Sarita Ekya (right) with husband and co-owner, Caesar.   (Photo: Courtesy of Sarita Ekya)

Did you grow up on mac and cheese?
In high school, my friend's mother made a casserole dish from the oven and I thought, What's that? The only mac and cheese I knew was neon yellow. But from that point on I was like, Oh yeah, this is what it's all about.

What other comfort foods do you enjoy?
I'm a sucker for turkey dinners with stuffing and mashed potatoes. I'm Canadian, so when I moved down I was so excited for Thanksgiving.

You do a lot of creative things with mac and cheese. Which one's your favorite dish?
The cheeseburger is the most addictive. There's something about it that when you stab into it you can't stop eating it. But I also hate cleaning it off.

You've only been open for a month. What's the crowd been like?
The first couple of weeks it was students and locals and the line went down the block. Lately it's not so crazy, and there are more families and even tourists. The tourists are more prone to introduce themselves. The locals won't say, "Hi, I'm from down the block."

Easy Mac: yea or neigh?
I think it's good for a quick fix, but nothing beats the homemade baked kind.

Related:

• Archive: “Food Features”
• Articles by E. J. Samson