Steve Jobs 1955-2011

(courtesy apple.com)

“The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”

— Bill Gates

Yes, this is a grilled cheese blog, but at its heart is a man who loves technology almost, if not more, as much as the grilled cheese sandwich. Over the past 10 years, Steve Jobs has had as big of an affect on me as people in my own family. (Sad? Maybe. But definitely the truth.) Ever since I learned that I would be required to purchase an Apple laptop for college, I was hooked. I found the Apple rumor site macrumors.com and my life was forever changed. The first thing I check in the morning is not my emails, it is whether there are any new Mac rumors to read up on.

I remember watching the original iPod introduction prior to one of my design classes and being amazed. I even put my headphones on and continued to listen as class began and I was supposed to be designing. From then on, I followed every single Apple rumor that was ever printed and I tried to follow/watch every Jobs keynote, no matter what was being released or where I was. Thankfully, for 3 years, my job allowed me to sit at a desk and follow every word Steve had to say every time he said it.

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.”

— President Barack Obama

I am an Apple fanatic but my Apple purchases, as compared to others, are pretty limited. Way back when, my family did buy an Apple IIc, but it wasn’t until 2001 that I purchased another Apple product: a PowerBook G3. And then it was multiple PowerBook G4’s, an iPod Nano (2G), iPhone 3G and a MacBook Pro. (I am currently deciding on whether I should purchase an iPhone 4s or simply wait for the next one.) Regardless, I love Apple and most everything they have designed/created.

“Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.’ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.”

— John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, and Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

So many people have said it better than I could or will but I will still try. This man truly touched my life and I will never forget the impact he had on me. He changed the world and he changed me for the better. For some crazy and bizarre reason, I even joked that he was my father and have continued that joke until today. I saw Cars during college with some friends and when the credits thanked Steve Jobs, I yelled out, “That’s my father.” It may not get many laughs now, but it did then and I will always remember it.

Dear Steve Jobs, my father,

Thank you for creating a passion for technology and Apple that I never knew existed deep down inside me. You were an amazing man and will be sorely missed.

Sincerely, your son.

– Shane, an Apple fan and admirer

Below are photos from my local Apple store, where a very mini-memorial began to take shape. Note that I did not leave anything.

The Early Word on The Melt, FiDi’s New Grilled Cheesery

(courtesy SF Eater)

I have been curious as to what regular people (or non regular people) have thought of The Melt‘s execution and grilled cheese sandwiches. However, I have not read much until now. It seems that the response has been mixed, to say the least.

“How’s the food?” writes 7×7’s Laura Mason. “You’ll never get something as homemade-tasting at a Quizno’s or a Chipotle.” Mason, who tried the Wild Thing combo, notes that the meals “aren’t gutbombs.” The Huffington Post’s Rachel Metz found the cheese “flavorful and gooey” and the bread “somewhat crisp and airy.” Not everyone was so enamored. Chowhounder jjspinach says “The bread was more reminiscent of Wonder than Arizmendi. The tomato soup tasted almost exactly like $1.99 Trader Joe’s fare.” Chowhound’s johnq adds, “The cheese had the texture of heated Velveeta and little to no taste.” [7×7, Huff Post, Chowhound]

Regarding the interior and environmentally friendly nature of the restaurant, however, they seem to hit that out of the park.

Chain Store Age has notes on the design a la AvroKO. Furnishings are “made entirely of recycled materials, from the walls to the floors,” and all packaging is “plastic-free and independently BPI certified compostable.”” [CSA]

Naysayers Begone: 8 Things to Love About The Melt

(courtesy SF PopSugar)

In all reality though, no grilled cheese chain — with swanky, patented, 60-second melting machines or not — will ever live up to the nostalgia of what our mothers made for us when we couldn’t cook for ourselves. So let’s take that off the table. And let me remind you that you’re not at home with a tablespoon of butter at hand (where you can lazily craft your GC): you’re at New Montgomery and Mission streets and you’re 10 minutes late to a meeting. Even if you want to whip up a Mom-style grilled cheese for a work-day lunch, you can’t.

