CIA Mac and Cheese Cook-Off
Author Tina M. Cortez ’26 is a Food Business Management major.
This semester we were able to enjoy the first ever Mac and Cheese Competition. Hosted outside of the Student Commons, this competition was sponsored by Barilla and Black Creek. Everyone including students, their family, and faculty were all raving about this event, and it was jam packed.
There were 11 teams who each were able to produce their own unique mac and cheese recipe. However, out of all 11 teams, three were the ones that stood out the most:
The Mac and Chillies team won the People’s Choice award of $750! They made a Thecha Mac and Cheese with Goat Cheese Foam, Thecha Crumble, and Chive Oil.
The Foraged Life team won the Showmanship award of $500. This station was full of energy—you could hear them from the other side of the boardwalk! They were the life of the party.
Last but definitely not least, The Cookout Dads team won the Professionalism award of $250. This team had a great personality!
On top of the really “gouda” mac and cheese, see what I did there?—the weather was great! It was a perfect sunny day, which meant so many fun activities and games. There were a bunch of fun ceramics to paint and decorate with friends and family, and my personal favorite was the “Stuff Your Own Sting” station. For those of you that don’t know, Sting is our mascot and usually at any major event. Who doesn’t want a plush Sting? Word of advice, you have to get one!
