Grandma didn’t make grilled cheese like these.
Did grammie pack in pickled jalapeños or spinach or avocado?
Perhaps some caramelized onion or goat cheese?
Vince Mahoney uses all those ingredients and then some in his gooey creations.
The owner of the Grilled Cheese Social Eatery, located downtown at 53 Dunlop St. E., offers up yummy variations on the sandwich that, according to some internet sites, got its start in the 1920s during the Depression era in the United States.
Mahoney may not have invented the grilled cheese, but some sort of light went off when he first saw the downtown shop, which he’s had for almost two years now.
Owning a restaurant hadn’t really been an option up to that point.
“I’d been doing hardwood floors for about 20 years and my body had just gotten tired and I was thinking about doing something else,” he tells BarrieToday. “I was actually across the street doing a floor when I saw this store.”
Memories of time spent on a food line in his younger days started coming back, Mahoney says.
“I loved working in kitchens when I was younger, back in high school and in college. And then I got into the trades and away from all that,” he says. “Then, (after all those years) I figured I’d get back in the kitchen and here I am.”
Mahoney describes his fare as “hearty and filling” comfort food.
Besides the aforementioned taste-tempting ingredients, the sandwiches can include pulled pork, pepperoni and chicken. Mahoney says he can also accommodate vegetarians, vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.
His personal favourite sammie is the Sweet Cheeses: goat cheese, mozzarella, bacon, caramelized onions and a drizzle of honey on multi-grain.
But it’s not just about the grilled cheese, or the ‘toastie’ as something similar is known in the United Kingdom, or the jaffle as they call it Down Under in Australia.
Fresh soups are also a customer favourite, he says.
There’s the potato, bacon, cheddar and jalapeno; the sweet potato, carrot and curry; and the roasted red pepper.
“That lady just came in and got some of the soups I make all the time,” Mahoney says after a woman bundles up and retreats back into the cold.
With COVID restrictions finally easing and warmer weather on the way, he’s keeping upbeat about what the future holds.
“I bought this restaurant at the start of the pandemic. I didn’t think it would last as long as it has,” he says. “But hey! You buy a restaurant at a half-decent price, you think you’re not going to have too many worries and then then two years later, here we are.
“I had takeout, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash which got me through last winter and so far this winter.”
But the downtown location with its restaurant scene and the impending condo boom bodes well, Mahoney adds.
“We got our liquor licence; we’ll have a patio. I’m excited about the summer coming up.”
