The Official Grilled Cheese Blog

Live photos from the event!

2008-04-20T01:26:00.000-07:00

LuMi and Jessica

2008-04-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

There is no Team in Fuck You

2008-04-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

LA Times / Live-blogging from the Grilled Cheese Invitational!

2008-04-19T08:35:00.001-07:00

I'm testing how it is to send photos from my phone to this very blog. It appears to have worked.

This means one exciting thing: WE ARE GOING TO HAVE NEARLY-LIVE COVERAGE OF THE INVITATIONAL ON THIS BLOG! Hooray!

Helloooo Canadia!

2008-04-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

This map shows the rank of cheese enthusiasm in Canada.* As you can see, enthusiasm is highest in the East, and seems especially high in the Toronto region.

No wonder, because "As It Happens" just did a really neat podcast on the Grilled Cheese Invitational and Adam even made an orgasmic sammich during the program!

So helloooo Canadia! It's so good to see you here!

* This is absolutely false. I just liked the colors of the map.

brrr! dress warmly, everyone!

2008-04-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

I was just checkin' out the weather and it's gonna be cool tonight. Bring a jacket. :-)

I'll still be the one in the massive dress with the massive hair, but now I'll be wearing a massive furry jacket on top of it all. Come by and say hello!

IMPORTANT: The Grilled Cheese Invitational is FULL

2008-04-18T09:46:00.001-07:00

Seriously, folks. I'm sad to say that the response has been TOO overwhelming. If you're not on the list for the Grilled Cheese Invitational, chances are it's too late for you and yours. You could take your chances showing up, but if you choose to do this, I suggest you do it EARLY. As soon as we hit 800 people, you're going to be turned away.

Also, if you are driving, you MUST carpool. The parking lot is only going to be accepting carpools of people. People not carpooling will have to find parking elsewhere and walk. Won't that suck? Nobody walks in LA! So be sure to carpool.

Come see me personally by heading to the Press Table and/or looking for the girl in the most humongous dress there.

Holy Toledo!!

2008-04-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

The Toledo Free Press mentioned dis vereh blog! How neato, Toledo! It's nice to feel like others appreciate the cheeze like I do.

OMG! it's the grilled cheese show!

2008-04-14T21:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.theoryradio.org

Apparently, they love the cheese enough to do a whole show about it.

IMPORTANT: No Booze in the Grilled Cheese Invitational

2008-04-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Grilled Cheese enthusiasts!

I hope that everybody is getting good and ready to get knee deep in melted cheese next Saturday!

Unfortunately, I have some bad news for some of you...

Due to circumstances beyond our control, there will be NO ALCOHOL SERVED OR ALLOWED at this year's invitational.

We tried everything we could, but unfortunately we just couldn't line up a sponsor to give out alcohol products at the event and because of this year's location, there is no vending of food or drink allowed, so we can't offer it for sale either.

Know that we tried as much as we could to make it come together and know that for next year's GCI, this won't be a problem.

But fear not my faithful cheese heads, while there may not be alcohol served at the event itself, plans are afoot to remedy this situation with an after party of extraordinary magnitude.

Stay tuned for further details.

Thanks for keeping the faith and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

More information regarding the invitational will be released next week.

Yours in bread, butter, cheese and victory,

Tim Walker
Founder and Chief Instigator
Grilled Cheese Invitational

YumSugar: Get Thee to the Grilled Cheese Invitational!

2008-04-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

YumSugar had this to say about the National Grilled Cheese Invitational:

It sounds like it's going to be a fantastic cheese voyage. If I lived in the area, I would definitely find a way to attend. How about you? Are you going to go to the Grilled Cheese Invitational?

Hell yes, YumSugar! It's going to be such a fantastic cheese voyage that we should get to work on writing songs about it. mmm. cheese.

Missionary Still Rocks My Socks Off (it's a grilled cheese recipe!)

2008-04-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of the AMAZING missionary sandwich I made last night.

Recipe for the Ultimate Missionary Grilled Cheese Sandwich:
2 slices of white bread (Van De Camps enriched, if it matters)
approx 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (land o' lakes, iim)
1 tbsp butter, applied liberally

Fry one side of the bread until it is starting to brown, lift the bread and throw a few grates of cheese under the pieces, and set the bread down on the frying cheese. This will create a crunchy fried cheese barrier to keep the oil of the cheese from seeping into the bread. DO NOT BURN THE CHEESE. Just fry it enough for a crunchy layer.

Turn over both sides of the bread so the crispy cheese is facing up. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on one of the slices, being very careless with cheese around the rest of the pan. Place the uncheezened slice crispy cheese down on the grated pile, effectively sandwiching the grated cheese in two protective barriers of fried cheese.

