Where’s the best mac & cheese in Centre County? Taste test, help crown winners at new festival
The inaugural State College Mac & Cheese Festival, presented by Allied Milk Producers and Seven Mountains Media, makes its way to The Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center next month.
Seven Mountains Media, which caters to markets all around the state via 21 radio stations, has successfully organized a similar macaroni and cheese-focused festival in Bloomsburg for eight years.
“We were looking at doing a new event here in Centre County and thought, ‘What can we do here that we have a good track record with?’” explained Joe Wowk, Seven Mountains Media market manager for State College and Lewistown. A Philadelphia native, Wowk was all for a cheesesteak festival originally, but said the proven mac and cheese concept won out.
The ticketed event, held from noon-4 p.m. April 27, gives each attendee 10 trial tickets and one voting ticket. With each trial ticket, attendees can taste test macaroni and cheese offered by various attending restaurants and organizations. Then, after they’ve had their fill, they’ll vote for the People’s Choice award-winner using their voting ticket. Other prizes up for grabs include “The Cheesiest, “Just Like Mom’s” and “Most Original,” with winners for those awards determined by a panel of five judges.
So far, participating businesses and groups set to attempt to sway voters with their wares include Junction 144, Village Eating House Handcrafted Sauces, Quaker Steak & Lube, Smokin’ J’s BBQ, Rebelz Food Truck, The Penn Stater, W.C. Clarks Cheese Shoppe and Fasta Pasta, Solid Gold Concessions and Kravings by K, Bonnie Blue’s Smokies and Sweets, Voodoo Brewing Company, State College Legion in the Woods No. 245 and Pine Grove Mills VFW No. 5825.
Wowk expects the list to grow longer as the event nears, with an aim of having at least 20 businesses and groups participating.
In addition to the competitors, food vendors will also be in attendance, as will breweries and wineries. And, beyond the chance to try those 10 different macaroni options, attendees will also receive a swag bag from sponsor Kish Bank and chances to win various giveaways over the course of the day. Throughout all the fun, the event supports a great cause, with a portion of ticket proceeds benefiting Centre Safe.
“Seven Mountains Media has an established protocol of consistently giving back to lots of different organizations throughout the area,” said Wowk. “For this ... we wanted to take care of someone in our group of nonprofits that we’ve worked with in the past. ... Centre Safe is a wonderful organization. They do really important work for this community.”
The event can accommodate 1,000 attendees, and Wowk said as of March 25, the event — which just so happens to coincide with Penn State’s Blue-White Weekend — is about half sold-out.
“We have an awesome population around here that really seems to get into things involving food, and festivals surrounding food,” he added, “and, so far, so good. ... We’ve had not only great community support from people who want to buy tickets; we’ve had great sponsorship support [too].”
For businesses or groups interested in participating in the State College Mac & Cheese Festival as a competitor, reach out via the vendor interest form at statecollegemacandcheese.com. Ticket purchases can also be made on the website, with children’s tickets for those ages 12 and under going for $11 and general admission adult’s tickets going for $21.
“We hope we can sell the place out and have a really great time with our friends in and around the Centre Region,” Wowk said.