rum cart that traveled around. This is one food fest where you did not have to push and shove and run around, but instead could sit back, relax, and lazily chew the pork.

Check back next week when I'll review Baconfest. In the meantime, I'll be working off all these food.