Grilled cheese fest is a cook-off in which almost anyone can compete
Brian “Skinny” McCabe is hoping that 2023’s Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival will be the biggest yet. (Courtesy Brian McCabe)
The cheesiest festival in town returns to N. Cleveland Street next month for its sixth year, and festival organizer Brian “Skinny” McCabe is hoping that 2023’s Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival will be the biggest yet.
“You never know who’s going to want to participate or how many people are going to show up,” McCabe said. “But we’re gonna have a great time, nonetheless.”
McCabe is planning for a dynamic spectacle of an event, with food trucks, vendors, a cook-off competition and even a clown.
“I’ve seen him balance a six-foot ladder on his chin before,” McCabe said and laughed. “I don’t care how old you are, that s--- is amazing.”
But all of the entertainment is in the spirit of giving, McCabe said. In years past, festival proceeds have been donated to Alive Rescue Memphis, a local foster-based animal rescue.
This year, donations will benefit Thrive Memphis, a nonprofit organization “that enriches the lives of those with intellectual disabilities by meeting their social and recreational needs,” according to the organization’s website.
“I have a couple of friends who work over there and other friends with children who have disabilities,” McCabe said. “I just wanted to shift gears this year and focus on something that’s always been close to me.”
Donations, McCabe said, will come primarily from the cooking competition, in which casual and professional teams alike compete for titles such as “Most Ridiculous,” “Most Cheesiest,” “Best Tomato Soup” and, primarily, “Grand Champion.”
Each attendee pays a $5 entry fee and can make a subsequent donation of their discretion at whichever and however many booths they want. For each booth donation, the attendee gets a serving of that team’s grilled cheese. The team that ends the competition with the most money raised wins the title of Grand Champion.
“It’s almost set up like Wing Fest,” McCabe said, referring to the annual World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival.
There is no requirement to sign up for or participate in Grilled Cheese Fest, McCabe said, only a $250 entry fee and adherence to “general health department guidelines.”
“We’ve had everybody from buddies, to traveling cooking teams, to Barbecue Fest teams, to law offices, to a bunch of divorced dads,” McCabe said. “We’ve had all walks of life out there.”
Tim Quinn, owner of Local on Main and soon-to-be owner of Local on the Square, and his team have won the Grand Champion title in every past festival.
“We’ll probably stick with our staple: buffalo chicken with white cheddar and ranch, which seems to be super simple, but people like it,” Quinn said.
Quinn’s gooey concoction consists of grilled and shredded chicken tossed in homemade buffalo sauce with white cheddar cheese. A mix of mayonnaise and butter is spread on the outside of the bread before griddling for the perfect melty texture.
“It’s not some high-pressure cooking competition where people are investing a ton of money and expecting a lot of return,” Quinn said. “We put forth whatever time or money or effort we can, and as long as we see a positive outcome, then everybody has a blast.”
To make sure people know about the event, McCabe will give out 1,000 grilled cheeses Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Hi-Tone, which he owns, in an event he likes to call “Grilled Cheese Awareness Night.” The only requirement to get a grilled cheese is to share the event page on Facebook.
“I will be personally making them, because I make the best you’ve ever had,” McCabe said. “It’s just your basic white bread, your basic butter and your basic sliced cheese — two yellow, one white. Butter on the outside of the bread, no mayonnaise.”
McCabe’s not-so-secret secret is that he sprinkles everything bagel seasoning on the buttered side of the bread before griddling it so that the garlic toasts into the sandwich, taking it to “the next level.”
The Hi-Tone owner said he still has plenty of room for more grilled cheese teams to sign up, but he’s not terribly worried about it.
“We’ve already got the street-closing permits and we’re going through with it either way,” McCabe says. “Even if we only have four teams, it’s gonna be great.”
Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5, from noon to 4 p.m. General admission tickets are available here, and groups interested in competing can sign their team up here.
Topics
Brian “Skinny” McCabe Tim QuinnJoshua Carlucci
Joshua Carlucci is a writer and food journalist from Los Banos, California. He holds a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, a culinary diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Memphis, where he was managing editor of Pinch. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Brussels Review, Redivider, Gravy, EatingWell, Southern Living, and elsewhere. He is a staff writer at Brooklyn-based food and beverage industry magazine, StarChefs.Find more of his work on his website, joshuacarlucci.com.
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