Most Original? We'll take it!

Last Thursday night, team Nourish got to help the team at Vegan Outreach host Charlotte's first Vegan Mac Down!

What's a Mac Down, you ask?

Basically, 300 people getting together, eating a ton of vegan mac and cheese, and voting on their favorites, all for a good cause.

photo courtesy Stephanie Tassone Creative

This particular event was awesome on a number of levels. First, it was open call - anyone could enter, professional, personal or home chef alike. All told, there were 12 different macs and cheeses in the building, including a mac and cheese donut! It smelled AMAZING in there.

Second, proceeds went to benefit our favorite local animal rescue, Cotton Branch Animal Sanctuary. So, all those carbs and sauces were eaten for a good cause!

Third! You'd think this would be mostly a gathering of people already on the plant-based train, but you'd be surprised. Below, the results of the survey at the door:

photo courtesy Vegan Outreach

Amazing, isn't it? Our movement grows by the day!

And, maybe the coolest part: Nourish was asked by our friends The Humane League Charlotte to come up with a special mac in their honor, so they could enter the contest too. Chef Julia whipped up a Kale Alfredo Mac and Cheese, and mixed in some of our BBQ Jackfruit, and topped it all with a pistachio crumb; a play on THL's green logo, and the pig outline it displays. Well, the judges loved it, and voted it Most Original! And now we have a plaque to add to our trophy for Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (from Charlotte Vegfest 2016).

photo courtesy Jordan Allen Images

Major props to the other winners - Chef Joya from Cooking with Joya, and Jeff from FuD on the Move/Queen City Grounds. We also particularly enjoyed Move That Dough's Mac and Cheese Donut, pictured below:

All in all, a night to remember. Can't wait for next year!

Activism can be delicious!

Hungry for more? Join us in a couple of weeks for our dinner with Lenny Boy and Freshlist! Read more and snag your tickets here.