Flip the sandwich. Make sure you have even browning, not burning.

Press on the sandwich with your spatula. Make goo-goo eyes at the guy you're making the sandwich for.

Turn the sandwich and add more butter. The butter makes it yum-o-riffic.

Place the sandwich on a plate and cut diagonally. Serve with a strong amber beer such as a Newcastle or Blonde Bock (Gordon Bierch).

Expect wild, passionate sex afterwords.

Caught in the news!!

2008-04-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! Things are heating up in the news-o-sphere and the event-o-sphere when we're talking about this year's National Grilled Cheese Invitational!

Check this shit out:
The Grilled Cheese Invitational Is Back
We did mention that April is Grilled Cheese Month, right? In addition to Clementine's grilled cheese madness, the Grilled Cheese Invitational is pretty much the end-all-be-all of gooey, cheesy, melty competitions.
- Eater LA, "The Grilled Cheese Invitational is Back"

The Grilled Cheese Invitational Returns to Los Angeles
The Grilled Cheese Invitational returns to Los Angeles on Saturday, April 19th.Here are the rules and regulations. The deadline for registration is April 13th. now open.
- Laughing Squid, "The Grilled Cheese Invitational Returns to Los Angeles"

Gorge/cook: Grilled Cheese Invitational
Incorporating esoterica like truffle butter, rice, and macadamia nuts, this lactose-tolerant competition features four categories, from the white-bread-based Missionary Position to the anything-goes Karma Sutra. Obviously, this event is organized by a bunch of well-sexed ladies' men. [editor's note: oh hell yes.]
- Thrillist, "Gorge/cook: Grilled Cheese Invitational"

The National Grilled Cheese Invitational!!!!!!!!!!!
The Grilled Cheese Invitational on Upcoming

Where are your favorite places for Grilled Cheese?

2008-04-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

I don't usually go out for grilled cheese, instead preferring to cook it myself, but this whole Clementine thing kind of opened my mind a little...

Where do you go out for Grilled Cheese?

I've been to Honeydew in Burbank and was depressed by what they call a "grilled cheese." $8 for something that isn't even melty? I think not! But what's a girl to do?

No, seriously... what *is* a girl to do?

This Place Has My Vote!!!

2008-04-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Another grilled cheese sandwich enthusiast, Clementine is celebrating National Grilled Cheese Month by having a "Melt the Vote" campaign. Get your cheese-lovin' booty over there and let the world know if you prefer yellow cheddar over white cheddar (though I like the taste of white better, I like the aesthetic of yellow).

I'm going to see about getting over there this coming Thursday and ordering up a Grilled Cheese Sandwich and a glass of white wine.

Thanks for the tip, JeremyPB (is that for Peanut Butter? If so, I question your loyalty).

I don't even know what to make of this: The Grilled Cheese Song

2008-04-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

These guys made a very heartfelt song about Grilled Cheese, but I have to say, if I had any ability to play a guitar, my song would be WAY more intense. WAY WAY WAY more intense.

IF YOU INTEND TO REGISTER FOR THE GRILLED CHEESE INVITATIONAL

2008-04-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

Holy shit, people. I can't tell you how important this is!

If you plan on registering for the Grilled Cheese Invitational, you really need to do it RIGHT THIS MINUTE by going to the Grilled Cheese Sandwich Registration and registering your sandwich IMMEDIATELY.

Last I talked to Tim, we were at 90+ registrants out of 100. So get your ass over there.

Planning on Going to the Grilled Cheese Invitational?

2008-04-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

You can show your enthusiasm by saying you'll go at Yelp. I've updated the event and it has all the current information.

Hooray for National Grilled Cheese Month!!

2008-04-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's with great excitement and fanfare that I announce that this month is NATIONAL GRILLED CHEESE MONTH! Yes, some company who is trying to sell you something somewhere declared that April is National Grilled Cheese Month.

Why don't you celebrate with a classic Missionary Sandwich right now? Just slap down some butter, some bread, some cheddar, and whip yourself up the ultimate in classic grilled cheese wonderments. See? It's every bit as good as you remember.

Remember This?

2008-03-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

A Grilled Cheese Mix... RAOR!

2008-03-28T19:12:00.006-07:00

A Grilled Cheese Time Was Had By All

2008-03-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last night, the masterminds behind the Grilled Cheese Invitational got together and celebrated the new Spoons category with Spoons sandwiches and wine... lots of wine. Turns out that white wine goes very well with olive bread and cave-aged gruyere cheese. Please make a note of it.

