Perhaps because unique times deserve unique celebrations, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach Lamont Paris decided to have his Mocs over for dinner over the Christmas break, if only to thank them all for staying on campus during the holidays in order to lessen their chances of contracting COVID-19.
In order to show them how much he appreciated it, and perhaps provide them at least a hint of the home cooking they were missing, Paris made them his signature macaroni and cheese casserole.
“I make it from scratch,” said Paris. “This isn’t some box of Kraft mac and cheese. I start out with a roux, make a cream sauce, lots of cheese, add a block of Velveeta. Some people say that’s just processed cheese, but that makes it creamy. I like that sauce to be smooth. Then I had some Cajun seasoning. It’s pretty strong on the taste buds. I think that pan, and it was a pretty big pan, was the first thing to empty.”
Malachi Smith – who was recently named the Southern Conference December player of the month after averaging a double-double for the second month in a row (16.1 ppg, 10.9 rebs) – admitted the casserole was pretty good.
A self-professed “foodie,” Smith said, “We had it at Christmas. It was like a little taste of home, but it wasn’t my mom’s.”