Peterborough’s award-winning Mac & Cheese Festival is returning for its fifth time, with a spring edition for the second year that includes an outdoor celebration at the end of the festival where a champion will be crowned.
First organized by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) in 2021, the festival won a special events and promotions award at the Ontario Business Improvement Area awards conference the following year. Previously taking place annually during the fall, except for 2024 when it was not held, the festival took place in April for the first time last year.
Running this year from April 1 to 25, the festival features exclusive limited-time specials at 20 restaurants in downtown Peterborough and East City, each of whom will put their own creative spin on the classic comfort food, and will culminate with a grand finale celebration at Quaker Foods City Square on the last day of the festival.
Locals and visitors can expect even more creativity from participating restaurants this year — including Lola’s Cakes and Coffee, which has created the first mac-and-cheese dessert dish in the festival’s history. The new cafe located at 136 Hunter Street West will be offering the Mac and Cheese Tiramisu.
“People are going to ask if there is really macaroni in the tiramisu and the answer is yes,” says Lola’s owner Nino Ante in a media release. “It sounds crazy, but one bite and you’ll be hooked. It’s the dessert adventure you didn’t know you needed. We decided to push the boundaries and make people smile with every bite”.
This year’s festival will again feature a Judge’s Choice Award, presented at the grand finale event, as well as a People’s Choice Award based on online votes starting April 1 until the end of the festival.
Along with Lola’s Cakes and Coffee, other participating restaurants include Agave by Imperial, Ashburnham Ale House, The Back 40 Smokehouse, By the Bridge, Cork and Bean, Dreams of Beans, La Mesita, Love You, Mean It, McThirsty’s Pint, Pappas Billiards, The Revy, Bar Vita, Riverside Grill, Sam’s Place Deli, St. Veronus, The Boardwalk Game Lounge, The Railyard Cafe, The Vine (last year’s People’s Choice Award winner), and Turnbull Cafe (last year’s Judge’s Choice Award winner).
“Our downtown is home to so many passionate entrepreneurs and talented chefs and this event is a great way to experience that firsthand,” says Peterborough DBIA executive director Nour Mazloum.
“Showcasing this talent is a large part of how we’re building a vibrant, welcoming downtown people want to return to all year long.”
The festival wraps up with the grand finale event taking place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Quaker Foods City Square on Charlotte Street in downtown Peterborough, where attendees can sample dishes from a selection of participating restaurants — Agave by Imperial, The Back 40 Smokehouse, By the Bridge, La Mesita, Lola’s Cakes and Coffee, The Revy, The Boardwalk Game Lounge, The Vine, and Turnbull Cafe — with other vendors on site offering treats and beverages.
Made possible with support from the City of Peterborough’s tourism department, the event will also feature live music, family-friendly activities, and lounge spaces. For the first time this year, the event will be fully licensed for attendees 19 years and older.
For more information about Peterborough’s Mac & Cheese Festival and to vote online starting April 1, visit theboro.ca/program/mac-cheese-festival/.
