COLLINSGWOOD -- Mac 'n cheese is not just for kids anymore.

So why not pair it with beer?

On Thursday, April 23, this pair will join forces at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in the Grand Ballroom. The event, hosted by Crossroads Programs, a charity that works with young people who are abused, abandoned, homeless or at-risk, runs from 5-9 p.m. It is an over-21 event that will feature about a dozen restaurants and breweries from all over South Jersey for all-you-can-eat tastings of every kind of Mac 'n Cheese you can think of.

"We have Italian mac 'n cheese, Mexican, Indian, Greek, Middle Eastern and traditional American," said Michael Snyder, Crossroads CEO.

Chef Jim Malaby of blueplate in Mullica Hill is eager to show guests how great homemade mac 'n cheese can be.

"This is not your 'made from a box' macaroni and cheese," said Malaby in a press release. "When you make this dish from scratch, with great noodles and aromatic, delicious cheeses, you have an excellent source of calcium that just happens to taste great."

Beer tastings will be given by Flying Fish Brewery of Somerdale as well as other Garden State-based breweries.

Last summer, Crossroads Programs hosted the first-ever South Jersey Bacon and Beer Festival fundraiser with great success.

Tickets are $35 per person and are available by calling 856-858-1000, ext 210. Only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

For more information about the Crossroads Programs, visit crossroadsprograms.org.

Kristie Rearick may be reached at krearick@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KArearick. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.