Don't hate me, but this was a work event. Cochon555 is "a nose-to-tail culinary tour dedicated to supporting family farmers and educating chefs and diners about the agricultural importance of utilizing Old World livestock." I'm working with their Communications Director, Robert McKeown, on a cookbook collecting their best recipes and providing some background on non-commodity breeds like the Red Wattle and Hereford. So, naturally, I had to see what it was all about, and luckily the 2017 tour kicked off at the Weylin in Brooklyn - a few blocks from where my siblings live. I brought my brother and his fiancé, Lauren, and the Carnivale atmosphere and just good old fashioned gluttony was outrageously fun. Even the cotton candy had bacon bits. And it didn't hurt that there were at least as many cocktail, punch, and wine stations as there were food stations! If Cochon555 is in your city give it a look; the tickets are expensive but worth it. You can check out their calendar of events here.