Experience 30 different mac and cheese options from local restaurants, food trucks and catering companies at the Richmond Mac and Cheese Festival. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Richmonders, get ready to enjoy a whole day dedicated to gooey, cheesy comfort food. I’m talking, of course, about mac and cheese. Organized by TasteUSA, the inaugural Richmond Mac and Cheese Festival will serve bowls of mac and cheese from local restaurants at the Richmond Raceway from noon to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
But where did the homey, rustic dish originate? The first documented recipe of macaroni and cheese was written in 1769, although some historians say it has existed since the 1300s. A staple of American cuisine, mac and cheese made its way to America thanks to Virginia native Thomas Jefferson. While in France, Jefferson fell in love with macaroni and Parmesan.
Upon returning to America, Jefferson found the American ingredients wanting and would regularly import macaroni and Parmesan from Europe. In 1802, after becoming president, Jefferson served a mac and cheese variant at the White House that a guest described as “a pie called macaroni,” according to Monticello's Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia.
Mac and cheese had a resurgence during the Great Depression after Kraft foods introduced its boxed mac and cheese in 1937. Since dairy products were in limited supply, Kraft invented its famous “cheese powder” to deal with rationing and provide consumers with a carb- and protein-filled meal for little money.
Since then, the dish has become a symbol of nostalgia and a prominent element of American comfort cuisine. Charlie Adler, festival director at TasteUSA, wants to bring those feelings of nostalgia to Richmond for the weekend.
“You want people to go, ‘Oh my God, that was the greatest thing I ever did,' " Adler says of the event. "That's what we're about.”
Adler hosted his first mac and cheese festival in Baltimore in May, and it was a hit. Following were festivals in Arlington and Pittsburgh, along with a forthcoming event in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The festival will feature 30 types of mac and cheese from local restaurants that range from smoked pimento mac from Fatty Smokes to kimchi mac and bulgogi mac from Seoul 2 Soul. Vegans and gluten-free diners are also accounted for: Rooted Delights will whip up a vegan mac and C and D’s Kuntry Kitchen will offer a gluten-free option. Other members of the mac and cheese lineup include Mosaic Catering, Billy Jack's Shack, The Pitts, Momma's Barbecue, and the newly opened Stump's Pig & Pint. Attendees can wash it all down with local beer, wine and cider, and there will also be live music.
During the event, vendors will battle it out for the cheesy honor of “best mac and cheese," and the winner will receive $500. According to Adler, who has hosted numerous food festivals across the country, the mac and cheese fest is more about coming together as a community, rather than simply food.
“We didn't bring the mac and cheese festival to Richmond, we just simply are holding it there,” he says. “It's really about getting the local food vendors and connecting them with the community.”
But mac and cheese will be at the forefront.
“We're not a state fair, we really focus on the food — we're a food and drink festival,” says Adler. “It's all about experiencing the fun ... and, as someone said, Richmond has a festival for everything.”
General admission tickets to the festival are broken into two three-hour sessions. They are $40 and include 10 tickets to taste mac and cheese and one drink ticket. There are also entry-only and VIP tickets available.
