Ever had macaroni and cheese with lobster in it? How about candied bacon? Thai mac and cheese?
About 1,500 fans of the much-loved comfort food turned out at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort on Saturday afternoon for the area’s first Mac and Cheese Festival.
Presented by American General Media, parent company of local radio stations The Point and 99X, the nation’s first touring food festival will donate portions of proceeds to Children’s Miracle Network.
At the entrance, participants were issued a wine glass, plate and fork – Think Taste of Durango, mac-and-cheese style.
Ten area restaurants had a take on the simple pasta cheese dish, serving light portions for an all you could eat. The same went for wine and beer, included in the $45 price of admission, with free shuttles to town. Live music and the usual summer fare at the resort made a colorful scene, and it was a chance for chefs to experiment.
The Ore House built a quick following.
“Fresh lobster, lobster stock, some homemade béchamal topped with lemon and green onion,” said chef Cliff Bornhein. “We do steak lobster and spirits, so we figured we had to do one of the three.”
Gazpacho owner Matt Arias stayed true to his restaurant’s character.
“Roasted peppers,” he said, “corn, some red pepper, poblano chiles, green chile and we topped it with two torrones – deep fried pork fat –some cilantro and serrano pepper with some lime and then finished it with a queso fresco.”
The line for the Yellow Carrot never shrank. Your choice – chipolte chicken or candied bacon. Owner Sari Brown said mac and cheese is trending across the country.
“It’s becoming this huge thing,” Brown said. She added a macaroni bar at her bistro near 32nd Street in Durango, and offers made-to-order mac at catered events.
Christopher Young, owner of The Bottom Shelf Brewery in Bayfield, made a stir with his house smoked beef brisket and green chili mac. East By Southwest’s Sergio Verduzco made a Thai rendition and The Strater Hotel’s Danica Tarkington used bacon, dates, Gorgonzola and local honey.
At $45 a pop, a few locals raised their eyebrows, but Meredith Hoffmann, among 1,500 others, had no issue.
“I think it’s worth it,” Hoffmann said. “The food, the music – it’s beautiful. It’s like a concert ticket.”
Verduzco served his Thai mac in tiny take-out boxes with chopsticks.
“I’m excited about these flavors,” he said, “but there are a lot of good ones out there.”
bmathis@durangoherald.com
