Mac and cheese is perhaps the most basic of foods. Yet, it is in the highest demand in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

All 2,000 tickets for the annual event on Saturday have sold out, and the waiting list for more than 250 tickets continues to grow.

Emily Boyd, executive director of the Downtown Coeur d'Alene Association, said after eight years of Mac & Cheese Festival sellouts, it's no surprise.

"Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese on a cold January day?" Boyd said. "I think the uniqueness of it makes it something people are excited about. I'm not sure how many towns can say they have a Mac and Cheese Festival."

Count Coeur d'Alene among them.

The Mac & Cheese Festival features variations prepared by local chefs competing for the Golden Noodle Award. Attendees can enjoy a comfort-food-filled day tasting different cheesy dishes with craft beer pairings and get to vote for their favorite dish to help award the People’s Choice Trophy.

There will be more than 20 different types of mac and cheese from favorite chefs in town, including Candle in the Woods, Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery, and Syringa Japanese Cafe and Sushi Bar.

In years past, even on days when it's been below freezing, thousands have walked to tasting locations in downtown businesses. With a forecast for sunny skies and highs in the 40s on Saturday, conditions are close to ideal for a mac and cheese extravaganza. 

Boyd referred to it as a chance to walk through a quaint downtown, enjoy food and drink and have fun.

"It's always been popular," she said.

The Mac & Cheese Festival started nine years ago, the idea of Bill Reagan, president of The Coeur d'Alene Resort and then DTA board president.

It was a simple suggestion, something to provide a boost for downtown in traditionally slow January. Expectations were low-key the first year, and tickets were offered in The Plaza Shops. When a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd showed up, organizers knew they had cooked up something special.

"It was chaos," Boyd said. "We could never have expected that kind of turnout."

The following year, it was expanded with tasting locations in downtown businesses. Tickets, available online, have sold out every year since.

"It's unlike anything I've ever been a part of," Boyd said. "Who would have known mac and cheese would be that big of a hit?"

Besides the waiting list, there are other ways to get Mac & Cheese Festival tickets.

People can purchase a Big Five Event Pass, which includes a ticket to the Mac & Cheese Festival and a ticket to four of the association's largest events of the year.

Another way people can secure their ticket at the Mac & Cheese Festival is with The Coeur d'Alene Resort Mac & Cheese Festival overnight package, which includes two Mac & Beer tickets and a night's stay at The Coeur d'Alene Resort the night of the festival. 

Info: cdadowntown.com