WEINLAND PARK, Ohio - Bacon is not just for breakfast anymore. The cured meat has exploded onto the culinary scene lately, with chefs adding it to brownies, vodka and shakes, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The trend, which began in 2007, has continued to sizzle in drinks, desserts and other fare.

Le Chocoholique stocks a bacon chocolate bar, a chocolate cocktail with bacon vodka, and a bacon gelato. Burger King offers a bacon sundae. Flip Side burger restaurant has a Date Shake with bacon-infused vodka and ice cream. Grandview Grind sells a bacon iced latte.

"It trickled up to groceries. They started getting more natural pork supplies," said Kara Nielsen with CCD Innovation. " And this new resource kicked off an interest in using the whole animal and getting excited about how the animal tasted."

CCD Innovation classifies the bacon trend as in Stage 5, meaning it has matured. "It€™s not newsworthy, but it€™s crave-worthy," she said. "Just because it stops being new doesn€™t mean that it has to go away."

The craving for bacon doesn€™t seem to be going away anytime soon. Le Chocoholique€™s number-one seller is its "Velvet Elvis" made with peanut butter, chocolate, bananas and bacon crumbles. "Two years ago, the food-trendy people knew," said owner Monica Barr, "and now all of society is coming and seeking bacon in anything sweet."