2024 Bacon Fest winners impress with tasty creativity

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Walking into the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering on Saturday, Aug. 3 you could smell the aroma of bacon.

Just over a dozen food trucks took part in Bacon Fest, an event that has been celebrating the best of what bacon has to offer for over a decade.

Each food truck was tasked with putting bacon at the forefront. I was among the panel of judges selecting winners in the categories of Most Baconlicious, Best Dessert, Best Side, Best Dish, Most Creative and Critic’s Choice.

The winners are as follows:

Most Baconlicious: Death Grip Donuts with its Don’t Go Bacon My Heart doughnut

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Best Dessert: Batter Up Funnel Cakes with its Bacon Encrusted Deep Fried Honey Bun

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Best Side: Amber Rose Restaurant and Catering with its White Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Best Dish: 1776 Grill with its Bacon Stuffed Garlic Toast Grilled Cheese

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Most Creative: Rolling Indulgence for its Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Stick with garlic ranch sauce

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Critic’s Choice: Lilia’s Outside Cafe for their Cheddar Bacon Ranch Fries

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Attendees could scan a QR code and vote for their favorite dish. 1776 Grill won the People’s Choice Award for “Best Damn Bacon” with its Bacon Stuffed Garlic Toast Grilled Cheese. This is the fourth year they’ve won the fan favorite honor.

Rolling Indulgence had two other items that were favorites: The Maple Bacon Brownie Bar and Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Shake. They were good separate, but even better together.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Other food vendors that showcased several bacon-inspired items included:

  • Gourmet Grub Shack with a Bacon Cowboy BBQ Quesadilla
  • Dewberry 1850 with a BLT Grilled Cheese
  • The Sueweet Batch with Maple Bacon Pig Pops and Blueberry Maple Bacon Mini Cakes
  • Greek Street with a Pork Belly Gyro
  • Phat & Rich with a Bacon Wrapped Slaw Dog, Bacon Philly Cheesesteak and Mexican Corn Salad with Bacon
  • JA’s & Sweetum’s with Chocolate-Covered Bacon, Bacon Banana Pudding and Bacon Biscoff Cheesecake
  • Eddie’s Roasted Corn on the Cob featuring a bacon topping

Bacon Fest was organized by the Miami Valley Restaurant Association. The organization’s next event is Pepper Fest from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Fraze Pavilion on Saturday, Aug. 17.

For more information, visit dineoutdayton.com or the Miami Valley Restaurant Association’s Facebook page.

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