Mac & Cheese & Cheese & Cheese...

Mmm... macaroni and cheese. Just say the words "comfort food" and it's the first thing I think of. So, when I learned that Tillamook was hosting their 4th annual macaroni & cheese cookoff, of course I had to go.


Oh, and let me go ahead and apologize for my picture taking skills on today's blog. Taking delectable photos of tennis ball sized portions of mac & cheese in a clear plastic cup isn't easy. Especially when you're inside a big, not very well-lit tent with hundreds of other people bumping into you. And, a bit of advice, don't get in the way of people and their mac & cheese.... seriously.... I've seen it first-hand. It's not pretty.

There were a few special guests: one of the hosts was none other than 2nd season Top Chef winner Ilan Hall. He made his own special macaroni and cheese for the crowd while we were waiting to taste the 6 finalists' recipes. And it was.... okaaayy. I mean, I've had way better mac & cheese. This is him, I promise... he just has a beard now:


Also while we were waiting, we were served Kells Lager & Cheese Soup (courtesy of the hosting venue, Kells Irish pub in downtown Portland). I didn't try it, but Justyn said it was good, and had a nice, strong beer taste. Another celebrity was there: Miss Tillamook, 2008. This is her:


Incidentally, I was trying to google Miss Tillamook's actual name, and this is what I got. I guess Miss Tillamook can be a cow, also.

Okay, so anyway... on to the finalists. My personal favorite was the recipe submitted by Catherine Wilkinson from Arizona, for her Smokey Black Pepper Cheese & Macaroni with Wild Mountain Chanterelles. And I don't even really like mushrooms all that much... especially weird ones I've never heard of. But it had a very nice flavor, while still embracing its mac & cheesy-ness.


Poor Catherine, she didn't win anything except an honorable mention. But, she didn't do as poorly as Jennifer Crackel from Michigan. Jennifer made Souffle Style Macaroni, and I did not enjoy it. Too eggy. She didn't even get an honorable mention (but I guess making it to the finals is something in itself.)

Next up was Melissa Lacaille from Washington state for her Cornbread Topped Apple Macaroni and Cheese:

It looks pretty good, right? It wasn't bad.... just not to my taste. While I have been known to dip some apples in a cheese fondue at the Melting Pot, I don't mess with the mac. A little tweaking is okay for sure, but no fruit. I'm not down with that. I'm a macaroni and cheese purist.

The one I was really excited about was our own Rhonda Allen from Oregon, and her Tillamook Mac & Cheese Chile Relleno Pie. Now THAT is something that I could get into. I love green chiles, and how could you go wrong here?

I'll tell you how: it needed salt. Now, I don't know if it was Rhonda's fault or not. I mean, while she was up on stage making her cutesy casserole dish of mac & cheese, and placing it delicately inside avocado halves for the judges, maybe the chefs in the back kitchen who were preparing the 10 "identical" stainless steel vats of it forgot the salt. We'll never know. I do think it would be good, though, with some salt added. It had a nice green chile flavor. She won 2nd runner up, though, and $1000 cash and 15 pounds of free cheese is nothing to balk at.

1st runner up was my personal 2nd favorite: Kathi Jones Del-Monte from New York for her Tillamook Triple Play Macaroni & Six Cheese Strata. This one, by far, had the cheesiest consistency and richest flavor.

I mean, if I were judging a mac & cheese cookoff sponsored by the cheese company, I would have given this one first. It definitely represented Tillamook cheese the best.

Okay, drum roll....and the winner is.....

Angie Phillips from California for her Caramelized Sweet Potato, Garlic & Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese!!!!

And, can I just say, "Blech. No thank you." I mean, come on, people. Sweet potatoes??? I do like sweet potatoes, don't get me wrong. But definitely NOT in my mac & cheese. I should have been a judge.

Overall, I would say this event was a minor disappointment. I was really looking forward to some crazy, uber-cheesey, super fattening, carb overloading portions that would blow my mind. (I'm glad I went, though... so now I can say I've been to a macaroni and cheese cookoff. Seriously, how many people can say that?) But, you should try for yourselves. Click the links to get each recipe, and let me know what you think! You'll never have a better excuse to eat mac & cheese all week long.