'It Was Just a Simple Day of Mac Fun'

buys a lot of elbows from Barilla American Inc. How much? A palette every seven to 10 days. A palette is 58 20-pound-boxes, according to Robert Dunn, founder and owner of the macaroni and cheese bar at 650 Main Street in Monroe.

From Pulled Pork and Buffalo Chicken to the MacDaddy — made with ground beef, chopped onions and thousand island dressing, MacDaddy's is known for its unique mac and cheese dishes — all cooked and served in a cast iron skillet.

"We only use Barilla pasta," Dunn said Monday. "They have the best elbows for me to use. Barilla was wondering who was ordering all of those elbows."

Shelley Cunningham and Suzanne Maxwell of Barilla's marketing department contacted Dunn and arranged to send their company's star chef, Bruno Wehren, to Monroe to check out MacDaddy's operation.

"We started working very closely with Barilla pasta and they liked our idea," Dunn said of the concept of MacDaddy's Macaroni & Cheese Bar.

Of Chef Wehren's visit, Dunn said, "We had a holiday party on Dec. 7. It was a simple day of mac fun."

Wehren and MacDaddy's chef, Kevin Larabee, experimented in the kitchen and came up with a new creation: The Mac Gumbo. Cooked in a cast iron skillet like the other mac and cheese dishes, it's made with roasted chicken, sausage, onions, lots of pepper, celery and Pepper Jack cheeses.

"It became quite the seller," Dunn said.

Plans to Franchise in the Works

The time was between lunch and dinner for most, but nearly all of the tables inside MacDaddy's were full of hungry patrons late Monday afternoon.

"Here it is, just after 4. People love mac and cheese," Dunn said with a smile.

The entrepreneur has read about the history of macaroni and cheese in America, which he said dates back to Thomas Jefferson bringing it here in the early 1800s. It was served as a popular side dish at state dinners at the White House, according to Dunn.

Dunn and his wife Nancy live in Newtown and have a six-year-old daughter, who loves macaroni and cheese. Dunn said this inspired him to open the first MacDaddy's during the last four months of his lease at a restaurant in Redding to see if the idea would catch on.

It did, and the flagship location opened in Monroe seven months ago.

"We have a very big following. Our Facebook page is on fire," Dunn said. "It's been very rewarding to say the least. It's worked out well as a concept."

Dunn has big plans for MacDaddy's.

"I want to work closely with charitable organizations this year," he said. "One of my dreams is to have something equivalent to Ronald McDonald House. I want to give back some of that good fortune to those who are less fortunate."

MacDaddy's has already attracted interest to become a franchise. Plans are in the works for a location on the Post Road in Milford and a deal is being worked out for 10 locations in Texas, according to Dunn.

"I hope to have locations in every state in the country," Dunn said.