Photo Credit: Janet Urquhart
Mac ‘n cheese is the ultimate comfort food. In August 2011, members of the parks and rec department sat in the lunch room and discussed what each of us liked most about the food. “I like the gooey cheese.” “I like the cheddar flavor.” “It just makes me feel like a kid again!” At that point I exclaimed, “Carbondale has a Lobster Fest, Snowmass Village has a Chili Fest, Aspen needs to start a Mac ‘N Cheese Fest.”
Approvals First
You may ask how we pulled it off. There were many steps in the process, but the first and most important was obtaining a permit from the city’s Special Events committee. This involved 18 city departments, including engineering (traffic-mitigation plan), environmental health (ZG Green event), fire district, parking/streets, parks and rec, risk-management, transportation, police, and zoning, to name a few. Once the permit was approved, I hit the ground running, first visiting every restaurant I knew and then moving on to the rest. The pitch was to hold a great “free” event in the community that would extend our summer business a week longer than Labor Day, give the business exposure to potential new clientele, bring in people from around the region, and put smiles on people’s faces when the economy is struggling.
Creating Excitement
Some reactions I received were great, and others were funny. “You’re crazy if you think this will happen, but consider me in if you can get it organized.” “What can I do to help because I love mac ‘n cheese?” “Please don’t come back to my restaurant anymore.” “What? You want me to give out samples of food for free?” “We don’t even have mac ‘n cheese on our menu, but count me in.” I quickly rallied 16 restaurants to participate.