[ad_1]
COHOES — After a successful transition from an indoor event to a street festival that drew several thousand people to gridlocked Remsen Street nine months ago, the timesunion.com/Table Hopping Mac-n-Cheese Bowl will return to the Spindle City. March 25.
In February or March 2010, the event was moved outdoors to resume fundraising for the Northeast New York Regional Food Bank, which has raised approximately $450,000 since its inception. Initiated by the food bank following a suggestion from a reader of the Table Hopping blog on timeunion.com, the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl was held at the athletic facility at Siena College in Loudonville from 2014 to 2019. Canceled during pandemic shutdown days. While it was slated to be held in 2020 and held in a takeout format in 2021, the event has been considered a big success since moving to Cohoes, according to city and food bank officials.
Tickets will go on sale in early January. One ticket includes samples from all the tasting stations, which offer a variety of macaroni and cheese options. The space on Remsen Street will allow for 35 or more tasting stations, with regular tickets priced at $35. Children’s admission includes tickets for 10 samples, and VIP tickets, which include samples from approximately 10 participating breweries, will be available for $55. Early-bird tickets will be offered at a $5 discount when they first go on sale. On March 25, the hours will be from 11:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Attendees will vote online for their favorite tasting station, judges will award a prize, and a home cook competition will also be considered.
Restaurants and breweries interested in learning more about participating can email Cherry is also the contact for applications for 10 vendor booths available for local producers of food, beverages and other complementary products who may want to sample and sell to the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl crowd.
Food bank staff brought the idea of the street festival to the town of Cohoes, with which the food bank has worked closely during the pandemic, particularly to provide for its senior and low-income populations. Mayor Bill Keeler’s administration embraced the idea and saw it as a way to generate further buzz in Cohoes as a growing city with a restaurant and retail scene that has grown in recent years, Keeler said in March.
“Half the reason we wanted to do this was to give back to the food bank because of how helpful they were and still are,” Keeler said. “The other half, and this is a big part of it, is an opportunity to showcase the city, to reach people who might be first-time visitors and convince them that they want to come back to our other events.”
[ad_2]
Source link
