Coeur d’Alene’s Mac & Cheese Festival is back, giving chefs the chance to bring home the Golden Noodle

This Saturday, the Couer d’Alene Downtown Association will host its eighth Mac & Cheese Festival, and even though general admission and VIP tickets are sold out (totaling 2,000 tickets), there are still pathways to attend.
Couer d’Alene Downtown Association Marketing Coordinator Mackenzie Ferris recommends the Big 5 Event pass, which provides access to four additional events in downtown Coeur d’Alene hosted by the association: the Chocolate Affair, Winefest, Brewfest and Oktoberfest. The pass costs $220.
“Those are five of our largest events that we hold all wrapped up into one package,” Ferris said, adding that the Big 5 makes a great gift. “… These events span throughout the year so you’re pretty much giving someone a year of fun experiences which is really awesome. It’s something unique too, and they’re all held in downtown Coeur d’Alene, so all in like the heart of the city which I think is really awesome.”
Another option to attend is by purchasing the Resort Mac Daddy package, which includes an overnight stay at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, or trying your chances on the waitlist.
The festival started because one of the Couer d’Alene Downtown Association board members thought it would be a good idea, and the events coordinator at the time, Emily Boyd, made it happen. Boyd is now the executive director. The first year, the event was held in the Plaza shops, but now participants walk from business to business to sample the Mac & Cheese creations.
Ferris said the 22 participating chefs – including chefs from Anthony’s, Sweet Lou’s, Culinary Stone, Hula Pot and many more – make this year stand out. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite. The chef with the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award. The judge panel (composed of food critics, previous winners and chefs) will award the Golden Noodle.
“We have another judge who goes on tour with Pink and stuff and is the chef for Pink while she’s on tour,” Ferris said, referring to Larry Phelps, who has won the People’s Choice Award twice.
Learn more about the festival at cdadowntown.com/cda-events.ac-cheese-festival/.