San Luis Obispo County restaurants participating include Old San Luis Barbeque, Salt & Pepper Food Truck, The Copper Café inside Madonna Inn, LicketySplit Cupcakes and Old West Cinnamon Rolls amongst others.
Emma Patterson
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Savory. Sizzly. Maple-y. SLO Bacon Week is here.
Participants from the SLO Bacon Fest in November have been preparing a variety of bacon-infused dishes since Sunday.
San Luis Obispo County restaurants participating include Old San Luis Barbeque, Salt & Pepper Food Truck, The Copper Café inside Madonna Inn, LicketySplit Cupcakes and Old West Cinnamon Rolls, as well as many other SLO Bacon Fest Vendors, according to SLO Bacon Fest event director Jazmyn Strickland.
“Everybody loves bacon,” Strickland said.
In addition to restaurants serving bacon-themed recipes, SLO Bacon Week includes other different contests that allow bacon lovers a chance to obtain bacon swag.
According to the SLO Bacon Fest website, contests include:
Catching the Bacon, where participants are challenged to spot the SLO Bacon Fest mascot at participating restaurants, take a picture with him and post it to the SLO Bacon Fest Facebook page to be entered to win a prize.
The Biggest Pig, where the person who visits the most SLO Bacon Fest participants will win a Year Supply of Bacon (participants must visit at least three and submit receipts to a Bacon Drop Box).
The Chow-Down Photo Contest, where participants take a picture of themselves chowing down at a participating restaurant and post it to the SLO Bacon Fest Facebook page to be entered to win a prize.
The These Little Piggies Contest, where the largest group of “bacon addicts” that eat at a participating restaurant, submit their receipt to any Bacon Drop Box and post a group photo to Facebook will win a prize.
SLO Bacon Week is funded by the vendors of SLO Bacon Fest. They generously donate not only bacon-inspired dishes, but their time and staff as well, Strickland said.
Strickland — who is originally from Bakersfield, Calif. — is a Cal Poly alum with a degree in agricultural business. Strickland put on the inaugural SLO Bacon Fest in November, which went well, she said. She attributes the event’s success to the fact that San Luis Obispo is a “fun town” and added the event will continue this year.
Those with a passion for pork can find several different volunteer opportunities within SLO Bacon Fest, including passing out flyers, setting up and cleaning afterward.
SLO Bacon Fest also donates a portion of the proceeds raised by ticket sales to Ward House Charities, which provides San Luis Obispo County children with increased nutrition by serving after-school meals.
SLO Bacon Week continues through Saturday, Jan. 25, and SLO Bacon Fest will be held this upcoming November.
“There are so many creative things to do [with bacon],” Strickland said, “It’s delicious.”