As a patron of the illustrious Mac & Cheese Fest once before, the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, lots and lots of mac and cheese.

Returning to the Holiday Inn, this past Thursday saw the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Seventh-Annual Mac & Cheese Fest, an event that brings the Binghamton community together through a mutual love of a classic, beloved food. The event’s previous installment was relegated to a takeout-only option because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it has returned to being in person with a takeout option available too. Like every year, the restaurant lineup brought many ingenious culinary minds to the forefront to show off their own mac and cheese.

Patrons found themselves surrounded in a large, busy room by tables and tables of mac and cheese. You could eat as many samples from each restaurant as you desired and take part in beer tastings as well. Free water was offered in the back corner with pitchers and cups, as well as tables to relax at in the adjacent room. People could scan QR codes on their phones to vote online for different award categories.

The vibe of the event showed no shortage of hungry and jovial people throughout, and in regards to the main attraction, there were a variety of magical mac and cheese creations. Two notable creations were a tender, juicy barbecue pulled pork mac and cheese from Peterson’s Tavern and a creamy French onion mac and cheese from Binghamton restaurant Social On State. Another eye-catching dish was Mooney’s Sports Bar & Grill’s Thanksgiving mac and cheese, which contained all the parts of traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and of course, mac and cheese. Some restaurants emphasized spice, such as the delightfully cheesy Cajun six-cheese seafood mac and cheese from The Brickyard Endwell.

A new addition to the Mac & Cheese Fest tradition was a mascot named Chelsea Cheddar, Mayor of Macaroni. The character was used last year to explain the takeout option, but now this year marked the first time the character interacted with everyone in person. Chelsea Cheddar talked to everyone, danced and announced the award winners at the end. Erika Dentinger, 24, director of operations at Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and the actor behind the role of Chelsea Cheddar, loved the opportunity to play the part and participate in the festival.

“It’s a really great way for the community to all get together, experience something totally unique and have a great time enjoying cheese,” Dentinger said.

One of the most original mac and cheese dishes of the night was the three-cheese miso mac and cheese, including candied teriyaki bacon that used its sweet flavor to its advantage. The dish won so many people over that it took home the “Most Original Mac” and “Judges’ Choice” awards. The restaurant behind this inventive mac and cheese was Kampai Japanese Steakhouse, located in Vestal.

Andrew Matsushima, one of the owners of the restaurant, explained his desire to keep the community spirit alive in Binghamton.

“My dad was here around the time of IBM when things were a lot more thriving, and unfortunately with businesses leaving, we don’t want people to leave the area,” Matushima said. “To have great events like this gets people excited and do something a little different.”

Along with the miso mac and cheese, The Fat Cowboys Fireside BBQ’s meat lovers crack and cheese won a lot of praise and awards. The dish won the “Best Presentation” and “Best of the Fest” awards because of its inventive use of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Takis dust sprinkled on top of a tasty mac and cheese mixed with sausage and bacon. To top it all off, a single white cheddar Cheez-It was laid on top, which boosted the presentation.

The Mac & Cheese Fest featured celebrity judges that decided the winner for the “Judges’ Choice” award. Some notable people were Stephanie Shtoyko from WBNG and Jared Kraham, mayor of Binghamton.

Kraham was pleased with the turnout and spoke on how the Mac & Cheese Fest has earned a high-profile status in the Downtown Binghamton area.

“Every single year, when you think about February time frame in downtown, you’re thinking about [the] Mac & Cheese Fest,” Kraham said. “Every year they’re trying to one-up themselves to bring in new restaurants, have different takes on the classic mac and cheese and it’s really exciting.”