The Macaroni House is a family business in every sense of the word. The restaurant serves a classic comfort food, macaroni and cheese, with a variety of different ingredients—ranging from chicken to brisket to mushrooms—that draws customers of all ages. Richmond couple Chef Carlos Arenas and his wife, manager Jennifer Koh, opened the restaurant a year ago with help from Koh's father. Their children, Lindsey and Matthew, are often present to watch mom and dad work.
"All our family's been in the restaurant business for about 20 years, and it's always been a family dream for us to open a restaurant," Koh said.
Arenas previously worked as a cook in a New York restaurant that featured macaroni and cheese. This job gave Arenas the chance to hone his macaroni preparation skills. Koh said she enjoyed the macaroni he made there so much she regularly asked him to bring some home.
"We just love mac and cheese, and we were trying different ways to prepare the mac and cheese and mixing different things in it," Koh said.
