Mac and cheese is like gold
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years AGO
This 2020 photo shows mac and cheese tamales created by The Coeur d’Alene Resort at the annual Mac and Cheese Festival in downtown Coeur d'Alene.
Photo courtesy of Emily Boyd
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | January 7, 2023 1:06 AM
Whoever thought macaroni and cheese would be in such demand?
The Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association's sixth annual Mac & Cheese Festival on Jan. 14 is already sold out. We're talking 2,000 tickets.
Don't lose hope if you want in. There's a waiting list.
"Everyone loves mac and cheese,” said Emily Boyd, the association's executive director, on Friday.
The event's popularity may be due to uniqueness and the simplicity of a food combo that's beloved nationwide for flavor and frugality.
"It's not common to have a downtown mac and cheese festival," Boyd said.
The festival offers mac and cheese dishes prepared by local chefs competing for the Golden Noodle Award.
Attendees can pair dishes and craft beers and vote for their favorites to help award the People’s Choice trophy.
Participants can check in at the Plaza Shops to receive passports to tour participating locations downtown.
Check-in for the lunch session is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dinner session check-in is from 2 to 4 p.m. Serving runs from noon to 6 p.m.
"It makes us very excited to bring 2,000 people downtown during the cold month of January," Boyd said.
She said if people who already bought tickets can't attend, the association will refund their money and offer the tickets to the first on the waiting list.
Info: cdadowntown.com
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