Christmas time had always been a special time of year for me, I had loved seeing the people I loved come together to all celebrate a common cause. For me it was the one evening In December that had changed how I viewed food forever. I was around seven years of age and I had grown up in Windham, New Hampshire. We had lived by a small pond in a cottage type house. I remember smelling the pine candles burning as I would walk down the wooden stairs making a slight creek with each step. All of a sudden, the smell of 4 different types of cheese closely followed by the smell of garlic bread; it blew me away. The scent was so unfamiliar but for my child self this had only made me excited and curious. As I walked around the corner I was presented with a sheet of what had looked like gold sent from God himself. It came from the heat waves radiating off of the mac and cheese to the crisp bread crumbs that had somehow fallen perfectly into place. My mom or ma as I call her saw the excitement in my eyes as she had known this was an unfamiliar dish to our family. She gave me a spoon full of the appetizing mac and cheese, and after one bite I knew this new dish was going to be making its return for years to come. To this day whenever I taste this meal I know it’s been made with care and precision leaving no room for error.

I believe everyone should have the privilege to try my Ma’s mac and cheese not only because of the food but because of the stories and conversations you’ll have while indulging in this meal. I attended a boarding school throughout most of my highschool and had many different high and low experiences. The first two years were difficult for me simply because I was not ready to leave my family. Anytime I had the chance I would come home on the weekends and remember as soon as I got into the car, I had to ask what was for dinner in hopes the famous words would be spoken. This dish was special for so many reasons but this was a comfort food no others could match. My dad and I are very similar and I know his and my emotions towards the infamous mac and cheese are identical. When asking the chef herself on how the dish came about she had admitted “it was made from three broke college students who had missed dinner” this was my first time hearing the story as I had never really questioned the creator of such beauty. I soon uncovered a fascinating story with the same notion. Ma explained, “We missed dinner and got out of class later than expected and had no way of driving because we couldn’t afford a car. We looked in the pantry, grabbed what we could and got to work”. And so it was born. What would later become her first born favorite dish. Ironically she had also uncovered the fact that something she had made was my favorite meal, let alone a meal three college sorority sisters had baked. 

The meal is fairly simple to cook “All I had when I first made the dish was 4 different types of cheeses, preferably your favorites, any type of pasta you wish, milk and garlic bread croutons”. When baked in a glass dish this is the perfect meal for family gatherings or those times where you want to feel at home or find peace within yourself. I had asked if Grandma or my Ma’s mother had ever made the dish and she had “we had something similar growing up but never could recall the exact ingredients. I was able to remember a similar feeling to the one I was describing verbally to her. I believe one of the many reasons why I had chosen to write about this specific meal was because of one of the more recent memories with this meal. I remember when I had transferred schools my freshman year of high school, I was having an extremely difficult time adjusting to the setting of a boarding school. I had the overwhelming feeling that I was always being watched and needed to present the best version of me with no mistakes allowed. This made my mind alter to try and become a perfectionist and my parents had noticed how much of an affect this school had been taking on me. Without hesitation, she had surprised me within a month of being on campus with the biggest bowl of the mac and cheese I had ever seen. I was overcome with emotion hugging my Ma tighter than ever. This made me realize that no matter where I am or how lost I think I am in my journey and life, Home will always follow you wherever the road gets dark. It always prevails itself in the moments needed most and this indeed was one of those moments.

In conclusion, I had never truly given thought to my favorite meal, I had always known to be thankful every time I had sat down for a meal but as I was writing the essay, I had an epiphany releasing that it wasn’t just the dish that had made my heart happy, It was the endless memories I had dug up while attempting to portray this meal in the best way that I can. Similarly to me, this meal has aged, gotten wiser or more flavorful if you will and has shown that even in the toughest of times. Mac and cheese will always be there for you.