UNIVERSITY VILLAGE — An entire food festival dedicated to America's favorite comfort food is coming to the UIC Forum Saturday.
Tickets to the first annual Mac & Cheese Fest, from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the UIC Forum, are still on sale. For $60, Mac & Cheese fans get all-you-can-taste access to macaroni & cheese creations from about 50 participating restaurants and five drink tickets redeemable for beer, wine or spirits.
Each of the chefs will present their own versions of the classic dish, using any type of pasta and cheese as the primary ingredients, according to organizers.
Attendees and a panel of foodies will select a winning chef, who will take home "the Golden Noodle" Saturday.
The tasting menu includes:
• PB&J Mac & Cheese, featuring hazelnut fregola, red pepper, orange marmalade, homemade ricotta, crushed peanuts and a sourdough crostini by chef Rodolfo Cuadros from Carnivale in the West Loop;
• Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese with buttermilk blue cheese and chives by chef Amanda Downing from River North's Rockit Bar & Grill;
• Pimento cheeseburger mac and cheese by chef Eric Michael from The Southern in Wicker Park;
• and Mac & Cheese Pizza from Big G's Pizza in Little Italy.
A portion of Mac & Cheese Fest proceeds will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
