Mt. Clemens, MI - After two weeks of bracket-style voting by the public, K-Block’s Fire Pit BBQ has been announced as the winner of the second annual Mac Madness: Best Mac in the Mac contest.
The initiative, which was organized by Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED), sought to highlight housemade macaroni and cheese at locally owned and operated restaurants. Sixteen establishments went head-to-head in the competition, with K-Block’s coming out on top.
“We had such a great response to the second year of the Best Mac in the Mac, and we’re thrilled to see K-Block’s Fire Pit BBQ announced as the winner,” said Vicky Rowinski, director, MCPED. “Our department is always looking for creative ways to promote Macomb County businesses, so we were so excited to see our community once-again rally around this contest and our restaurants. Ultimately, we hope that our work inspires people who voted, or simply saw the initiative, to go out and try all different types of local macaroni and cheese!”
K-Block’s Fire Pit BBQ is located at 66880 Van Dyke in Washington Township. The restaurant promotes itself as serving the best barbeque in Michigan, with time tested family recipes and proven techniques which deliver a variety of meats and sides to customers. Brian Knoblock is its pitmaster and owner. His winning dish, called Piggy Mac, features pulled pork, with a small costing $8 and a large at $12. A picture of the made-from-scratch dish can be found here.
As the winner of the Best Mac in the Mac contest, K-Block’s will receive:
- A $2,500 grant from Macomb County
- The Mac Madness: Best Mac in the Mac plaque
- Bragging rights
Grants will also be awarded to the runners-up - including:
- A $1,000 grant for the second place restaurant Bath City Bistro, located at 75 Macomb Place in Mount Clemens
- A $500 grant to each of the runners up, including: Simple Palate, located at 27380 Van Dyke in Warren, and Octopus' Beer Garden, located at 152 N. River Rd. in Mount Clemens
Though the contest has concluded, the public is encouraged to get out and taste test entries from all of the restaurants that participated. Find those restaurants, and additional details and information, at living.macombgov.org/Living-Mac-Madness.
A winner announcement video featuring County Executive Mark Hackel is available here.
About Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
The Macomb County Department of Planning & Economic Development supports an environment where businesses prosper and people thrive. Its activities and programs are focused on stimulating the local economy through business retention, expansion and attraction while improving the overall quality of life for residents. The department specializes in providing services to businesses at all stages of development with a concentration on the high-growth industries of aerospace, alternative energy, advanced manufacturing, defense and homeland security. For more information, call 586-469-5285 or visit: https://ped.macombgov.org/Ped-Home.