Grilled Cheese Invitational

On Saturday April 21, we were lucky enough to attend the Grilled Cheese Invitational !!
Basically this is a grilled cheese contest where over a 100 chefs come out and compete to be the Grilled Cheese Champion. Each grilled cheese is paired with a ballot with the chef's name and you get to be the judge on how delightful the grilled cheese is prepared.

This year it was held in Griffith Park Crystal Springs Picnic Grove and I thought the area was a good size for the crowd. But supposedly it was overbooked! Luckily for us, we live close enough to bike and luckier still because we had the chance to work off that grilled cheese. But I did feel like I was sweating cheese on the bike ride home. Plus I thought I had found us a good shortcut, but it ended up involving carrying our bikes up an insanely steep staircase. I must of been drunk from cheese!
Anywho, there were many wonderful sites to behold at the Invitational!

Like the Grilled Cheese Wedding Cake.

Though we were not sure how good that would taste. Because part of the beauty of grilled cheese is eating it piping hot! But it was definitely a wonder to behold. The icing was cream cheese and the decorations were Cheez Whiz!

Kraft Singles was there which is Mr.Phi's favorite Cheese I'm sad to report.

How could I fall for such a man! My mother had warned me about the type, but I can't deny I enjoy a kraft single now and then! The Shameeee! (I hope I'm not kicked out of any LA cheese shops for such an admittance!) But a lot of people were getting the Kraft grilled cheese sandwiches, because they were easily available with no line. Plus Kraft was giving away free shirts and spatulas! Who can pass up a free spatula?

After I dragged Mr.Phi away from the Kraft booth, and we found ourselves in the trenches. Basically there is a huge line of tables. And you wait behind people to make your way to the front of the tables. Once you get to the front, you compete with about a 100 other people for a sandwich. How do you compete? You cry, beg, please, wink, proclaim your need of cheese, etc, etc....

How can this be worth it you ask? Let me introduce you to who made it worth it...

Spoon's Truffle Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
*Garlic-Cheddar sourdough, cheddar, comte, truffled Italian cheese, truffled butter

It became worth it for Mr.Phi when he got a grilled onion sandwich.


We waited at least 3 times through lines and these were definitely our favorites. The saddest part of the festival is you don't get to try all 140 sandwiches unless you are a judge. Sigh another dream job to add to my list. Grilled Cheese Sammich Judge. With the long waits to try sandwiches, we were lucky to get to try 5 different grilled cheeses.

Was there any good sandwiches I missed? I bet a ton! I was very curious to try the artisanal cheese gallery's huge cheeese sandwiches!

Or the Foundry with their Short Rib Grilled Cheeses! There was a strawberry cream cheese one I was curious about as well. Also, I'm very curious about Clementine's who is having Grilled Cheese Specials all month and have an amazing site as well to support it! Cheese you can believe in! !!
Well I guess there is always next year for those others grilled cheeses....sighhhh..

Not only was there cheese but cheese related entertainment as well!! cheese-lovers coming up and reciting poems they had written dedicated to grilled cheese. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to read my cheese poem as I was too busy trying to get to the front of the line to try all the different deliscious concoctions. So for closing, here is is for all of you to marvel at!

Ode to My mom’s grilled cheese sandwich
Mom!
Would it have killed you to buy me whole fat processed cheese?!

My friend Rachel always got it!
Bestest cheese sandwiches EVER!
Glistening butter substitute on both sides,
And the glutenest of breads,
Her mother lovvvvved her.

Instead you gave me….
2% cheddar toasted on Oat Bread. No butter.
What did you buy yourself with the 2% you saved?
Certainly not more Nintendo games for me!