

This example is said to be the first known introduction of mac and cheese in America. Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson tasted a version of cheese and pasta in France and liked it so much that he requested a version of the dish be served to his guests. One of America’s founding fathers is credited with serving “macaroni cheese pie” at a dinner party in 1802. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that, in Southern Italy, recipes mixing cheese with pasta date back to the late 13th century. The convenience of melting and blending cheeses into bake or boil pasta has been around for centuries. For many parents, the pasta and cheese dish was the original easy-to-make, nutritious fast food that the whole family could enjoy in just a matter of minutes.

You would be hard-pressed to find a citizen in any part of the country that has not spooned up the creamy cheesy dish at least once, with most developing a fondness or downright addiction for the rich dish in early childhood. Macaroni and cheese is as American as hot dogs, burgers and apple pie. Today’s mac and cheese has evolved from elbow noodles and Cheddar to upscale creative versions
