WINNER: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE/ARAMARK

ENTRY: LE MAC

THE BIG IDEA: Macaroni and cheese is one of those enduring menu staples that is sure to be a big seller in most environments. But really, how far can you take it? It's only noodles and cheese, right? Bo-ring!

Ah, but not at UD, where dining services provider Aramark has come up with a whole world of mac and cheese iterations, enough to fill out a full station concept's menu.

Le Mac, designed for the school's residential dining hall, features an array of mac-and-cheese creations that are fully customizable and made to order using a combination of traditional and nontraditional ingredients.

Like what? Well, how about Buffalo Chicken (grilled chicken, bleu cheese and hot sauce). Or Primavera (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and Fontina cheese).

Want more? Well, there's the Cheeseburger (ground beef, tomatoes, onion and Cheddar cheese), the “Poor Man's Mac” (tuna and cheddar cheese) and of course the Classic (Pepper Jack, Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses).

As a bonus, the station concept gives the dining hall another menu choice for its vegetarian customers with the various meatless selections (of course, vegans are another story).