I’m not a foodie. In fact, I’m the person who gets asked to bring the paper products to any kind of gathering. It’s not that I can’t cook—or at least follow a recipe—it’s just a great deal of work to cook for one person, and leftovers get old fast. If you peek into my pantry or refrigerator, your choices will be very limited. And when I travel, someone else had better pick where we eat, because as long as I have nutrients to fuel my site-seeing, I’m not too choosy about its culinary ranking.

But if someone mentions macaroni and cheese—or Kraft Dinner for my Canadian friends—I’m absolutely going to tell my Legendary Mac and Cheese story from 2015.

While reading a book on discipleship, I suddenly find myself thinking about mac ‘n cheese. Maybe it’s just lunchtime or I’m attempting to make sense of the odd pathways my mind takes, but while reading Transformational Discipleship, a metaphor about hamburgers and steaks transported me directly to the best mac ‘n cheese I’ve ever eaten. No offense to Gwen Tabor, fast‑food places, or any other restaurant—this dish was legendary.

Years ago, I traveled with a group of thirteen college students to North Texas to volunteer at the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game. Some people remember Ohio State’s victory over Oregon. Others remember the confetti raining down on the field. I remember the Legendary Mac ‘n Cheese served in the hospitality tent.

Picture this: we’ve been in the tent all day. Students are starstruck by celebrities, while my attention is fixed on tray after tray of mac ‘n cheese moving through the room. A full tray comes in through the door I’m holding open; an empty tray goes out. Over and over again. We’re all hungry, so when the event ends and we’re finally allowed to eat, I make a beeline for the mac and cheese—completely unaware of the culinary heaven I was about to experience.

We sit down with our plates piled high, and I take my first bite. Without moving my head, my eyes dart left and right, searching for someone—anyone—who might be having the same experience. Maybe I’m just really hungry. Maybe I just really love mac ‘n cheese. But… oh my.

Finally, someone else says something out loud, and I realize I’m not alone in my reaction. Later that day, Mark Brown, the event coordinator at AT&T Stadium—and the reason our group was in Texas—explains that the dish is a specialty of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’s catering company, Legends Hospitality.

And in case you think I’ve completely lost it, take a few minutes to read Jonah Javad’s article about this very dish at AT&T Stadium. He quotes Brad Sham, the longtime Voice of the Dallas Cowboys, who says, “If you make a list of the 25 best mac ’n cheeses you’ve ever had, this one is 1 through 15… It’s life‑altering.” Javad adds from his own experience: “One bite and I, rendered speechless, rotated my head to the colleague next to me. A smirk grows wide on his face followed by a solemn veteran nod. ‘Yeah, it’s amazing.’ Words don’t do it justice, and yet here I am rambling on.”

More than a decade later, after repeatedly searching online for the secret recipe and trying to name what made that truffled mac ‘n cheese so Legendary, I’ve made peace with two things. First, the experience wasn’t mine alone. And second, I will not be attempting to recreate it at home with my basic spices and grocery‑store cheddar. That said, I would absolutely be up for a return trip to AT&T Stadium. I don’t care what the event is—as long as there’s Legendary Mac ‘n Cheese.

I’ve clearly run out of space to explain why food shows up in the middle of a conversation about discipleship. That connection will have to wait for a future post. But for now, I’ll say this: Too often in life, I settle for the Kraft version out of the box when I could be experiencing the Legendary Mac ‘n Cheese—especially when it comes to the flourishing life available through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I settle for less when He created me for so much more. Perhaps the steak/hamburger metaphor more aptly fits your palate, but the idea is the same. We were Made for More.

References:

Geiger, E., Kelley, M. & Nation, P. (2012). Transformational discipleship: How people really grow. B&H Publishing.

Javad, J. (2021, November 24). Spoiler alert: The world’s best mac ‘n cheese is not on your Thanksgiving table, it’s at Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium. WFAA-TV. https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/nfl/cowboys/thanksgiving-the-worlds-best-mac-n-cheese-is-not-on-your-thanksgiving-table-its-at-dallas-cowboys-games-at-att-stadium/287-ab5873d2-a0a9-4a9e-9872-387f551998e0

Shields, B. (2015, January 18). Union group helps out at championship game. The Jackson Sun.