After literally two hours of arguing about what the categories meant and what the new category addition would mean for the other three categories, we have reached a consensus:

SPOONS IS ANY KIND OF BREAD (INCLUDING OLIVE BREAD) AND ANY KIND OF CHEESE (EXCEPT HEAD CHEESE, WHICH IS CHEESE IN NAME ONLY).

Please make a note of it. Anything baked into the bread does not count as an extra ingredient unless you go all crazy. There will be Grilled Cheese Officials on hand to determine if breads and ingredients are acceptable.

The Grilled Cheese Invitational is also seeking sponsorship for alcoholic beverages. If you know of any wine or beer company who would be interested in sponsoring the most popular grilled cheese event in the world, please email me at normal@hellonormal.com.

Stay tuned for all new rules on the Grilled Cheese Invitational site, as well as a fuller profile of the Spoons category right here on the only Official Grilled Cheese Blog. :-D

YouTube Grilled Cheese Bonanza

2008-03-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

This woman is creepy and weird. But informative! Who knew you could make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich in the microwave?

(um. this is an abomination)

Voila: we has press release

2008-03-21T08:18:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

March 26, 2008

"THE 1ST 6TH ANNUAL GRILLED CHEESE INVITATIONAL MELTS CHEESY GOODNESS ON LOS ANGELES, APRIL 19, 2008!"

(Los Angeles, CA) The 1st 6th Annual National Grilled Cheese Invitational have opened their electronic floodgates and are now accepting registration for competition in this year's Grilled Cheese Invitational.

"The 1st 6th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational will be mankind's greatest achievement since the invention of fire!" says Tim Walker, the event's founder and organizer. "This year we will have more cheese than ever before. More competitors, more sammiches, more everything!"

At The Grilled Cheese Invitational, amateur and professional chefs compete side by side in four categories to determine just who is a grilled cheese champion. Each competitor must prepare at least 20 samples of their sammich for the judges.

Who are these judges? YOU! Yes, anyone with a passion for the cheese is welcome to attend this event and judge sammiches. Judging is easy and is done using standardized ballots and a patented, computerized database that scientifically tabulates the results to determine the winners. So put a sammich in your face and tell the world what you think with a bread-muffled cry! MPFF!

Due to the absolutely overwhelming response to last year's competition, the organizers have selected a NEW LOCATION for this year's invitational that will allow for more people to attend the cheesening. As with previous Invitationals, the location will not be announced until the week of the event. To find out the super-secret location the very second it is announced, send an email to grilledcheeseinvitational-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (NOTE: We will not Spam™ you, this is a cheese announce list only!).

New for 2008, the organizers of the GCI have created an additional category of competition, SPOONS, which will live between the Missionary category and the Kama Sutra category.

Sammiches must be entered into one of the following approved categories:
The Missionary Position: White bread, orange cheese (Cheddar or American) and butter or margarine only.
Spoons: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter and any kind of cheese (or combination of cheeses) but no additional ingredients.
The Kama Sutra: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, and any kind of cheese (or blend of cheeses) plus additional ingredients.
The Honey Pot: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, any kind of cheese (or blend of cheeses), and any additional ingredients, but a sandwich that is sweet in flavor, or would best be served as dessert.

Think YOU have what it takes to deliver a full body blow to the Nationals? Register your sammich today (space is limited):
http://www.grilledcheeseinvitational.com/upcomingcheese.html

As the clear winners are determined (again, automagic computer system), the Grilled Cheese Invitational will award 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies in each category. Imagine YOU going home with a one-of-a-kind gilded cheese trophy! In addition to the serious winners, two Spaz Awards will be awarded to the sammiches that are the biggest Spazzes, executive judge awards and mountains of grilled cheese for everybody!

On April 19th, we will part the mighty mountain of fresh loaves, wade knee-deep in the melted cheese and swim eye-high in the butterfat, but only a few, only the proud, the cheesiest, will earn the sacred right to hold a glimmering, golden trophy aloft for all to see and scream to the malignant heavens above: "I am a f@#king grilled cheese champion™!"

Got questions about the event? Of course you do! Send 'em to hotcheeseygoodness@grilledcheeseinvitational.com.

Yours in bread, butter cheese... and victory!

The Grilled Cheese Invitational

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Created by Tim Walker in 2003, the Grilled Cheese Invitational found its humble roots in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles as a competition between friends. Since then, the Invitational has grown into a national movement dedicated to perfecting the art of grilled cheese.

For Media questions, contact:

Danielle Farrar
PO Box 7048
Burbank, CA 91510
danielle@grilledcheeseinvitational.com

The Popularity of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in the Blogosphere

2008-03-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

In my hunting around for information about Grilled Cheese, I found this, which is the progressive mention of Grilled Cheese in the blogosphere.