Mac 'n' Cheese Throwdown
#MacDown
Did Someone Say Mac 'n' Cheese?
9th Annual Mac 'n' Cheese Throwdown
Saturday, March 1, 2025
12:00PM - 3:30PM
The Madison
4601 Payne Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103 ● Map It
There is nothing feta. East meets west when 20 area restaurants & food trucks serve up a mac-tastic twist on this classic dish.
Taste 'em all & text to VOTE for People's Choice in a variety of categories as our panel of local food experts award top prize.
For 4 hours enjoy bands playing on the Front St Social Stage, a full bar with drinks sponsored by Coca Cola, Tito's Vodka, & Jim Beam and Beer from Rheingeist.
Don't forget to shop local with several local businesses sampling and selling their locally made foods and crafts.
Our festival is ADA & family friendly!
Presented by FirstEnergy & SMART Local #33, the Mac 'n' Cheese Throwdown celebrates our multicultural Cleveland food scene. The Mac 'n' Cheese Throwdown also provides critical funds to W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit providing a lifeline to Ohio's kids in need by training custom mobility, autism & mental health service dogs. All remaining mac n cheese will help feed the need at The Ed Keating Center
Tickets On Sale Now!
Get 'em before we sell out! Want to sample all the deliciousness & cast your vote on the best of the bunch?
Calling All Volunteers!
Help!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering for The Mac 'N Cheese Throwdown! Volunteers are truly the backbone of any event and your support is greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all of you - W.A.G.S. 4 Kids has raised over $400,000 since 2017 towards our service dog training program - placing mobility service and autism spectrum service dogs exclusively with kids throughout Northeast and Central Ohio!
For more information contact
Sera Nelson
Executive DirectorEmail: sera@wags4kids.com
Phone: 216-586-5853 x2Meet Your Competitors
Mac-Tastic Entertainment
Entertainment sponsored by
Map & Menus
2025 Event Map Coming Soon...
Judges
Meet Our Celebrity Judges
Judge #1
Monica Robins
WKYC, Health Correspondent
Monica Robins is the Senior Health Correspondent at wkyc studios in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in areas of health and medicine news. Monica is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and enjoys weight lifting, running and riding her Harley Davidson motorcycle. She's also the lead singer for two bands including, the classic rock band, Monica Robins and the Whiskey Kings, and the country band, The Ninja Cowboys. Find her on all major social media platforms at @monicarobinswkyc
Judge #2
Michael Januska
Owner
Old Brooklyn Cheese Co.
Michael's background has been in the restaurant industry for the past 27 years. He graduated culinary school in Florida. Worked in a few popular restaurants in Cleveland for a few years, before heading to Europe. His love and appreciation of cheeses came from spending time at Neals Yard Dairy, in Covent Garden, London. From that day forward, Michael began a journey to discover the 'old world' ways of making food.
Judge #3
Paris Wolfe
Life & Culture Reporter
Cleveland.com | Plain Dealer
Paris Wolfe is a life and culture reporter for Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer. She has been writing about food and dining for more than three decades. She grew up in Geauga County and has spent her much of her time cooking and eating in Northeast Ohio and elsewhere. She has a great passion for sourcing and cooking local foods as well as setting a lovely table and entertaining friends. She spends her spare time traveling. She can be found on IG at @pariswolfe.Vote for People's Choice!
Text to Vote! It's as easy as 1-2-3!
1Text
Text MAC to a 66866
2Click
Click the survey link to vote for your choice for Best Mac!
3Vote
Choose your favorite and click "Submit"!
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