It's one of the first dishes you're served as a child and it begins a craving that lasts the rest of your life. New Jersey's love for mac 'n' cheese goes that far back.

I amazed my kids with my late mother's special recipe for mac 'n' cheese using Philadelphia brand cream cheese and Kraft Cheese Whiz, which you can see here.  It's still a big hit to this day and I haven't seen anything like it anywhere.

Whether it comes from a box, homemade, The Morristown Mac and Cheese Festival, or a fine New Jersey restaurant, we want our mac and cheese!

So which of the many fine Jersey restaurants have the sacred mac and cheese? How about these from my Facebook page:

Mike Gregorio

Place out in Metuchen called Be My Guest Personal Chef & Catering. Great cheese to Mac ratio. Perfect with their BBQ Ribs or as a stand-alone, especially for the kiddos.

Source Adobe Stock By George Dolgikh
Source Adobe Stock By George Dolgikh
loading...

Rich Ross

Wawa

Source Adobe Stock By Joshua Resnick
Source Adobe Stock By Joshua Resnick
loading...

Giulio Poli

ROYAL FARMS

Source Adobe Stock By Chansak Joe A.
Source Adobe Stock By Chansak Joe A.
loading...

Richard Nashmy

Lobster Mac & Cheese! Tops Diner, East Newark!

Source Adobe Stock By FomaA
Source Adobe Stock By FomaA
loading...

Tom Aiello

El Toro Loco in South Plainfield, they make a good loco mac 'n' cheese

Source Adobe Stock By pamela_d_mcadams
Source Adobe Stock By pamela_d_mcadams
loading...

Keith Vena

Salt Creek Grille (Princeton). They make a fantastic Bacon Bourbon glazed macaroni & cheese

Source Adobe Stock By mizina
Source Adobe Stock By mizina
loading...

Eryn O'Ree

For convenience stores, Wawa Mac & Cheese is sooo good. For a restaurant B2 in Point Pleasant has some great Mac & cheese!

Source Adobe Stock By fahrwasser
Source Adobe Stock By fahrwasser
loading...

Marc Cohen

Aunt Berta's Kitchen is homemade goodness! in Hadden Township and Lindenwold

Source Adobe Stock By Ezume Images
Source Adobe Stock By Ezume Images
loading...

Laurielle Nagel

Cracker Barrel

Source Adobe Stock By alex9500
Source Adobe Stock By alex9500
loading...

Arlene Pugliese

Mission bbq makes a really, very good mac 'n' cheese

Source Adobe Stock By Joshua Resnick
Source Adobe Stock By Joshua Resnick
loading...

No matter where you get it, it will always be worth the wait!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

You can now listen to Steve Trevelise — On Demand! Discover more about New Jersey’s personalities and what makes the Garden State interesting . Download the Steve Trevelise show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now:

2022 Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge photos

More than 6,000 people took the plunge into the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 26, 2022 to raise more than $2 million for the Special Olympics New Jersey.

Best coffee shops & cafes near NJ beaches

When it comes to food, New Jersey is known for many things such as pizza and pork roll. Don't count us out when it comes to coffee.

With all the hustle and bustle involved in the average New Jersey resident's day, coffee is essential. It doesn't matter whether you're living in the cities of North Jersey or the vacation spots at the shore.

In fact, as the former owner of two Jersey shore coffee houses, Coffee Dot Comedy in Sea Isle City and the Daily Grind in Ocean Grove, I know firsthand how much people at the Jersey shore love their coffee.

With respect to that, I asked my social media following where the best coffee houses at the Jersey Shore were, especially since my two places no longer exist.

Below is what they came up with. (And see this other article for their coffee shop and cafe recommendations for Central Jersey.)

More From 92.7 WOBM