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The Mac & Cheese Throwdown is less than a month away, and that means it’s time to buy your ticket. Seriously, this event has been known to sell out early. So if you’re tired of powdered cheese packets from the boring blue box, you’d better lay down your $22 ASAP to ensure you’ll be able to eat an unthinkable amount of cheesy goodness on Sunday, November 17. “We sold 40 tickets before we even announced the participating chefs,” says Suzie Timm of Girl Meets Fork.
This iconic American dish has for too long been rendered boring by kids’ palates, but chefs at the throwdown break the stereotype with mix-ins like lobster, duck confit, and fancy — and stinky — cheeses. The event is only for mac ‘n’ cheese lovers ages 21 and up, so tykes and teens will have to sit this one out. Not only does that give the nine participants license to veer from basic cheddar, but it also means there will be a cash bar with plenty of libations.
See also: Nine Favorite Mac and Cheese Dishes in Metro Phoenix
The event will kick off at 4 p.m. at Scottsdale’s Renegade by MOD, and in the end two of nine contests will remain standing. Admission gets you one vote for the People’s Choice award; additional votes can be purchased for $1 each, and all proceeds from the contest will be donated to a local food bank.
Of course you can’t find a favorite without a lot of sampling. Expect to enjoy enough servings of mac ‘n’ cheese to constitute a late lunch, multi-course dinner, and then some — courtesy of these nine local chefs:
Chef Michael O’Dowd, Renegade by MOD
Chef Michael Rusconi, Rusconi’s American Kitchen
Chef John Marchetti, District Kitchen & Wine Bar
Chef Eddie Castillo, AZ Food Crafters
Chef Jeff Caswell, EVO Scottsdale
Chef Richard Garcia, ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho
Chef Joshua Yazzi-Mclane, 5th and Wine
Chef Kevin Janeski, Tom’s Thumb Market
Pauline Martinez, Owner of Perk Eatery
This post has been edited from its original version.
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