Grilled cheese goodness is what's on the menu, and it will be for the whole month of April.
Casey Thomson, owner and founder of The Cheese Gallery in Thornbury, wanted to create a unique, fun, and competitive event for the community, and so "The Big Cheese" was born.
16 locations, two in Collingwood and the rest in Grey County, will battle in a head-to-head contest during April to see who has the best grilled cheese sandwich.
Each location will be dishing out a unique take on the grilled cheese.
After purchasing a sandwich, patrons are asked to rate the grilled cheese from 1 to 5, and at the end of the month the ballots will be counted and a champion cheeser crowned.
Thomson says it's a perfect way to celebrate the beloved sandwich.
"It really is an opportunity to go to 16 different restaurants, cafes, or wineries in the area and order their gourmet grilled cheese," Thomson told Barrie 360.
"And I thought, 'April is a great time to do it' because April can be very terrible [for] weather...and it's comfort food."
Thomson says she approached a number of establishments in the area with the idea for this inaugural event. Her goal at the time was to have 10 participants - 16 locations ended up putting their names in the competition.
"I think next year, we're going to see this grow and become an annual event in the area," said Thomson.
The Thornbury business owner says there are a few stipulations for vendors participating in the competition. Their recipe has to be focused around cheese, and they have to commit to a price so that it's a level playing field.
The restaurant locations doing an eat-in, served style are priced at $17. While the cafes, wineries and takeout locations are $12.
She says other than those specifics, they can be as creative as they want to be.
"It's new, it's different, it's fun," said Thomson. "We definitely need some fun."
The competition kicks off on April 1st and ends on the 30th.
A full list of vendors, their unique grilled cheese concoctions, locations, and direct links to their websites, can be found at thecheese.ca
May the best grilled cheese win!
Feature image via The Big Cheese website
