Created by husband & wife team, Sarita & Caesar Ekya, S'MAC ("Sarita's Mac & Cheese) was a concept born at the Peanut Butter Co. in New York's Greenwich Village. While sitting down and savoring their PB & J sandwiches, Sarita casually mentioned to Caesar "Wouldn't it be great if there was a place that served PB & J, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and...MAC &CHEESE? Comfort food galore!"

This year marks the 10th anniversary for S'Mac. By 2014, the company had two locations, and the couple began looking for some additional working capital and to purchase equipment/make renovations at the original location.

On June 24th, 2006, nine months after the idea was conceived, S'MAC opened its doors, offering 10 variations of macaroni and cheese. Sarita manages the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, as well as its finances, payroll, and vendor relations. She is also continually playing with the menu, creating seasonal specials, and ensuring that whatever a customer's palate, there's a mac & cheese to please. "We found Biz2Credit through PayChex, our payroll processing company at the time," said Sarita, who was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, but considers herself a first-generation Indian.

"We've got a unique situation with our product because we run a mac & cheese business and our price point is quite affordable," Sarita explained "We opened our doors in 2006 before the economy quickly spiraled out of control, but our business actually went up because we have a very affordable product that's very comforting."

"In downtrodden situations mac & cheese is a comfort. In 2008, our business grew significantly and has grown for a number of years," Sarita added. "We're still in the growth state, but are starting to slow down a little since we've been open for so many years. Moving forward in the economy, our goal is to bring in more repeat business and draw new customers. We're confident in the prospects of our business moving forward."

Offerings:

• ALL-AMERICAN (Just the way you remember it as a kid! A tasty blend of American & Cheddar cheeses..)
• 4 CHEESE (Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere and a touch of Pecorino)
• CHEESEBURGER (For the Hearty Meat Eater: Cheddar and American cheeses combined with seasoned ground beef.
• NAPOLETANA (Fresh Mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and fresh basil)
• MEDITERRANEAN (Goat cheese, sauteed spinach, kalamata olives, and roasted garlic)
• ALPINE (A Swiss Mac that keeps you coming back for more. Gruyere coupled with its partner in crime, slab bacon.)
• LA MANCHA (A taste of Spain right at your fingertips)
• PARISIENNE (Mac & Cheese for the "upper crust". Creamy Brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitake mushrooms & fresh rosemary.)
• GARDEN LITE (Lite Cheddar, Parmesan, roasted cauliflower , Portobello mushrooms, roasted garlic, broccoli and scallions.)
• CAJUN
• MASALA (North American comfort food blended with Indian spices)
• BUFFALO CHICKEN (Cheddar & American cheeses with boneless chicken pieces and buffalo wing sauce. We'll even top it off with crumbled blue cheese)

Locations:

S'MAC - Murray Hill
157 East 33rd Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues
212-683-3900 or 212-683-3915
Open 7 days from 11:00 a.m.- 11:00 p.m. (12am on Fri and Sat nights)

S'MAC - East Village
345 East 12th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues
212-358-7912 or 212-358-7917
Open 7 days from 11:00 a.m.- 11:00 p.m. (12am on Fri and Sat nights)