Photo by Sher Yip

This second Motown Mac N' Cheese Cook Off brought out the cheesiest area competitors on Saturday, Aug. 8. Seven local restaurants - and two home cooks! - battled to see who had the best macaroni and cheese dish at the Morgantown Market Place Pavilion.

This year's event was a bit different from last year's. The judges (me, Gretchen Ross and Craig Behr) actually got our servings first in a kind of quickfire round, before the two different tasting sessions opened to the public. I'm super lucky to have the opportunity, and I was happy to be able to mingle with some friend after the judging. First was the home cooks. Then we got into the restaurants!

Home Cooks - There were two home cook entries this year in the new category. And both were really good! The first was a Southwest Mac & Jack, which had Monterey cheese and salsa and sausage and crushed tortilla chips on top. Quite tasty.

Photo by Sher Yip

The second was "Millie Maxine's Sweet Southern Mac," which may have been the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had in my life. It had both shells and wagon wheel noodles in a super cheesy and slightly sweet creamy sauce. It was just incredible.



Terra Cafe - Stuffed poblano southwest mac accompanied by a a mini local beef taco bowl and green chili avocado sauce. All locally sourced ingredients for this dish are from Possum Tail Farm and Round Right Farms. First off, can I say how much I love that I get a card that says what's in Terra's dishes? I LOVE that. Also, I love that they used local ingredients. Of all the macaroni and cheese dishes, I would say this one was the lightest tasting. I think maybe the chili avocado sauce added a bit of freshness? Not sure, but it just didn't feel as heavy or super rich as the others.

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip

Hash Browns & New Grounds - Jalapeno gnocchi with grilled pepperoni, a red chili sauce, and a panko topping. Cody was the people's choice winner last year. And I was SO excited to have this dish this year! I had it when I visited him before, and it blew me away. It's delicious, as always. And that pepperoni? From Marino Brothers in Clarksburg!

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip

Soul Brothers - Southern-style macaroni and cheese featuring a sweet cornbread and collard green garnish topped with fried chicken. This dish had colby and jack cheese and can actually be found on the menu daily at Soul Brothers - the only competitor that brought a dish regularly on their menu. This was one of my very favorites. I kept coming back to this, grabbing bits of sweet cornbread, with the salty chicken and creamy mac and cheese.

Photo by Sher Yip

Photo by Sher Yip