Oct. 26--The story goes that Cece Gonzales, who grew up in Peru but has lived here for 14 years, had never tried mac 'n' cheese in her life. When she did, she thought it tasted amazing. And from that moment of inspiration, Gonzales -- with partners Melinda Joseph and Ozzie Meza -- founded Mac Cheese Fest, yet another of the all-in-on-one-dish food festivals so prevalent in Chicago these past few years (See: Ramenfest, Baconfest).
Its second iteration took place this past Saturday, and organizers said some 4,000 attendees walked through the doors of the UIC Forum for gooey helpings of pasta. This year, 86 restaurants took part during the festival's lunch and dinner sessions, with names from Carnivale and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que to Charlatan and Real Urban BBQ.
There were two grand prize winners this year, chosen from a panel of food professionals and a public vote. The lunch session winner of the "Golden Noodle" went to AMK Kitchen Bar's version with jalapeno, a bacon crust and five cheeses (Asiago, provolone, Gouda, fontina, havarti). The chef of the Logan Square restaurant, Barney Smith, was formerly a sous-chef at Sunda.
The night session winner was a cupcake and cookies food truck based in Roselle called Auntie Vee's. Chef Navena Moore's winning creation was a mac 'n' cheese bread pudding, which she calls a Pu'deesie.
More winners from the event:
(Lunch session)
1st runner-up: Kitty O'Sheas
2nd runner-up: Real Urban BBQ
Most creative: Carnivale
Best presentation: Knife Tine
(Dinner session)
1st runner-up: Amazing Edibles Catering
2nd runner-up: Red Door
Most creative: State and Lake Chicago Tavern
Best presentation: Real Urban BBQ
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