While one would assume the owners of an all-mac 'n’ cheese establishment would be Southern-bred, soul-food-loving-folk, the owners behind East Village eatery, S'MAC, are anything but. Husband and wife founders, Sarita and Caesar Ekya, are mechanical and electronic engineer transplants from New Haven, CT, whose entrepreneurial aspirations were inspired by none other than the Peanut Butter Co. (i.e. do one thing, and do it well). Their only variations on the American classic occur with regard to supplemental ingredients (dishes include the All-American, Cajun, Goat Cheese, and Wasabi) and size – patrons can order a Nosh (small), Major Munch (medium), or Mongo (large). Drenched in a kitschy orange and yellow aesthetic, the restaurant is all about its “Macs.”

“I feel like I’m in a big bowl of mac 'n’ cheese,” declares Joel Calvin from indie band Oh No! Oh My! upon entering S’MAC. Considering Oh No! Oh My!’s southern roots, we figured them prime test subjects for a place specializing in comfort food. Having just released the EP Between the Devil and the Sea (Dimmak Records), and currently touring with Au Revoir Simone, the band's pretty busy. But, just before the foursome’s back-to-back shows - at Brooklyn's SoundFix Recordsand Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge, we sat down with them as they dug in. In their own words:

Have you ever been to a place like S’MAC?
Joel – No, and it was AMAZING!!!!!!
Greg- I’ve never even heard of a place like that, though I assume in New York, there’d be a place like that, or even in Los Angeles.

Is there any place you’ve been down south that’d be comparable to S’MAC?
Joel - No, unless you went into your kitchen and made a shitload of macaroni and cheese and put it in a huge pot and just ate the whole thing!

What did guys order?
Greg – All American with Four Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes.
Daniel – All American with Double Hot Dogs.
Joel – Four Cheese.

Do you like the samples?
Joel - Yeah! They gave us Buffalo Chicken, Masala (which is filled with Indian spices) and Wasabi.
Greg - I was skeptical so I got the regular mac 'n’ cheese. But, now that they brought out the tasting samplings, I think all of them are delicious. When I come back, I’ll probably get the Buffalo Chicken.
Joel – Don’t be afraid to try something crazy.

Oh… hi Tim. Tim is joining us now…
Tim - I just woke up from a food coma!

What did you order?
Tim - I had the Four Cheese with Hot Dogs. It’s totally the way to go. I’d say fuck yeah to it! Yet, it’s more of a meal you eat on Sunday afternoon around 1pm when you’re hung-over as hell and then go back to sleep and eat the rest at 5pm.
Daniel - You shouldn’t eat this when you’re just about to play a concert, like we are doing tonight!

How would you describe the presentation of the food…
Greg - It is an orgasmic concoction of molten cheese.
Daniel – It’s like a Volcano of cheese. It is served in cast iron skillets with wooden plates. It was interesting for me because I usually make mac n’ cheese with Cheez Whiz on the stove and it was baked with real cheese. I’m used to the smooth, silky texture and this was really grainy cheese coating the macaroni. I’m not sure I dug it, just because of the way I was brought up with mac n’ cheese.
Tim – I dug it though and my constructive criticism is that they should franchise this place!
Daniel – Also, another constructive criticism is to say to any patron coming into the restaurant is that you should only order the small because there’s so much mac n’ cheese served in the medium order alone that some will end up going to waste. A medium could serve two people.

Would you come back again while you’re in town performing next time?
Tim, Daniel, Greg and Joel - Hell yeah!

~Jessica McMenamin

Fifth photo courtesy of Roboppy
Seventh photo courtesy of Shmajet
Eighth photo courtesy of Euphemisms