Menus & Cuisines
Mac and Cheese Catering in Medellín
Medellin Elite Catering bakes mac and cheese for birthday parties, family Sundays, office lunches and late-night wedding snacks in Medellín. Each tray starts with a real cheese sauce made in our kitchen, short pasta cooked just shy of tender, and a golden crust from our combi ovens.
We serve parents planning a children's party, American and Canadian families who want a taste of home at Thanksgiving, companies looking for a comfort-food buffet and couples who want a mac bar after midnight. Alongside the classic cheddar version, we make a Colombian take with chorizo and quesito that local guests adore.
Since 2019, we have seen catered mac and cheese fail in one predictable way: it dries out and turns grainy on the buffet. Our recipe and holding method are designed to keep it creamy for the full length of service.
- Itemized quotes available
- Bilingual English and Spanish coordinators
Plan your event
Our Mac and Cheese Catering
We deliver mac and cheese as baked trays, serve it from chafing dishes at a staffed buffet, or set up a toppings bar where guests build their own bowl. Trays are the easy choice for a home party, while the bar turns a simple dish into a station that people gather around.
It is the main dish at many kids' birthday party catering events, where we serve a mild version for the children and a stronger, crustier tray for the parents. It also works as a side next to fried chicken, BBQ ribs or wings, and at year-end family lunches it disappears faster than the turkey.
Mac and Cheese Styles
We make four styles, and each one starts from a cheese sauce built on milk from Antioquian dairies. You can choose one style for a small party or two to three for larger events.
| Style | Cheeses | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Classic cheddar | Aged cheddar, mozzarella, a little parmesan | Elbow macaroni, mustard and paprika, buttered breadcrumb crust |
| Truffle | Gruyère, parmesan, white cheddar | Black truffle paste folded through, truffle oil on top |
| Lobster or shrimp | Gruyère and white cheddar | Caribbean spiny lobster or shrimp, chives, lemon zest |
| Colombian | Queso doble crema, cheddar, quesito antioqueño | Chorizo antioqueño, hogao and crumbled quesito on top |
Cheddar and gruyère are imported, or made by Colombian cheesemakers when the quality is right, while doble crema and quesito are local fresh cheeses. Quesito does not melt, so we crumble it on top after baking, and the doble crema gives the Colombian version its stretchy pull.
Lobster comes from the Caribbean coast and supply changes week to week, so we confirm it when you book and offer shrimp as a steadier alternative. Truffle is preserved black truffle paste, not fresh truffle, and we say so on the menu card.
How We Keep It Creamy
Mac and cheese dries out on a buffet because the pasta keeps drinking the sauce as it sits. We prevent that by cooking the pasta 2 minutes short of al dente, making 20% more sauce than a home recipe would use, and adding a little sodium citrate, which keeps melted cheese smooth instead of oily.
On the buffet, chafing dishes hold the trays at 65 to 70 °C, which is safely above the 60 °C minimum but not hot enough to split the sauce. Our staff stir and refresh the pans every 20 minutes, and we bring a reserve of warm sauce to loosen the last trays of the night.
For drop-off orders, trays travel in insulated Cambro carriers and arrive above 60 °C. If your party starts more than an hour after delivery, we send them unbaked with reheating instructions: 25 minutes at 180 °C, covered for the first 15.
Toppings Bar
A mac and cheese toppings bar is a chafing dish of creamy macaroni surrounded by bowls of toppings that guests add themselves. It is one of the best stations for a late-night wedding snack, a graduation party or an office celebration, because it is fast, filling and easy to eat with a fork while standing.
Our standard bar has eight toppings: crispy bacon, chicharrón crumbs, sliced jalapeños, toasted panko, grilled zucchini and peppers, sautéed mushrooms, diced fried sweet plantain and chopped green onion. Hot sauce, hogao and extra grated parmesan go at the end of the line.
Premium additions include pulled pork, BBQ chicken, sautéed shrimp and truffle oil. Meat toppings sit in their own warmed pans, vegetable toppings in chilled bowls, and every bowl has its own spoon so vegetarian guests can trust the line. A staffed bar comes with its own cook, chafing dishes and serveware.
Portions per Guest
Portions depend on whether mac and cheese is the main dish or a side. These are the amounts we plan in our kitchen.
| Role | Cooked portion per guest | Half hotel pan serves |
|---|---|---|
| Side dish at a buffet | 150 g | 12 guests |
| Main dish for adults | 300 g | 6 guests |
| Kids' main | 200 g | 9 children |
| Late-night snack cup | 120 g | 15 guests |
A half hotel pan holds about 1.8 kg and a full pan about 3.6 kg. A family party of 30 adults who eat it as the main dish needs two full pans of classic and one of the Colombian style, a common order for catering in Envigado garden lunches. For American holiday menus with mac and cheese as a side, see our Thanksgiving catering page.
Questions and answers
Mac and Cheese FAQs
Can you make it gluten-free?
Yes, we make gluten-free mac and cheese with corn and rice pasta, a sauce thickened with cornstarch instead of wheat flour, and a crust of crushed gluten-free crackers. It is baked in its own tray, on a separate oven rack above the regular trays, and labeled on the buffet. Order it at least 48 hours ahead so we can buy the pasta fresh.
Is it suitable as a kids' main?
Yes, mac and cheese is one of the most reliable kids' mains we serve, and almost every child finishes the plate. For children we make a milder version with cheddar and mozzarella, no mustard or pepper, and serve about 200 g per child with steamed vegetables and fruit. It is the centerpiece of most of the kids' menus we cook.
Reserve your date
Order Mac and Cheese for Your Party
Let us know the date, guest count, number of children and the styles you want, and we will reply with an itemized quote within 24 hours. You can also email info@medellincatering.com.
- Itemized quotes available
- Menus, staff, tableware, setup and cleanup in one quote
- Food-handler certified team and labeled allergens on every tray
- Monday to Saturday
- 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday
- Closed (events still run)