The crowd on Remsen Street in Cohoes during the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl on Saturday, March 26, 2022.

Druthers Brewing won first place for its entry, from both the public and judges, in the 12th Mac-n-Cheese Bowl, held March 26, 2022, as a street festival in Cohoes. Druthers' decription: "BIG MAC-n-cheese Egg Roll: seasoned beef, bucatini pasta, diced white onions, cheese sauce, shredded American cheese, pickles, special sauce and sesame seeds." 

Innovo Kitchen of Latham won second place in public voting for its mac-n-cheese served with a slider burger. 

Ian Brower, executive chef of The Kitchen Table in Albany, serves gnocchi mac-n-cheese during the 12th Mac-n-Cheese Bowl on Saturday, March 26, 2022, held for the first time an an outdoor festival on Remsen Street in Cohoes. The Kitchen Table tied for third place in public voting.

An estimated 4,000 people attended the 12th Mac-n-Cheese Bowl on Saturday, March 26, 2022, held for the first time an an outdoor festival on Remsen Street in Cohoes.

Home cooks had their mac-n-cheese creations tasted by judges at the 2022 Mac-n-Cheese Bowl. Stephen Piorkowski of Delmar won for the third time since 2010.

Judges tasted samples from eight home cooks as well as from about 30 restaurant stations. The panel chose Stephen Piorkowski of Delmar as best home cook; the judges' choice for restaurants went to Druthers Brewing Co.

An estimated 4,000 people attended the 12th Mac-n-Cheese Bowl on Saturday, March 26, 2022, held for the first time an an outdoor festival on Remsen Street in Cohoes.

COHOES — Returning as an in-person event for the first time since 2019 and in a new format as an outdoor festival, the timesunion.com/Table Hopping Mac-n-Cheese Bowl attracted a crowd that city officials estimated at 4,000 or more, though they said the figure was imprecise because the four-hour event was held on five blocks of a closed Remsen Street, with attendees cycling in and out during the day.

A City Hall official said Mayor Bill Keeler was "thrilled" with the turnout. In a brief conversation during the festival, Keeler said he was happy to partner with the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl's organizer and beneficiary, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, to welcome many new faces to the Spindle City. Keeler and food bank officials said they expect to make the event an annual spring happening in a city with a growing retail and dining scene downtown. It will also complement existing offerings on Remsen including Rock the Block concerts and the Eat in the Street promotion for outdoor dining, Keeler said.

Photos: Were you seen at the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl?

This was the 12th year for the Mac-n-Cheese Bowl. Net revenue was projected at about $70,000, according to the food bank, pushing the total since its inception to nearly a half-million dollars for a not-for-profit that supplies more than 55 million pounds of food annually through nearly 1,000 agencies in 23 counties from Plattsburgh to Newburgh.

About 30 restaurants and other providers set up booths with samples of mac-n-cheese creations, from conventional versions to the more unexpected. Among the latter was a Big Mac-inspired mac-n-cheese stuffed in an egg roll by the multilocation Druthers Brewing Co. It won first place in voting by the public, drawing nearly double the votes of the next closest finisher, and was the judges' choice for best mac-n-cheese. Druthers has repeatedly taken both top awards, including in 2017 and 2018.

The second favorite among the public was mac-n-cheese served with a slider burger from the food truck of Innovo Kitchen in Latham. Tying for third place in public voting were The Kitchen Table of Albany for its gnocchi mac-n-cheese and mac-n-cheese topped with smoked brisket from Signal 30 BBQ in Cohoes.

Eight home cooks chosen by the Table Hopping blog had their mac-n-cheeses tasted privately by the judging panel, comprised of representatives from event sponsors. Stephen Piorkowski of Delmar, who won the award for best home cook at the original Mac-n-Cheese Bowl, in 2010, and again in 2017, was the winner for the third time. His recipe, Stephen's Five-Cheese Mac-n-Cheese, will appear in the March 31 Food section of the Times Union. He had a one-point margin of victory over Chloe Sink, a 13-year-old from  Albany. She won the kid-cooks category in 2019 but chose to compete against adults this year. There were no other youth cooks. 

In addition to the mac-n-cheese stations, there were nine breweries represented, as well as other local purveyors selling and sampling their products, including Motor Oil Coffee, Argyle Cheese and The Bread Butler. Artists associated with or arranged by Playhouse Stage Company, headquartered at Cohoes Music Hall on Remsen Street, performed throughout the day.

Attendees at the 12th timesunion.com/Table Hopping Mac-n-Cheese  Bowl, held Saturday as a street festival in Cohoes, voted for the favorites.

The event is a fundraiser for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. It has brought in about $500,000 since 2010.

Steve Barnes has worked at the Times Union since 1996, served as arts editor for six years, and since 2005 has been a senior writer. He generally covers restaurants, food and the arts, and is the Times Union's restaurant columnist and theater critic. Steve was also a journalism instructor at the University at Albany for 12 years. You can reach him at sbarnes@timesunion.com or 518-454-5489.