Legal cannabis now available in Binghamton Mac & Cheese Fest is a muenster-ous success

The food festival showcased a wide variety of mac and cheese samples for attendees.

Sam Lillianthal arts & culture editor

There was no question that Binghamton and mac and cheese brie-long together last Thursday, at one of the town’s biggest food festivals of the year.

Returning for their eighth year, Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s biggest fundraiser was sold out on the ground floor of the Holiday Inn in Downtown Binghamton. After returning to a full in-person experience last year, the Mac & Cheese Fest has not let up in its output, with 21 participating restaurants showcasing their most creative and tasty dishes.

Like usual, restaurants set up tables all over the room with small cups of mac and cheese that patrons could take to eat — or grab seconds if they wanted. Tables with chips and water dispensers were periodically refilled. The event also featured raffle baskets, with prizes that included free tickets to a Binghamton Philharmonic show and a cannabis gift from Just Breathe.

As the festival progressed and macaroni dishes were consumed, patrons could scan a QR code to pick their choices for three of the five awards of the show. The three awards people could vote for were Most Classic Mac, which went to Park Diner and Restaurant, Most Original Mac and Best of the Fest, which were both awarded to Kampai Japanese Steakhouse. Park Diner and Restaurant’s mac and cheese was creamy in texture, with a burnt top that gave it a homey and comforting feeling. Kampai Japanese Steakhouse’s sweet and spicy chicken teriyaki mac and cheese was an extremely original sensation to the taste buds — especially with its addition of pickled ginger and scallions. Their experimental approach brought a refreshing fusion of flavors deserving of its two awards.

There was even more praise given out at the festival, however, with awards for New To the Fest and Judge’s Choice — both voted on by the judging panel. One judge at the event was Brenden Capria, president of the Binghamton Cheese Club and a senior majoring in computer science. According to Capria, members of Cheese Club have always come to help volunteer for the event, but this is the second year in a row that the president of the club has been asked to be a celebrity judge.

Capria felt the turnout was fantastic, with the a positive overall vibe.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023