Baconfest 2023!

It’s that time again y’all!

Preparations for Baconfest 2023 are well underway here at the Reyes household!

This weekend, mom and dad (Carol and Jose) came over and they helped Rebecca and I to get some work done around the yard. There’s still a bit more work to be done before it’s ready for you all to come visit but it’s getting there.

The more exciting thing so far though is that we now have a logo for this backyard BBQ of ours. I’m pretty sure that makes us legit! What do you think?

For the new people, here’s a little what’s what about Baconfest:

What is Baconfest?

Baconfest is an annual backyard BBQ that we host for friends and family. It’s not a BBQ competition…. just good food, good beer, and good times.

How did Baconfest start?

I don’t remember exactly how many years it’s been now, I think it may have started in 2020 but I’m not 100% sure. All I do remember for sure is that it started during that dark period of the world when we all had to stay home and didn’t see much of our families. I had made a lot of bacon and needed wanted to share it with all of our friends and family.

Rebecca and I decided that getting the family to come over for a backyard BBQ would get us all together and we’d be able to share the bacon so I could make more.

That first year we only invited immediate family and most of the foods had some kind of a bacon theme… BLT’s, Jalapeno Poppers, and a few other things. I’m pretty sure we all had a good time, we usually do.

Little did I know that it would turn into an annual event that many of us look forward to. I certainly do; it’s a lot of work to pull off but it makes me giddy with happiness to have everyone here enjoying each others company.

The invite list has gotten a bit longer, we’re inviting friends, family, co-workers, and random people we meet at Walmart. I’m kidding of course, Baconfest is still being held in my tiny backyard and Rebecca and I handle all of the cooking so we have to limit the number of people we invite but we do have some ideas brewing that might expand that invite list a little bit more sometime in the future.

When is Baconfest 2023?

This years Baconfest is on Saturday, July 22, 2023. Appetizers will likely be starting to come off the smokers/grills at about 1:00 PM’ish.

It’ll end when the last person leaves.

What’s on the Menu?

I’m running a little bit late on planning so I haven’t really gotten around to putting together a menu. I can say that there will likely be

• Bacon stuff
• Brisket
• Pork Belly Tacos
• Chicken
• Salad
• Beans
• Rice
• Some sort of canapé

We’re also planning on having some vegetarian options.

How do I get an invite?

Getting an invite is easy if you know the right people. Knowing if you know the right people is the hard part.

If you do happen to know the right people you probably already have an invite.

I live kind of far away…

Yeah, so what! This is not an event to be missed. Save some gas money, tell everyone you’ll be gone and not to call, get in your car, come hang out. That’s four easy steps!

My house is small (remember the part about the backyard being tiny?) and a few people usually stay here after the BBQ but there are some decently priced hotels in the area. Make a weekend of it, come to the BBQ on Saturday, spend the night in a hotel and then take your family out somewhere fun on Sunday.

Here are some suggestions:

• Phil’s Fish Market in Castroville
• 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco
• Monterey Bay Aquarium

What should I bring?

So, assuming you do know the right people and you were one of the lucky few to get an invite, you’re probably wondering what you should bring right?

Well, we’ll have some chairs and tables but the number of chairs might be a little limited. Not everyone needs to bring their own chair but if you have one that’s not too hard to bring along it would be appreciated.

We’ll have the typical beer, liquor, soda, and water. If you want something specific feel free to bring it. And when the night is over please take whatever is left of what you brought with you.

The one thing that is mandatory for everyone to bring is a damn good time! Yeah, you heard that right… A DAMN GOOD TIME! Leave the drama at home and instead pack your activity wig, a big smile, a bag full of laughs, a hug or two, and your appetite.

How do I RSVP?

I do ask that you do me a favor and let me know how many people might be in your crew. It’ll help me to make the right amount of food, we don’t want to be wasteful but we want to be sure to have enough.

So if you’re invited, please text/call Rebecca or myself to let us know how many might be coming.

Special shout out!

You may have noticed the shamrock in the Baconfest logo, that’s just there this year because it’s a special year. There will be a few things to celebrate at Baconfest:

• It’s going to be Saturday…Saturday’s should almost always be celebrated.
• Zack, our Grandson, will be visiting. He lives in Texas and is being influenced by that Tex-mex style, let’s show him some love and let him know what the Golden State is all about.
• Zyia’s birthday, that little girl is lively and beautiful. I don’t know yet if she’ll be here but I’m really hoping she will be.
• Alyssa will be heading off on another life adventure. She’s moving to Ireland to study. We’re all super proud of her!