If you’re a believer in heritage farming, if you’re excited by competition, if a creative challenge is your favorite type of mental stimulation or if you just love to eat pork, you’re going to need to clear your calendar for Sunday, February 8, 2015 — it’s going down.

Cochon 555 — a national competition of “notable chefs, barrier-breaking women, artist-like butchers, spirited bartenders, top winemakers, brewers, distillers and brazen pastry talent” — is in its seventh year of touring the US, with 10 stops on the tour for 2015, Houston being the second. (Side note: My Table magazine is excited to be the media sponsor for Cochon 555’s Houston inauguration!) Competing in Houston are Erin Smith of the fresh new Downtown JW Marriott’s Main Kitchen (she’s serving as the official host chef), Ronnie Killen of Killen’s BBQ, Brandi Key of Punk’s Simple Southern Food, Mark Decker of Down House and Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber of Coltivare.

Using a whole hog each, the competing chefs will prepare up to six dishes, ideally winning the majority of votes from enthusiastic pork partisans and local competition judges. The Houston winner will go on to a further competition, striving for the esteemed title of “King or Queen of Porc” at the tour finale — the Grand Cochon in Aspen, Colorado, in June — and rewarded with a trip to one of Spain’s best-known wine destinations, Rioja.

Ticketed guests will also try three dozen dishes, wines and cocktails from culinary collaborations between sponsors and pop-up eateries on site, from supporting sponsors such as: Wines of Germany, St. Francis Wines and the Wines of Rioja; a tapas bar that showcases prosciutto di parma; Buffalo Trace’s “Welcome Punch Reception” paired with bites from La Brea Bakery; an artisan cheese shop featuring the Houston Dairymaids and Creminelli salumi; Rappahannock Oyster Shelf featuring local favorite Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar; and the infamous TarTare Bar featuring beef from Kansas’ Creekstone Farms. Also doling out drinks is the “Perfect Manhattan Experience” featuring Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace and Breckenridge Bourbon products finished with Luxardo cherries and a cured meat surprise. Houston bartenders will shake things up in Punch Kings — the tour’s whole bottle “meats” cocktail competition using Breckenridge Bourbon. (VIP ticket holders will have access to the Punch Kings competition and can try each of the five entry cocktails.)

There are several levels of tickets to consider, but this event does sell out. Purchase tickets pronto, or you might be that little piggy crying all the way home.

General admission tickets are $125 each (guests enter at 5 pm) and VIP tickets (which include an extra hour to taste, allowing guests entry at 4 pm) are $200. But wait: There are also additional specialty tickets (see all the details here), which include special dinners, cookbooks, subscriptions and more, priced from $225 and up.

Click here to read more about the mission behind Cochon 555.