Mac & Cheese Necklace Stirs Demand for St. Paul Jewelry Brand

The macaroni necklace—long a pre-school favorite—just got a gold-plated update inspired by Panera’s new grilled mac & cheese sandwich. Americans are apparently hungry for fine jewelry that reflects cheesy pasta, and the St. Paul-based jewelry brand that created it is riding the viral hit toward more national brand partnerships.

Panera commissioned the golden noodle necklace from Delicacies Jewelry. The small brand was the brainchild of Nicolle Nelson who had the idea in 2013 to create “tasteful jewelry for people who love food.” Launched by Nelson and her husband John Larson in 2015, Delicacies got an early boost from the couple’s relationship with TV chef Andrew Zimmern—Larson was his business manager and a founding partner in Zimmern’s television production company Intuitive Content. Nelson previously worked in public relations, which helped in spreading the word about the food-inspired jewelry company, which donates 10 percent of profits to fight hunger. St. Paul’s Loaves & Fishes is a current recipient.

“Panera is committed to fighting hunger, and I think that aligned beautifully with the fact that we’ve been fighting hunger since Day one,” Larson said.

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