Glen Ellyn Mac 'N Cheese Cookoff Kicks Off April 18

ElGLEN ELLYN, IL — Ten local restaurants have crafted special macaroni and cheese recipes to compete in Glen Ellyn's Mac 'N Cheese Cookoff, which is slated for April 18 through April 25.

Diners can sample the mac 'n cheese dishes by dining in or ordering carryout from participating restaurants. Online voting for the village's best macaroni and cheese will open April 18.

Here's a peek at what participating restaurants have whipped up for Glen Ellyn's 2021 Mac 'N Cheese Cookoff:

• Ellyn's Tap & Grill: Three-cheese macaroni mixed with chicken tenders, buffalo sauce, chives and blue cheese crumbles.
• Fire + Wine: Chili mac and cheese with short rib, beans, cavatelli noodles, tomatoes and a five-cheese blend
• Lee 'n Eddies: Gourmet mac and cheese with Hawaiian meatballs
• Made in Italy Trattoria: Carbonara mac 'n cheese with pancetta, smoked provolone and white cheaddar
• Main Street Pub: Chipotle mac and cheese with chipotle peppers, bacon bits, provolone and mozzarella
• Maize + Mash: Lobster mac 'n cheese with butter-poached lobster, bacon lardons, homemade cheese sauce, green onions, herbs and bread crumbs (served with maize salad)
• Nobel House: Burnt end mac 'n cheese — three-cheese macaroni with bread crumbs and twice-smoked burnt ends in a barbecue rub
• Reserve 22: Reserve 22 mac 'n cheese with smoked mozzarella, Italian sausage and apples
• Shannon's Irish Pub: Chili mac made with American cheese, heavy cream and butter
• Two Hound Red: mac 'n cheees with bacon lardons and parmesan bread crumbs; add-ons include pulled pork ($5), blackened chicken, onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach ($1) and roasted red peppers

Winners will be announced during the week following the cookoff.

Which mac 'n cheese dish are you most eager to try? Let us know in the comments.