Mac Attack
Mac Attack competitors Kevin Martinez and Bria Downey.
What began as a little friendly ribbing between fellow chefs has become a bona fide charity event.
Now in its third year, Mac Attack will take place between 2 to 5 p.m. on March 22 at Tokyo Cafe on Camp Bowie Boulevard. It promises to be cheesy, saucy, and more than a little sassy.
A few years ago, Kevin Martinez, head chef of Tokyo Cafe, was teasing his friend Steve Hoogeboom, chef de cuisine at Grace Restaurant, that he could make a better mac and cheese dish.
“The charity event was born out of our friendship and natural competitiveness,” Martinez says. “We are all friends within the industry and smack talk between each other on a regular basis.”
But this year’s banter took it to a whole other level.
It began with an online jab from Bria Downey, who is head chef at Clay Pigeon. She called out Martinez in a post: “Anyone who wants to see Kevin Martinez cry straight into my pasta water can show up and support him emotionally during Mac Attack...”
The slam did not go unnoticed.
Martinez then responded by creating a GoFundMe page in Downey’s honor, titled: “Buy Chef Bria Books So she can make Better Mac.”
The spoof page explained the purpose of the fundraising effort was to support her by buying her some cookbooks, or perhaps even a cooking class to help with her mac and cheese recipe. “During the first Mac Attack, she placed second, last year placing third,” Martinez said. “As her friend, I would hate for the pattern to continue. Let’s be here to support one of our own.”
On March 22, local chefs will face off to win one of those coveted, handmade, spray-painted trophies. The chefs poised to prove their mac and cheese prowess at this year’s event are:
- Sarah Hooton and Matt Mobley – Hot Box Biscuit Club
- Bria Downey and Crew – Clay Pigeon
- Trevor Sales – Brix Barbeque
- Joe Riscky – Joe Riscky’s Barbeque
- Hao Tran – Lost in the Sauce
- Billy Woolrich – Billy’s Oak Acres BBQ
- Jen Williams – JayCee Hospitality
- Angel Fuentes – Mariachi’s Dine-In
- Steve Hoogeboom – Grace
- Denise Shavandy – Café Modern
- Christopher Belanger – Petroleum Club
- Josh Harmon – BirdieBop
- Kevin Fuller – Savor Culinary Services
- Kevin Martinez – Tokyo Cafe
- Brandon Anderson – Rack Attack BBQ
- Magdalena’s Crew – Magdalena’s
- Victor Villareal – Abe Fromans
- Johnny V. – Boun Bistro
- Michael Spangler – Rogers Roundhouse
“Unlike a lot of other charities, we provide all participants a full financial statement each year … accounting for every cent,” Martinez says. The first year they raised $3,000, which went to winner Sarah Hooton’s charity of choice ― The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Hooton won the second year as well, and with 229 attendees, she was able to donate $6,000 to BoobieQue, a nonprofit raising funds for cancer care.
Martinez says they’re shooting to raise $9,000 for charity at this year’s Mac Attack.
Judging by the smack talk alone, Mac Attack 2020 is going to be epic. Tickets are on sale now: $35 for adults, and new this year, $10 for kid’s portions: macattackfw.square.site
