The dish is the result of a partnership with Chef Ayindé Howell of Mac & Yease

Mac & Yease is on the menu at 55 locations throughout the Pacific Southwest (Photo: Instagram)

US

supermarket giant Whole Foods has added a vegan macaroni and cheese to the

readymade hot bar menu at select locations.

Meeting

demand

The classic

dish is available at 55 stores throughout the Pacific Southwest - a move aimed

at meeting consumer demand.

Whole

Foods Prepared Food Coordinator Corey Smith said the chain's customers 'have

been requesting vegan mac and cheese options for years'.

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Collaboration

The new

offering is the product of a collaboration between Whole Foods and Chef Ayindé

Howell of Mac & Yease.

Smith said the chain 'couldn't

have found a better partner' than Howell.

Chef Ayindé Howell's Mac & Yease was also available for purchase at Coachella (Photo: Instagram)

Family

favorite

A lifelong

vegan, Howell's famed plant-based take on the classic comfort food is an

adaptation of an old family recipe.

On the Mac & Yease website, Howell wrote: "My great Grandmother Mary Fluker from St

Stephens Alabama used to make baked Mac & Cheese for my father and his

family on Sundays for dinner.

"I got a

hold of the recipe and now Great Grandma Mary’s staple Sunday supper dish has

been veganized!"

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Commercial

success

Not only

has Howell partnered with Whole Foods, but his coveted plant-based mac was also

featured at famed music festival Coachella, and has been available at a number

of other markets and venues.

Howell is

reportedly in it for more than the money, however.

He said: "As

a person who grew up a vegan child, I longed for options when I went out to eat

and so often couldn't.

"I want to

give back to that vegan child today, so they never feel hungry, or weird, or

left out."