In 2008, a reader of the Table Hopping column and blog on timesunion.com suggested a fundraiser focused on comfort food to benefit the Regional Food Bank in Latham. The event debuted in 2010 at the Italian American Community Center in Albany, moved to the Marriott Albany on Wolf Road in Colonie, then for a number of years to what is now called Siena University. Since 2022, it has been a street festival in Cohoes, a partnership with the city that reduced costs for the food bank and helped push the total raised over the years to nearly $750,000.
The 16th Mac-n-Cheese Bowl will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday along Remsen Street, featuring tasting stations with different variations of macaroni and cheese from restaurants, caterers and other providers. New elements this year include a Family Fun Zone powered by Connect Center featuring S.T.E.A.M. activities for all ages, a beer garden presented in partnership with Smiths Public House and DJ Hollyw8d as the day’s emcee. Live music will again be showcased, and Playhouse Stage Company performers will present numbers from musicals…