Zach Heinz and Kate Uhle greet customers at the Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. booth in the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market. (photos by John Gregory)
The temple of grilled cheese
Grilled cheese lovers have something to celebrate at the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market as Zach Heinz and fiancée Kate Uhle offer a new twist on an old favorite at their Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. booth.
“It’s the ultimate comfort food. You can’t go wrong,” Uhle said. “We put a lot of love into it and we use seasoning on our bread with butter. It’s just loaded with all kinds of cheese and everything. … We do all kinds of grilled cheese. It’s all on seasoned sourdough bread.”
The Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. has a menu of four main options and four vegetarian options. There is also rotating monthly special; last month it was a spinach-artichoke grilled cheese sandwich. The pair take their booth to several famer’s markets each week, and offer a few breakfast grilled cheese varieties at the weekend markets. Customers may also order an egg to be added to any sandwich, Uhle said.
The most popular item might be the Kater’s Taters sandwich: hash browns, bacon, sour cream and chives. It’s like a loaded potato, Uhle explained.
“Generally, the bacon ones are the most popular, but also the goat cheese ones are popular,” she said.
Other popular selections include the Pump Up the Jam with raspberry jam and goat cheese; and the Totes Magoats, with goat cheese, pesto tomato and mozzarella.
Yes, there is a peanut butter sandwich called the After School special, with peanut butter and raspberry jam.
“It’s like a peanut butter and grilled cheese,” Uhle said. “People are usually skeptical about that one, but everybody loves it.”
One unique extra to add a bit of zing is the Pick-On-A-Stick, which really is a dill pickle on a stick.
The concept for Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. was born when Heinz was in college. He used to make simple grilled cheese sandwiches in his dorm and bring them to hungry students.
“He would just get white bread and American cheese,” Uhle said. “People would call their dorm and they would deliver it.”
Heinz decided to make a business out of it about five years ago. Now, he hopes to open a restaurant featuring his grilled cheese creations on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach later this spring or over the summer.
Learn more at madmunchcheezers.com.
Look for the Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. booth at the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market, which is open for shoppers from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every single Saturday at 10380 Spring Canyon Road, in the Innovations Academy parking lot. Visit srfm.org.