{"id":3351,"date":"2013-08-26T08:56:25","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T15:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hootnannieblog.com\/?p=3351"},"modified":"2013-08-26T08:56:25","modified_gmt":"2013-08-26T15:56:25","slug":"paso-robles-gourmet-macaroni-cheese-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threeadventure.com\/hootnannie\/2013\/08\/26\/paso-robles-gourmet-macaroni-cheese-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Macaroni & Cheese Festival: Paso Robles Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yeah, I said it…”Macaroni & Cheese Festival<\/a>!”. This was the 2nd annual occurrence, put on by American General Media Radio<\/a>, and I have to say, it’s like a dream come true. All of my favorite things together in one spot: Wine, Beer, Live Music, and of course, Macaroni & Cheese! The downside? it was DAMN hot! But we live in Paso Robles, so what am I complaining about?!?!?<\/p>\n

The Magic of Macaroni & Cheese<\/h3>\n

It’s funny to me how Macaroni & Cheese seems to have made such a come back in the last few years. I mean, we all love it, right? I can’t even tell you how many boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese I’ve consumed in my lifetime, but it’s an embarrassingly high number! Well, this event honors, features, glorifies, and worships the almighty M&C and let me tell you, there ain’t no Kraft at this gig! We’re talking 20+ restaurants and caterers bringing their mad skills to the table to present you with tastes of their creations. Then you throw in 30ish wineries and Barrelhouse Brewing Company<\/a> and it was incredible!<\/p>\n

Imagine Macaroni & Cheese with things like fire-roasted green chilis, or bacon, or lobster, or crab, or steak, or handmade croutons, or…you get the idea! Incredible taste combinations all bundled up with the basics; cheese and pasta! This was all complimented with lots of chilled Rose, Chardonnay, or if you were feeling a little bold; some good ol’ Paso Robles red wines! (As it was about 100 degrees, I stuck with the chilled whites!)<\/p>\n

As I powered through the M&C vendors, you could definitely tell that I’m not the only lover of fine Mac. Some of the vendors were already out of their samples, and others couldn’t keep up with the lines of hungry Mac addicts. I didn’t talk to anybody that went away hungry though, so there was definitely enough food to go around. The live music was awesome entertainment while everybody indulged and meandered around. Oh, and did I mention the very cool venue, Le Vigne Winery<\/a> yet? Great spot for an event like this…lots of sprawling grassy knolls for you to throw a blanket or chair down and kick back.<\/p>\n

So, did I manage to make you drool at all? Because that’s sort of the point here…that you’ll mark your calendar for the 2014 Macaroni & Cheese Festival and get your Mac on! I know we sure will be! Now, sit back, relax and watch the slide show….sorry, no smell-a-vision yet!<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Cincopa<\/div>\n