Travel and Adventure: Make a pig of yourself at the Bacon and Barrels Festival

Monday

Feb 17, 2014 at 10:01 PMFeb 17, 2014 at 10:01 PM

By John BlanchetteCreators Syndicate

I left my home in Santa Monica, Calif., on a beautiful Friday afternoon in midsummer and drove my convertible north toward Santa Barbara County.  I was happy as a pig in clover because I was headed to the first annual Bacon and Barrels festival held over the weekend in the artist community of Los Olivos. I couldn’t wait to start “pigging out” in this wine country town where Santa Maria tri-tip barbecue sandwiches cooked at roadside stands in special wood-burning rigs are the best-known weekend diversion for carnivores.  But beef gave way to pork this weekend and really brought home the bacon. Because I review restaurants and do a great deal of writing about food and drink, I was asked to be a judge at the competition among 70 chefs and mixologists for the “Jefe del Porko” (boss of pork) title in food and drink categories.  I stayed overnight in the nearby town of Solvang, which was founded by a group of Danish religious leaders, educators, farmers and settlers from the Midwest.  In 1911 they paid $360,000 to purchase 9,000 acres of land and establish a community in a more hospitable climate (“Solvang” is Danish for sunny fields).  They began building the town as Danes migrated to the area and shops started flourishing.  Following World War II, Solvang imported Danish craftsmen familiar with Old World techniques to start building half-timbered homes with narrow-paned windows and pitched and thatched roofs.  Danish bakeries and pastry shops opened, and in the late 1940s tourists began discovering the community.  Since then things have gone hog-wild, re-creating an architectural wonderland of charming Danish cottages and buildings, including several decorative but non-functional windmills.  There’s a lot of kitsch here, but a million tourists a year enjoy this smorgasbord of excellent restaurants and wine-tasting rooms located throughout the town.  There’s even a casino run by the Chumash Indian tribe. I stayed at the Wine Valley Inn Cottages in one of the most delightful accommodations I’ve ever experienced.  I felt like I was returning to the shire and my storybook home each time I crossed the wooden bridge over the koi pond at the entrance to my rustic cottage.  It had two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a cozy living room with a wood-burning fireplace, an upstairs loft bedroom and a private hot tub.  They supplied a delicious full breakfast in the main restaurant that included waffles, pancakes, eggs, Danish pastry and — of course — bacon, but I had to show some restraint so I would be ready to sample the chefs’ offerings at the festival without getting, well, as fat as a pig.  In just two weeks and with hardly any marketing, last year’s event sold out all 1,400 tickets to attendees from all over the country.  The event was held in the Saarlos and Sons Field at the entrance to Los Olivos off Highway 154, a 28-mile scenic drive into the wine country hills above Santa Barbara. Friday evening Chef Maegen Loring of Lido restaurant in Pismo Beach, Calif., prepared a sunset reception.  Saarloos and Son’s wine was poured at the bacon-enhanced sit-down meal, which began with passed hors d’oeuvres that included bacon-flavored popcorn.  As the sun went down a wood fire was set to warm the evening.  The smell of red-oak smoke wafting over the field and the diners was a sensory omen of things to come in the morning.  The next day crowds lined up around the field waiting for the noon opening of the festival.  From the central stage a number of local bands played country, rock and bluegrass, and there was a piglet petting zoo to entertain the children.  Boldly rooting out the best bacon-flavored drinks and repasts, the team of judges went whole hog in search of the top dishes and libations.  As the day heated up, so did the competition. Final judging was tough, but by a boar’s bristle Sides Hardware and Shoes took home the first Jefe del Porko for their house-made bacon sliders and maple bacon and nectarine panzanella salad.  Al Fresco Picnic was the Jefe del Porko runner-up, serving chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and a refreshing tomato, cucumber and bacon salad with avocado dressing.  Attendees also were treated to creative dishes such as Bourbon Bacon Bread Pudding from El Rancho Marketplace, Pork Confit Sandwiches from Rancho Reata Roadhouse, Braised Bacon from Succulent, Bacon Tacos from Al Fresco Picnic and Chocolate Pepper Bread With Smoky Lardons from Bob’s Well Bread, among a whole slew of other porcine pleasures. Laphroaig’s mixologist Brandon Bartlett won the “Jefe” title for best cocktail, his Scottish Breakfast.  The beautifully smoked flavors of the scotch were infused with bacon and a mist of maple syrup.  This year’s Bacon and Barrels festival takes place July 18 to 20.  Despite the inaugural sellout, organizers will not be increasing the number of tickets in 2014. “ We rather enjoyed the number of attendees,” said Holly Holiday, founder of the event. “ We will continue to cultivate this as a marquee event for culinary artists and foodies alike.”  WHEN YOU GO Due to the event’s popularity, a second festival will be in San Diego from May 30 to June 1.  Tickets go on sale in March.  More information can be found at www.baconandbarrels.com, facebook/baconandbarrels or on Twitter @ #baconandbarrels. Wine Valley Inn Cottages: www.winevalleyinn.com