CINCINNATI'S BIG CHEESE: C'EST CHEESE FOOD TRUCK

Bringing a smile to everyone's face, Emily Frank, owner of C'est Cheese, serves up gooey, gourmet grilled cheese from a four-wheeled kitchen: her food bus.

That's right, a food bus. While Cincinnati is saturated with food trucks, C'est Cheese hits the streets in their modified public transit unit. They even have a bus schedule to track when and where Emily will be serving up food next!

C'est Cheese is another innovative start-up funded through Cincinnati micro-lender, Bad Girl Ventures. For ten weeks, Emily attended a business bootcamp where she and 100 other women competed for a $25,000 loan. And now, she's living her dream as the "big cheese" business owner after spending many years in the corporate world of Chicago.

On the menu, customers will find over 20 original sandwiches, with each of the names honoring someone important in Emily's journey. The most popular is The Bee Sting, which features Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and basil-infused honey, grilled with chili flake butter. The newest additions to the menu include The Reuben-ish, stuffed with mozzerella, saurkraut, and bratwurst; The Jerk, stuffed with mozzarella and zesty jerk chicken; and the Indian-inspired Bollywood, a potato samosa and mint chutney with melted cheese.
 

The Bollywood

The Jerk

The Reuben-ish

The Bad Girl with brie, honey, and raspberries

Grilled Cheeza with marinara sauce

In addition to serving up cheesy goodness, Emily is also the President of the Cincinnati Food Truck Association, which helps with advancements in organization and city involvement with the Queen City's squad of 23+ food trucks.

C'est Cheese is out and about in the tri-state all week long and is available for private catering. Keep an eye out for this delightful food bus rolling into a neighborhood near you!

JAPP'S GRILLED CHEESE COOK OFF

This Sunday at Japp's Annex, six sandwich chefs took part in a competition for the warmest, gooiest, tastiest grilled cheese in Cincinnati.

With eclectic combinations like buffalo bleu cheese with chicken, fried green tomatoes, four cheese, or cheddar with salsa and sour cream, each chef showcased their secret recipe.

The cook off audience had a chance to sample each of the grilled cheeses and vote for their favorite using a token handed out upon arrival. There was also a panel of Cincinnati food bloggers serving as judges to award the best grilled cheese the coveted Golden Spatula award.

In addition to piping hot sandwiches, Molly Wellmann was mixing up Bloody Marys behind the bar. She fixed me an incredible drink loaded with veggie garnish.

While each of the grilled cheeses was uniquely delicious, my appetite was won over by the fried green tomato grilled cheese. The texture, the savory flavors that changed with each chew; it was a cold weather winner in my book.