Competing pork roll festivals on Saturday are expected to draw thousands to the city Watch video
TRENTON -- With Memorial Day comes the unofficial beginning of barbecue season, and in Trenton, grills will be sizzling with none other than pork roll when dueling festivals celebrating the salty, smoky meat return to the city Saturday.
The festival idea is now in its third year. TC Nelson and Scott Miller ran the inaugural festival in 2014, which drew 4,000 people to feast on the city's famous treat. They went their separate ways last year because of a disagreement and are again going ahead with two separate events.
Nelson's "Trenton Pork Roll Festival 2016" will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Trenton Social and Miller's "Official 3rd Annual Pork Roll Festival" will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Mill Hill Park.
"Anytime you can get people to come to the City of Trenton on a holiday weekend, where it's hundreds or even thousands of people, we're doing something right," Nelson said. "I've had my disagreements with Scott, but when it comes down to it, we're both bringing thousands of people here to the city."
It's no surprise to either man that the quintessential Jersey meat can draw such large crowds.
"It's really tasty," Miller said. "It's an underappreciated, under-respected food item and it's long past its time for people to celebrate it and elevate it to something more."
He said that for many people, the smell and taste of pork roll evokes childhood memories from years past. Billboards along highways used to advertise pork roll and stands and stores on the Atlantic City boardwalk and other Jersey Shore towns used to sell it. But now, he said, it's been reduced to another menu item at a diner.
"The pork roll festival and the product resonates with people," Miller said. "It really is something that people get emotional about."
Nelson called it "the people's meat" that can be eaten at any time of day.
"It's good for breakfast, lunch or dinner or when you get home drunk from the bar," he said. "You can throw some pork roll on the grill and you'll wake up and you won't be hungover. ... It's better than taking aspirin."
Both festivals will feature live music, beer and wine and food vendors who will serve up classics like pork roll, egg and cheese as well as add their own twists -- from chocolate-covered candied pork roll to pierogies, sushi and much more.
Miller and Nelson said the festivals can help draw in people who otherwise might not give Trenton a second look.
"It's working for us as a vehicle to draw some positive interest to downtown Trenton," Miller said. "I hope everybody comes to Trenton, has a good time and leaves with a better idea of what our city is about."
Nelson said that some might even be persuaded to make a permanent move.
"Somebody that shows up at the festival, they could be my neighbor around the corner six months from now and that's a cool thing," he said. "It would be nice to have some people that are into celebrating Trenton-centric things moving to Trenton. If they like it here, have a good time here, why not move here?"
IF YOU GO
Trenton Pork Roll Festival 2016; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Trenton Social, 449 S. Broad St.
Admission: $5; free for children under 12 and uniformed military, police, fire and emergency service workers. A guided bike tour of pork roll landmarks and festival entry is $15.
Food vendors: Johnny's Pork Roll and Coffee Truck; Crespella's Crepes; My Four Suns Korean Fusion, Killarney's Publick House; sushi chef Charlie Yeh; chef Chris Livolsi; and The Twisted Biscuit
Other highlights include The Pork Roll Store and C+C Music Factory
The festival will mark the reopening of the restaurant, which was forced to close and undergo emergency repairs after a driver trying to escape police crashed through the front.
For more information, visit trentonporkrollfestival.com
Official 3rd Annual Pork Roll Festival; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Mill Hill Park, 100 S. Broad St.
Admission: $5; free for children 10 and under
Food vendors: 1911 Smokehouse BAR-B-QUE; Pie'd Piper; WTF?; DeLorenzo's Pizza; The Tot Cart; Undrgrnd Donuts; Jersey Devil BBQ; Checkers; Hai Street Kitchen & Co.; and Kath's Catering
Other highlights include the Pork Roll Queen contest and a recipe contest where one of the judges will be Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen), who introduced two competing bills on what the state's official sandwich should be named
For more information, visit porkrollfestival.com
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.