Erin Wade, once a highly-paid corporate attorney working with some of America’s largest companies, made a life-changing decision in 2011. She left her prestigious legal career behind to pursue an unexpected passion: macaroni and cheese. Today, Wade is not only a millionaire but also claims the title of “the world’s leading expert on macaroni and cheese.”
Wade detailed her journey in her book The Mac & Cheese Millionaire: Building a Better Business by Thinking Outside the Box. In an excerpt published by Fortune, she recalls her transformation from a corporate lawyer with an impressive social status to the owner of Homeroom, a restaurant dedicated to macaroni and cheese. “I went from sounding important at cocktail parties and looking damned respectable in a suit each day to cooking more than 10,000 mac and cheese dishes,” Wade wrote.
Her dedication to the craft was no small feat. “I have grated over one metric ton of cheese, boiled thousands of pounds of pasta, and whisked such vast amounts of cream sauce that I developed a wrist injury my doctor said she’d only seen in teenage boys with masturbatory addictions,” Wade humorously recounted.
Since its inception, Homeroom has served millions of mac and cheese dishes, making it a staple in the local community and beyond. Wade proudly states that no one has devoted more time and energy to perfecting the iconic comfort food than she has.
While her initial motivation was driven by a love for macaroni and cheese, Wade soon discovered a new passion—business. “I never set out to become a mac-and-cheese millionaire,” she shared. “When I first put together my Homeroom business plan, I estimated my take-home pay would be around $40,000. I was stunned when, in our first year, I earned more than I had as a corporate attorney.”
In 2020, a decade after launching Homeroom, Wade received a lucrative offer from a venture-backed restaurant company. Impressed by Homeroom’s profitability—greater than five of their own restaurants combined—the company offered to buy the business. Wade accepted the deal, marking another milestone in her entrepreneurial journey.
Reflecting on her success, Wade noted, “I discovered that wealth generation is a natural by-product of the pursuit of creating something meaningful for as many people as possible.”
