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5th Annual Mac & Cheese Festival raises $63,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast

The 5th Annual Mac & Cheese Festival was a huge success at the Destin Commons on Sunday, March 5, 2023. The event raised $63,000 and welcomed roughly 1,600 attendees throughout the day.  “Our fifth Mac-N-Cheese Festival was a huge success and thoroughly outperformed our own expectations,” said Shervin Rassa, Chief Executive Officer, The Boys & Girls […]

The 5th Annual Mac & Cheese Festival was a huge success at the Destin Commons on Sunday, March 5, 2023. The event raised $63,000 and welcomed roughly 1,600 attendees throughout the day. 

  • Proceeds from the event benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence through its programs focused on academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. 

“Our fifth Mac-N-Cheese Festival was a huge success and thoroughly outperformed our own expectations,” said Shervin Rassa, Chief Executive Officer, The Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast. “We are extremely thankful to all that attended, all of our cooking participants, Destin Commons, and all of our sponsors for making this year’s event amazing. Every cent raised through this event will make an impact on the over 5,000 youth we serve on an annual basis. Our team is already working on next year’s event, we look forward to an amazing sixth year.”



The family-friendly event featured gourmet, chef-inspired twists on the South’s favorite comfort food. Local restaurants brought their A-game to compete for the best mac and cheese in town. Visitors were able to sample each vendor and cast their votes. There were three categories in total, Judge’s Choice Award, People’s Choice Award, and Kid’s Choice Award.

Cooper and Morgan Williams sampling all of the Mac & Cheese

Award winners are as follows: 

  • Judge’s Choice: Boathouse Oyster Bar
  • People’s Choice: Jackacuda’s Seafood & Sushi 
  • Kid’s Choice: Sauce Boss Burger Co. 

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“I agree with Jerome. What will this accomplish since both ends are only 4 lanes?”
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“Doesn’t it still end up with 4 lanes on either end after bridges? Seems more aesthetic than a traffic plan. Which is nice too but does it increase the function?”
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“It would be a money pit let’s sink it for the tourists who we don’t have enough of so more will come”
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“Traffic moves pretty well on that stretch of 98, I don't see the need to waste the money. Maybe do something to deal with the traffic in Destin, and Mary...”
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