06 Feb 6th Annual MO Mac & Cheese Fest Wrap Up
Our sincere thanks to everyone who supported OACAC’s 6th Annual MO Mac & Cheese Fest on January 17, 2026. From attendees and volunteers to vendors and sponsors, this event wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you for making 2026 our biggest and best year yet! Photos can be viewed here.
And now, a big congratulations to our 2026 MO Mac & Cheese Fest winners!
Groups
1st Place: Schreiber Foods – Cajun Zing Mac & Cheese
2nd Place: The Rogue Chef Branson – Miss Emma’s BBQ Mac
3rd Place: The Rogue Chef Branson – Miss Emma’s Mac & Cheese
Restaurants – Classic Mac & Cheese
1st Place: Dogwood Canyon – Bison Mac & Cheese
2nd Place: Liege Love Waffle Co. – Philly Mac & Cheese
3rd Place: Mama G’s Kitchen_Lovely Creations – Classic Mac & Cheese
Restaurants – Out of the Box Mac & Cheese
1st Place: Dogwood Canyon – Braised Shortrib Mac Pops
2nd Place: Liege Love Waffle Co. – Mac & Cheese Waffle with Chicken Tenders
3rd Place: Uptown Hog – Vegan Mac & Cheese
Kids Choice Award: Mama G’s Kitchen_Lovely Creations – Classic Mac
People’s Choice Award: Mama G’s Kitchen_Lovely Creations – Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
Super Gouda Participants: Bricktown Brewery, Q66, Stusquatch’s Rockstar BBQ, Seafood Express, Cicis, Krab Kingz, University Plaza Hotel Terrace Grill, and Wherehouse Bar.
Our thanks to Grison Dairy and Creamery, Pepper-Ridge Hot Sauce, Schreiber Foods, and Muffins Goodies for providing delicious samples; Discovery Center, Robert Olson, Fun Zone volunteers, and Luce Cannons for bringing the fun and music; to Daniel Orr with Frieze Frame 3D Printing for creation and donation of one-of-a-kind MO Mac & Cheese Fest collectables with proceeds supporting poverty relief; to the numerous volunteers who gave their time to making this event a big success; to our judges – kids and adults – for trying every kind of mac & cheese with a discerning palate; to our photographer, Joanna San Paolo with Snap Shot Photo, who caught many mac & cheesy moments; to our King Owen and Queen Sophia who added a bit of royalty, to our Emcee, and to the 750+ guests who joined us for mac & cheese fun!
The MO Mac & Cheese Fest would not be what it is without the generous sponsors who support poverty relief efforts across southwest Missouri. Special thanks to our Big Cheese presenting sponsor, Schreiber Foods, who has been with us for several years and has been integral to our growth and success.
Thank you to Lamar Advertising, Classic Rock 106.7, Power 96.5, Country 94.7, 104.1, Guaranty Bank, OMB, Employee Benefit Design, Higginbotham, Crackerjack Shack, and Liberty Press—all of whom helped make this event possible.
Thanks to our incredible supporters, more than $17,000 was raised for poverty relief. When in-kind donations are added, the total impact tops $41,000!
Stay tuned to www.oac.ac/news for announcement of the date and location for the 7th Annual MO Mac & Cheese Fest, coming in January 2027.
