On Sunday, June 8, The Rotary Club of Thorndale-Downingtown held the 3rd Annual Mac & Cheese Cook-Off in Downingtown across from Kerr Park.
Founded in 1995 by Jay Edge to service the Thorndale, Downingtown and Coatesville areas, the Rotary Club’s goal is to help the local and international community, and they certainly succeeded over the past year. The club donated food to hungry families; supplied backpacks to Caln Elementary School; supported Rotary International’s Polio-Plus program to help eradicate polio in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and participated in many more projects.
This year, a record crowd of 1000+ hungry taste testers attended to sample entries from restaurants and businesses representing Chester County and beyond. I was lucky enough to be a judge on the panel and happily dug into my role. My fellow judges and I were tasked with rating the 10 competitors on taste, appearance and texture. This was a blind tasting; we did not know which business or restaurant made each entry, nor did we know the ingredients.
The Competitors:
Restaurants:
- Amani’s BYOB (Downingtown)
- Station Taproom (Downingtown)
- Stella Rossa Ristorante (Downingtown)
- Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House (West Chester)
- Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar (Glen Mills)
- Kildare’s Irish Pub (West Chester)
- Victory Brewing Company (Downingtown)
- Say Cheese! Restaurant & Cheese (West Reading)
Businesses:
It was fun and challenging to test my palate and try to discern each ingredient in the bowl—from type of cheese (is that fontina?) to toppings (truffles?), each cheesy entry was like a gift to unwrap, carefully using all of my senses.
After getting a taste of all 10 macaroni and cheese dishes, I submitted my score sheet and anxiously awaited the results. I had some favorites among the competitors, and when the victors were announced, I was pleased that my top picks got props from the other judges as well as the crowd. Listed below are the winners.
The Winners:
Judges’ Choice Restaurant: Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar
Harvest Seasonal Grill is known for their high-quality, farm-fresh menu created with the healthiest ingredients sourced from local farmers and purveyors. Their mac and cheese included three kinds of cheddar and was topped with a crisp truffled bread crumb. While it tasted decadent, it was not greasy or heavy. The perfect crunch of truffled bread crumbs on top added texture to the creamy dish, making it one of my favorites of the day.
Judges’ Choice Business: Kimberton Whole Foods
The entry from Kimberton Whole Foods, grilled pear and brie topped with a pecan brittle, was a show-stopper from the moment a bowl of it was placed on the judges’ table. Delicate penne noodles provided by Vera Pasta were the canvas for this work of culinary art. For me, it was the most visually stunning of the entries and the pecan brittle acted as a foil to the tender mac and cheese. There was a slight hint of sweetness that made it just different enough to wake my taste buds and cause me to take notice immediately—and keep going back for more!
People’s Choice: Kimberton Whole Foods
Each attendee received a wooden nickel and could drop it in a bucket to vote for their favorite. When all the nickels were counted, Kimberton Whole Foods came out on top. I’m not surprised, as it was my top pick of the day.
Kids’ Choice: BGA Insurance Group
BGA served a mac and cheese with a combination of Gruyère, manchego and horseradish cheddar cheeses. The mix was sharp and earthy, with a bit of spice. There were crisp specks of pancetta, which added a slight salty note. I am impressed that the kids picked such a vibrant entry. This stand-out was not your typical boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese!
Want to know more about The Rotary Club of Thorndale-Downingtown? Visit their website and get a glimpse of all the good work they do!
