The Davis Food Co-op gave out free samples to event attendees. Photo courtesy of Vegan Outreach 

DAVIS, CA (MPG) – The Davis Mac Down took place March 1 at the Davis Community Church, bringing together the community for a fun celebration of vegan mac and cheese.

The Mac Down was a high-energy, two-hour event filled with delicious vegan food, friendly competition and an enthusiastic crowd of voters. Approximately 200 people attended the event to sample six different vegan mac and cheese dishes prepared by local chefs. A total of six local chefs and their team competed at this event: Chef Rachel Dyer, Davis Food Co-Op, Cali Vegan 707, Vegan Valentine’s Cooks, The Caring Kitchen and Sanctuary Mixtape. 

Approximately 200 people attended the event to sample six different vegan mac and cheese dishes prepared by local chefs. Photo courtesy of Vegan Outreach

The following vendors were also present at this event: PreetiRang Animal Sanctuary, Purple Tree Cafe, and Dang Vegan. The Davis Mac Down also gave away food samples from Hodo Foods, Upton’s Naturals and Selfish Cow Cheese.

Chef Jackie, Cali Vegan 707 took home first place, Davis Food Co-Op took home second place and Chef Rachel Dyer took home third place in the competition.

The challenge social media pages will be running year-round, featuring more Mac Downs and Vegan Chef Challenges in the region and celebrating the new vegan dishes from restaurants in the Davis/Sacramento area. Follow along on social media at @SacVeganChefChallenge.

The website for 2026 Davis Mac Down can be found at veganchefchallenge.org/macdavis.

The Mac Down invites diners to explore the many benefits of a plant-based diet by signing up for the free 10 Weeks to Vegan program.  This guided challenge gives people everything they need to start eating vegan. To learn more, visit www.10weeks.org.