Mac & Cheese Fest

Unfortunately after purchasing the ticket we were told there would be no strollers because they couldn’t accommodate. No big deal we baby wear anyhow. She is less than a year old anyhow. We finally get there got our tickets and was about to walk in and we got stopped by a producer of the event. No kids under 10 no exceptions. Not to be rude but I had to ask why. They said because of alcohol. You are letting 11 year olds in! Are you worried she’ll be stepped on? Or I am going to give her alcohol. I understand it my fault for not reading the fine print but maybe a note should pop up letting you know you purchase tickets for MAC and CHEESE (something I heard young kids enjoy) that 10 and under are not welcomed. Two stars cause the event staff was very polite and understanding although unyielding on their policy.

After having trouble getting tickets to our beloved Chicago’s Best Wingfest, we decided to try another Chicago food fest. We heard about this one courtesy of vendor emails from our forlorn fest. We booked tickets quickly in order to not get shut out from this one.
This was our first fest at the UIC Forum. Like other local fests, they make you wait outside to get inside as crowd control. It wasn’t anything unusual for us or a big deal. Once we got in the fest, we were impressed. There were so many food vendors with generous samples. As with previous fests, we find a highboy table and secure a spot or two. Then, one of us goes and grabs food. This was one fest where it was nearly impossible to get to all of the restaurants, but I enjoyed the challenge. I also enjoyed the drink tickets. Though it was a little hard to get to the soda table, the concept is a good one compared to paying cash for it.
Overall, I really liked Mac & Cheese fest. Generous portions, drink tickets, and a big venue. No complaints here.

Have I died and gone to heaven? Mac and Cheese fest was amazing. I’ve been to a lot of fests and this fest was not your ordinary fest. Great vendors, great set-​up, great location. Loved the food, live twitter feed, slo-​motion booth, etc. Can’t wait for next year!

The Mac and Cheese Fest was a GREAT time. I was expecting good food since I knew they had 50 quality restaurants there however I wasn’t expecting it to be so much fun. The food was great, the beer and wine were excellent, they had fun music, and a live twitter feed projecting. My only regret was that I didn’t try the Golden Noodle winner’s food. I was too stuffed to get their table. I can’t wait to go next year.

I am a fan of this event. I didn’t know what to expect because when I hear «fest» I think of outdoor neighborhood street fairs! This one was indoors (and thank god, cuz it was cold and rainy and a perfect day for mac n cheese!). There were 50 impressive restaurants featured serving up creative and delicious mac n cheese dishes. Not a bad start for this first time fest. I tasted some really yummy dishes and have to admit, I was ready for a nap when I left (I think the wine helped with that). It was a lot of fun as we walked around acting as amateur food critics. We taste, discuss, then jot down some notes and on to the next. the voting part made it fun and interactive — — nice touch. Fun 80s music never hurts either.
Congrats Kitty O’ Sheas — — it was my favorite. Lots of close seconds.
It was a little crowded so I hope they get a bigger space next year or think about a different layout.

I thought i knew where to find the best Mac&Cheese in Chicago… boy was I thrown for a loop on Saturday!!!
I cant believe in it’s first year this crew was able to convince 50 high caliber vendors that this Fest would be as successful as it was! I chatted it up with a few chefs while they were handing out their delightful creations and it sounds like they were having a great time and enjoying the festivities as well!
The Slow Motion area was so much fun too… i felt like i was already in SloMo after trying as many samples as i did!
What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
The Only Question I have is: Where can I buy one of those Mac&Cheese Fest T-​shirts!?!

AMAZING EXPERIENCE! What a fabulous event. Restaurant line up was very impressive. Food lines were quick and easy. The drink lines were a little bit of a wait. There are so many unique Mac n cheese dishes that we never get the opportunity to try. This event allows you to enjoy them all. I can’t wait to spend another sat afternoon at Mac n Cheese fest next year!

I don’t want to sound cheesy, but your noodle was delicious!
For being their first year, I was truly impressed. My initial goal was to hit every restaurant, but by the 15^th sample (btw some were very generous portions), I was considering to look for volunteers to roll me out. I failed on my goal, but that only means two things. 1) I will be paying some restaurants a visit soon and 2) I am looking forward to next years Mac & Cheese Fest to try some of those I missed. Thank you for bringing this Fest to Chicago. Definitely one of my favorites.

So there are few things in life that bring me greater joy than cheese and carbs in combination – thus, when I heard about Mac and Cheese Fest, it was a pretty clear no brainer for me.
Let’s get this out of the way – there’s a good amount of room for improvement. Having people wait outside to get in when you had a perfectly good foyer? Silly. Giving everyone 5(!!) drink tickets apiece and not expecting the Goose Island booth to be mobbed? EXTRA silly. No stantions or indicators of where lines begin or end? You get the picture.
BUT…for a first year event, there’s a lot they got right, and a lot of potential. The caliber of restaurants attracted was pretty high, ticket prices reasonable for what was included, and aside from a few duds, the food was quite good.
I’ll be watching next year to see if they take note of the areas for improvement, and act on them.