FSFOT..What's The Deal??: Chester County Mac & Cheese Cook-Off Review!

"The first annual Mac & Cheese Cook-Off was filled with kids laughing, everyone covered in sunscreen, and lots of sighs, moans and groans of people enjoying a large variety of mac & cheese. The Downingtown and Thorndale Rotary Clubs did a great job dazzling our taste buds at this event! All nine restaurants that participated brought their own unique twist to an American staple. I was worried before arriving that the dishes would all taste similar; I ended up worrying for nothing! Local cheeses, Kennett Square mushrooms, the bounty from restaurant gardens and seafood all made appearances in the entries.

Business was brisk, and unfortunately I missed my chance to sample the lone home cook Andy Keen’s Buffalo chicken inspired entry the “Mac Daddy”. I asked Andy if he enjoyed the experience and he said: “This was great! I never entered a contest as a single person before. When tasters said my mac & cheese was restaurant quality, it was great!”. Proud Mom Lori Keen, a member of the Rotary chimed in on the event saying: “We had an overwhelming turnout!”. She was very pleased with the success of the event. She told me that the proceeds would go to local, regional and international Rotary approved needs. It is the top goal of Rotary International to eradicate polio worldwide.

I enjoyed all of the mac & cheese entries, but the stand out dish for me was the Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork by The Midway Bar and Grill. It tasted like a Southern pork barbeque and homemade mac & cheese rolled into one. Two of my favorite comfort foods, together at last! I happily cast my vote for The Midway Bar and Grill and was rewarded with a second helping by the enthusiastic staff manning the booth. They didn’t have this particular mac & cheese on their menu, but I hope it is added as it was delicious!

The Bordley House Grille won both People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice awards sweeping the competition. Triple Fresh Caterers won the Kid’s Choice award.

I can’t wait until next year to sample some more creative, local mac & cheese dishes! Thank you so much Autumn Katzenmoyer for allowing me to cover such a fun event!"

Kelly says:

"The blistering heat on Sunday did not keep the crowds away from the first annual Chester County Mac-n-Cheese Cook-Off. By the time I arrived at 1:10pm, the turnout had already exceeded the Thorndale-Downingtown Rotary Club’s expectations, according to Laurie Keen, rotary member and mother of the one non-restaurant person entering the competition. All of the proceeds from the Cook-Off support the charitable projects of the Rotary Club on local, national and international levels. There were nine restaurants, and one individual that entered the Cook-Off this year, which provided for some amazing varieties of Mac-n-Cheese.

Andy Keen was the one individual who entered the competition with his signature Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese dish. Even though he cooked five pounds of his specialty, he had run out by the time I arrived at his table. That bodes quite well for the quality of Andy’s dish, but not so well for me – I was really looking forward to sampling that!

Molly Maguire’s was the first restaurant table I visited, and was treated to a sampling of their Jambalaya Mac-n-Cheese. Chicken, shrimp, andoulie sausage and lobster paired beautifully with the blend of cheeses and penne pasta. It was tasty with a kick! I look forward to Molly Maguire’s opening up in Downingtown in January or February of next year in the old firehouse on Lancaster Ave – a welcome addition to the great variety of restaurant options in Downingtown.

Triple Fresh, a market and caterer located in E. Fallowfield, offered a Five Cheese Mac-n-Cheese with a buttered Panko Bread Crumb topping. Cheesy, crunchy and flavorful, this dish featured Gouda, Fontina, Cheddar, Blue Cheese and Parmesan Cheese all from Lancaster County, and milk from the dairy in Cochranville. The fact that all of the ingredients were locally sourced made my sample taste even better! Triple Fresh was the recipient of the Kid’s Choice award – congratulations Triple Fresh!

Foster Boys, a Downingtown pizza and sandwich shop, offered a Jalapeño Mac-n-Cheese. This was a cheesy dish, but it was not greasy. And the addition of fresh jalapeños gave their Mac-n-Cheese a crunch and a zest that I have never experienced before with Mac-n-Cheese. Unique and delicious!

Firecreek restaurant, another Downingtown favorite, offered Mac-n-Cheese with Gouda, Havarti and Cheddar cheeses, brown sugar rubbed bacon and wild mushrooms. The cheese and bacon were from Wyebrook farms in Honey Brook, and the mushrooms were from Kennett Square. Another locally sourced winner! In fact, Firecreek came in second in every category – People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Judge’s Choice, and I have seen some suggestions floating around Facebook that they may want to consider adding the dish to their menu. Hmmm…

The Bordley House Grill at Broad Run, in West Chester, served up a Mushroom Mac-n-Goat Cheese that won my heart and my vote. The mushrooms were from Kennett Square, and the Goat Cheese was from Yellow Springs Farm in Chester Springs and they went together beautifully. The amazing flavor of their dish was accented by fresh rosemary from their own herb garden, which was the perfect touch! The Bordley House Grill took first place in both the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice categories – congratulations Bordley House Grill! I will be seeing you soon.

The Hotel Sports Pub and Grille, in Downingtown, offered Crabby Mac-n-Cheese, which contained baby spinach, plum tomatoes and crab. It was a saucy and flavorful mixture. Their sister restaurant, The Midway Bar and Grille, in Coatesville, provided a refreshing change of pace with their Middy Magnifilious. This dish contained pork ribs (without the bone), cheese whiz and heavy cream, among other ingredients. The flavor was part Mac-n-Cheese, and part Pork BBQ – quite a tantalizing combination!

The Beaver Creek Tavern, in Downingtown, was the only participant to make a “traditional” Mac-n-Cheese, with extra sharp cheddar cheese and Italian style stewed tomatoes. It was quite a treat amongst the exotic renditions of Mac-n-Cheese I had sampled elsewhere. And last, but certainly not least, was the Station Taproom’s Cheddar, Swiss and Arugula Pesto Mac-n-Cheese. It was light and tasty, and the Arugula came from the herb garden that kept behind their restaurant. I love that!

Even though there were ten different types of Mac-n-Cheese, the portion cups they were served in helped to provide a sufficient portion for sampling, without being overwhelming. I was amazed at the variety of renditions of this classic dish, and at the creativity of the chefs that worked so hard to keep everyone impressed and entertained.

Speaking of entertainment, the Rotary Club provided a Craft tent for the kids, a live band (where one of the members was the brother of a member, if I heard correctly), and a B 101 tent, for tunes while the band was on break. In addition, the Club manned a beverage stand, with sales of water and lemonade and soft pretzels going to support the Rotary’s charitable causes. Victory Brewing Company also stepped in with some libations in their Beer Garden, and offered some non Mac-n-Cheese food for those that hadn’t quite gotten their fill. Margo’s ice cream of Downingtown was scooping away and doing a brisk business in the heat, offering about five options of homemade ice cream – the perfect dessert!

Small in size, only filling about ¾ of the Kerr Park parking lot, this event was extra large on community – bringing in over 600 guests. This took many of the participants by surprise, and several of the restaurants had run out of their samples by 2pm. Members of the Rotary Club are already looking forward to next year’s event, where everyone can come prepared with plenty of samples for the 2^nd Annual Chester County Mac-n-Cheese Cook-off. Many thanks to the Downingtown Thorndale Rotary Club for their hard work and for giving me the opportunity to review this great event!"

~Melanie & Kelly

MelanieRRRoCC@aol.com

KellyRRRoCC@aol.com

www.facebook.com/RealReviewsChesterCounty

FSFOT..What's The Deal??

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Chester County Mac & Cheese Cook-Off Review!

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