A local winery has created tasty pairings of wines and a variety of mac and cheese flavors for an event in support of their fire company.

The Galen Glen Vineyard and Winery concluded their ninth annual event this weekend in support of the West Penn Fire Company.

The “Mac N Cheese Showdown” allowed participants to order specially curated mac and cheese kits online which included three different flavors of mac and cheese and a bottle of wine that could be picked up at the winery.

Each kit was $26 and participants could even purchase mac and cheese without the wine for $11. For each purchase, $5 was donated to the West Penn Fire Company.

Although in past year’s chili was the main dish, Galen Glen decided to branch out and try macaroni and cheese during this year’s event.

The three kinds of mac and cheese included in the kits offered a variety of flavors suitable for a diverse range of tastes.

The first flavor was the Philly cheesesteak mac and cheese which included shaved rib-eye, caramelized onions, American cheese and cherry pepper whiz sauce. Next was the Farmhouse mac and cheese, including bacon, ham, sausage, bell peppers and pickled vegetable chowchow. The final flavor was the Nacho mac and cheese, which included fresh salsa and taco seasoning.

Featured wines that accompanied these options included Chambourcin, semi-dry Riesling, Rosé or the Winter Mountain Red. Participants could also ask for other substitutions besides these features as well.

All of the mac and cheese was cooked by Chef Mark Muszynski, owner of Curious Goods, a restaurant located at the Bake Oven Inn in Germansville. This is the second year that Muszynski has partnered with Galen Glen after helping them to prepare chili during last year’s event.

After enjoying their meals, people could follow the kit instructions to vote online for their favorite mac and cheese flavors.

Sarah Troxell, winemaker and part-owner of Galen Glen, noted that the winery hoped to sell 100 kits with a goal amount of $1,000 to donate to the West Penn Fire Company.

Troxell mentioned that her personal favorite mac and cheese choice would be the Farmhouse, mainly because of the vegetable chowchow. However, the competition is close between the options and any of the three flavors could potentially win.

Voting concludes on Jan. 28 and results will be announced on the Galen Glen Facebook page on Jan. 29 as well as all of the mac and cheese recipes.

Even though the wine is not the main purpose of the voting, the front runner for the most popular has been the Chambourcin, a dry red wine.

Troxell said that Galen Glen chooses to benefit West Penn Fire Company each year due to their heroism and personal connection to the Troxell family.

Her father-in-law, Galen Troxell, and how he nearly lost his life in a fire back in 1966.

“Right before my husband was born there was a big fire down at the barn that eventually became our wine cellar, but at that time it was a dairy farm and working barn. The barn caught on fire and my father-in-law lost everything including his equipment and his cattle.”

Although he lost his livelihood, Galen remained forever grateful for the fire company’s efforts.

“After the fire, he became very involved with the fire company. He’s always been committed to the fire company ever since then because they did come respond and try and help even though it was a devastating fire. He pretty much lost everything and had to leave farming and become a truck driver. He still felt very connected and very grateful. He could have lost his life because he was really trying to save his barn,” Troxell said.

Troxell noted that although many years have passed, the fire company still plays a major part in the Troxell family’s lives.

“To this day, my husband’s brother and his family live just on the next farm over and some of his nephews are a big part of the fire company. In fact, when we present the check it will probably go to one of his nephews because they’re a big part of the fire company.”

Troxell concluded by thanking the West Penn fire company for all that they do for the community.

“We’re really grateful for all that the fire company does and I’d like to recognize how important they’ve been to our family.”

For more information on Galen Glen winery and to keep up to date with events, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Galen-Glen-Vineyard-Winery-203422131356 or their website at www.galenglen.com.