The Southern Mac & Cheese Truck | Chicago

Cary Taylor is adamant about using traditional elbow macaroni for his macaroni and cheese. Beyond that, all bets are off.

The chef of The Southern has developed 24 varieties of the comfort-food staple to sell from the restaurant's new mobile lunchtime spin-off, The Southern Mac & Cheese Truck.

You're as likely to find a straightforward smoked gouda version ($8)–similar to The Southern's standby–as a lusty, Cajun-inspired blend of andouille sausage, crawfish tails and pepperjack cheese ($12). Taylor offers four kinds each day, at least one vegetarian, and all are served in hefty 20-ounce containers.

Pimento cheese with horseradish, Mexican chorizo with cotija, and a nostalgic combination of American cheese with Vienna beef hot dogs are set to appear in coming weeks. Clearly, this is lunch to support (or reward) a hard day's work.

Getting your hands on Taylor's concoctions might prove to be similarly hard work, as he packs only 100 orders per day, and if his kitchen at The Southern is taxed, he has no qualms about keeping his wheels in the garage.

Still, seeing as he hit the streets this past Tuesday mere hours after a root canal, we have no reason to doubt his dedication to the mac-and-cheese cause.

The Southern Mac & Cheese Truck aims to park in one or two locations, beginning around 11:45 a.m. each day. Find it on Twitter: @TheSouthernMac