For those of you that are fans of the warm, gooey, and delicious concoction known far and wide as macaroni and cheese, the day you’ve always dreamed of is nearly here: Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall in Wantagh, NY will be hosting the New York Mac and Cheese Fest in their esteemed establishment on Sunday, October 23, at 1:30 p.m., where the area’s top restaurants will battle it out for the mac and cheese crown, with attendees getting to not only taste their wares, but choose the winner as well!
Mulcahy’s – conveniently located at the LIRR’s Wantagh stop – has been known as one of Long Island’s most popular entertainment venues since it first opened its doors for business over 50 years ago; started as a small Irish pub by John Murray, it went on to grow and evolve numerous times over the years according to John’s son, Mulcahy’s Events Coordinator Tim Murray.
“We’ve expanded a lot over the years – the last time being in 2019 – and now we’ve become a true event center…we do a lot of catering, fundraisers, Bar Mitzvahs, and even some weddings,” he said. “We do a lot of concerts and have some big national acts play here, but we’ve also been host to some food/beer festivals, and that includes the upcoming New York Mac and Cheese Fest.”
For the Mac and Cheese Fest, Mulcahy’s has joined up with Matt Kourie, an event promoter, food critic, and founder/owner of BestWingsLI.com. Kourie has put on several food-related events at Mulcahy’s in the past – including the Best Wings Festival and the New York Cocktail Expo – and the debut of the Mac and Cheese Fest at the venue will allow participants to see how their goods stack up against the competition in the fight for macaroni and cheese supremacy.
“I think everyone likes mac and cheese, and it also goes good with beer, so we thought it would be a great fit for Mulcahy’s,” Murray said. “The last several festivals that Matt has held here have been great, and we expect this one to be no different.”
Kourie touted the Wantagh watering hole as being one of the very best venues on Long Island.
“Mulcahy’s is great. I really love to work with them. They’re sharp, and their new expansion is beautiful…it looks like a New York City venue now, it’s incredible,” he said. “We held our Wing Championship there in 2017, which featured all award-winning wing restaurants going head-to-head, and that’s also where we’ve held the Cocktail Expo, and those two events were super fun.”
Kourie said that he anticipates the upcoming Mac and Cheese Fest to continue the trend of successful collaborations with Mulcahy’s.
“There are going to be finalists from restaurants competing to see who has the best mac and cheese. They’re going to be serving samples and attendees will get to taste them, as it’s included with the price of their ticket, and they’re going to get to vote for the best,” he said. “We’re the home of Long Island’s Official Mac and Cheese awards, so if you’re a restaurant on Long Island and you think you’ve ‘got it,’ then you’re going to have to show up and compete because this is where it officially takes place.”
If you’re a restaurant owner that wants to test your meddle in the highly competitive ode to all things cheesy at Mulcahy’s on October 23rd, you can register by going to NYBestWingsFestival.com.
However, the Mac and Cheese Fest also happens to be a cheese festival, with sundry cheese-themed dishes also being absolutely encouraged, Kourie said; on top of that, there will also be numerous fun and lighthearted contests that attendees can get involved in as well.
“We’re going to have other restaurants there serving cheese dishes and finger foods,” he said. “And we’re going to have some really fun competitions, such as the Spicy Mac and Cheese eating contest, the Best Breadcrumb Bae competition, and more. The event is meant to be very silly, fun and hilarious.”
Tickets for admission to the Mac and Cheese Fest are quite affordable, with general admission only being $30 – which includes admission and the ability to eat all of the mac and cheese samples that your heart desires – and VIP tickets are $40, which gives you a one-hour head start on the other guests – getting in at 12:30 instead of 1:30 – in addition to access to two VIP lounges.
Of course, you need something to wash all of that gooey goodness down, and to that end, Don Q Rum will be at the event offering tastings, as will High River Sauces; in addition, there will be a DJ spinning tunes, with Kourie hosting the event in comedic fashion.
“People are asking me, how much mac and cheese do you get? My response is, well, how much can you eat?” Kourie said. “These events are based on the experience, the fun, the music, the comedy, and people always leave going, ‘wow, this is one of the most fun experiences I’ve had.’ And that’s the energy we bring to every one of our events at Mulcahy’s.”
By attending shows such as the Mac and Cheese Fest, attendees will be supporting Long Island restaurants and helping rebuild the local economy that was shaken to its very core during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And for yet another extravagant food experience, Mulcahy’s will be offering their second annual Tacos and Tequila Festival, Murray said.
“We held the first one right before COVID and it was a big success, and obviously we haven’t been able to hold it for the past couple of years, but now it’s back,” he said. “It’s set for Sunday, February 19th, which is a great day because President’s Day is the next day and everyone has off, so they can drink as much tequila and eat as many tacos as they want without worrying about having to get up the next morning.”
To find out more about Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall and the New York Mac and Cheese Fest – and to purchase tickets to attend – please visit https://muls.com/event/mac-and-cheese-fest.
