The Most Magnificent Macaroni And Cheese Is Hiding In A Feed Store In Kentucky
By Sarah McCosham|Published December 12, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
If there’s anything more comforting than a hot, creamy bowl of mac and cheese, we certainly don’t know what it is. This delightful dish graces the menu at pretty much every Bluegrass State restaurant and cookout, where you’re all but guaranteed a good bowl of this Southern specialty. But a great bowl of mac and cheese? The BEST bowl of mac and cheese? Well, for that, you’ll have to head to Mark’s Feed Store, a BBQ hotspot in Louisville that’s been dishing up the best mac and cheese in Kentucky since the ’80s.
Who would have ever imagined, back in the day, that the humble Hancock Feed Store in Louisville would one day be home to a bona fide Bluegrass BBQ legend?
It's true! While *not* actually a feed store for animals anymore, this place does feed humans -- and not just food, but some of the best, most soul-warming, stomach-filling barbecue in the state!
Once upon a time (okay, in the '80s), Kentuckian Mark Erwin decided he'd worked in the service industry long enough, and wanted to venture out on his own. After doing some research, he found the BBQ scene in Louisville sorely lacking. What Derby City needed, Mark thought, was a killer barbecue joint.
Mark ventured to Western Kentucky (home of none other than *the* Bar-B-Q Capital of the World!) and learned the ins and outs of BBQ from the pit masters themselves.
He took all this knowledge back to Louisville, but knew that the other "ingredient" to long-standing success would be a memorable and authentic location. So Erwin selected a historic building that had housed Hancock’s Feed Store for over half a century as the location for his flagship restaurant.
Today, Mark's Feed Store has several locations around the state, and is regarded as not only some of the best BBQ in Kentucky, but also some of the best Southern cuisine, too. The mac and cheese, in particular, is lauded as the best in Kentucky, and after just one bite, you'll be inclined to agree!
The mac and cheese is a menu favorite that many, even those who eschew barbecue (!!) make the trip to Mark's for this dish alone. The mac and cheese from Mark's is not merely a side; it's an entire perfect meal.
You know how, when something is SO good, folks say you should "bottle it up and sell it?" Well, Mark's IS that good, and yes, they literally sell their sticky-sweet sauce by the bottle!
Bring a bottle home with you so you can enjoy Mark's whenever the mood strikes. But with BBQ this good, you'll happily venture straight to the source!
Have you dined at Mark’s Feed Store before? Did you know this BBQ restaurant served the BEST mac and cheese in Kentucky? We don’t know about you, but we’re headed to Mark’s for a bowl of the good stuff now.
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