The Original Tampa Bay Grilled Cheese Fest Returns

-4 Snaps! Strongly recommended

The best looking dish of the day was by far the Fried Cheezit from Empamamas. It’s made with American cheese, white cheddar, provolone, smeared with Tampa Girl sauce then battered and breaded in Cheezit cracker crumbles and DEEP FRIED. Are you kidding me? It’s then served with kettle chips and ranch dressing. A gazillion fat grams later…wow!

​I have been part of the biker community for 25 years. My professional photography career began there. So when I heard they were having a grilled cheese fest at a Harley dealership, I thought I would be right at home. I grabbed my HOG, packed the camera, and went fooding. One thing about bikers; They love to eat (and drink). After a ride on a cold day a grilled cheese (and some tomato soup) sounded perfect. Sure enough there was a festival at Tampa Harley Davidson, but there weren’t many bikers. Cars and young fashion far outnumbered any motorcycles and biker gear. Still, it was cheesy good!

The festival was crowded mostly with non-bikers looking for some melted cheesy warmth

Empamamas offers awesome sounding dishes like the Tampa Girl, Mamita Lelita and Cluck Yeah Empamamas- Oh yeah and the Fried Cheezit sandwich

For the festival, food trucks were challenged to come up with a unique take on the American classic. While names like Burger Culture (the resident dealership food truck) & Empamamma aren’t really related to grilled cheese it all worked. There were plenty of delicious options.

Mother Truckin food truck A lot of folks deressed warmly to fight January temperatures like these cheese hungry folks at the Mother Truckin food truck

The wait for Mr C's Grilled Cheese food truck was over an hour at times but folks said it was well worth it

The wait for some food was crazy long. For Mr.C’s Grilled Cheese, the longest, the wait was over an hour. But people people came and waited patiently. Customer Dylan (no last name) said that it was worth it, still standing in line 45 minutes later. He's had Mr. C’s before and says they always get it right by paying attention to good cheese and blending the flavors.
​I really like grilled cheese… really like it. But I’m not the kind of foodie who will stand in line in the cold for an hour for a sandwich. ​​

Not everything was high fat and cheesy. This Avocado BLT from Off the Griddle food truck was filled with avocado slices, Applewood bacon, fresh lettuce and tomato, cilantro lime aioli on toasted marble rye

Elin from Seminole Heights had Bacon Boss’ Gambino. It’s a grilled American cheese sandwich stuffed with bacon and tomatoes and a light schmear of cream cheese. She said it was “off the charts good” because “They didn’t hold back on the bacon”. She considers herself a part-time foodie.

The Gambino from Bacon Boss-Grilled American cheese sanwdwich stuffed with bacon and tomatoes and topped off with a schmear of cream cheese

Yes, that's a Waffle with chicken and grilled cheese from the Harley resident food truck Burger Culture

Stuffed BBQ Grilled Cheese- Texas toast with slow cooked pulled pork, coleslaw, and BBQ sauce drizzle

It was fun seeing all the variations these creative folks took on such a classic dish. I wish they served a sampler platter because I wanted to taste it all. I'd go back next year but I'm still not waiting in line for an hour. Parking for cars was a challenge, having to park several blocks away. Bikes got in right up front. Some trucks like Mmm Delicious Cupcakes ​ looked closed way before the end of the fest, so if you go next year, go early. ​​