Ready to turn that frown upside down? Here are eight things that I honestly, really, truly do love about The Melt.

The article goes on to mention 8 things that it believes are positives to The Melt and The Melt experience. I will let all of you make your own decisions as to if these are reasons to bring you in or if you are still ambivalent towards the whole concepts.

Have you made it to The Melt yet? What are your thoughts? Have you heard of other people’s thoughts? I would love to hear a first hand account, please leave them in the comments below or email me at grilledcheese [at] grilledshane.com

Fancy Grilled Cheese 9 Ways

(courtes: A Beautiful Mess Blog)

Once I saw this photo, I almost had a heart attack. An amazing photo highlighting 9 different grilled cheese?! Seriously, how could that be bad? Sure, some of them I cannot eat, but still…damn. I think my favorite out of the bunch might be the Pear, Honey + Ricotta, although the Jalapeno Pepper + Colby Jack looks darn good as well. Which one is your favorite? Are you leaning towards the veggie ones or the meat ones? All around yum for sure.

Grilled Brie Sandwich with Apple and Red Onion Confit

(courtesy treehugger)

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

• 1 8 oz. Brie wheel
• Apple and onion confit
• Sandwich bread
• Butter

Apple and Red Onion Confit

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup of honey
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Seriously, how can this particular grilled cheese sandwich be bad with all of these awesome ingredients? Brie is an amazing cheese regardless of what fruit it paired with.

The Great Grilled Cheese Experiment

(courtesy AnnArbor.com)

First place in the Great Grilled Cheese Experiment: roasted eggplant with mozzarella, pesto and tomato.

I have tried to make grilled cheese sandwiches with eggplant with limited success. However, if I made the above sandwich, my succession rate would increase substantially. This definitely would have been my first place choice as well, especially when compared with the other sandwiches: Gouda, Dijon and McClure’s dill pickles (2nd place) and Fresh mozzarella and radishes (3rd place).

Grilled cheese, if you please

(courtesy Cincinnati.com)

Laura Arnold has an hour for lunch: 15 minutes to walk from her office on Fourth Street, where she works as a paralegal, to her apartment on Seventh Street, and 15 minutes back.

That leaves half an hour to make herself lunch and eat it. Grilled cheese sandwiches have been one of her favorites: a nice hot lunch that’s pretty quick to make and eat.

Arnold and her husband, David, have a blog called Cincinnati Nomerati that features posts about their food experiences and enthusiasms, which sometimes veer into obsessions.

…

So when National Grilled Cheese Month rolled around in April, she decided to go with it and make a different variation on grilled cheese every weekday for a month, take photos and post them on Twitter. “No repeats, and not changing just one little ingredient,” she said. “A whole new kind of sandwich every day.”

Throughout the month, she dedicated herself not just to finding interesting additions to bread and melted cheese, but to mastering the basics of the classic sandwich. She tried various cheeses, used different fats, dealt with the question of which side to toast first. She tried additions from strawberries (too mushy) to fried egg. She fiddled with everything except the bread.

A Grate Look

(courtesy culture cheese magazine)

My quirky interest in antique kitchen utensils, especially cheese graters, started with my love for my mother’s old square box grater with a handle that she used throughout her life. When I was a young adult, I would search out little antique shops in California for other retro graters to give to my mother, who was an artist and interior designer. After she passed away, all the utensils I had given to her suddenly became my collection. My interest became an obsession. Since then I have picked up graters (also known as shredders and slicers) in England, Scotland, France, and Canada.

Not only is the story behind these antique graters awesome, but so are the photos. Make sure click over to culture to see the remaining photos.

Parmesan-Cheddar & Scallion Buns

(courtesy Wisconsin Cheese Talk via Petite Kitchenesse)

No, this is not a typical grilled cheese sandwich but damn does it look good. Throw in some suggested Wisconsin Smoked Cheddar and I may have a mini-orgasm in my mouth. Wow, yum.

bonus content

In Debate About Food, a Monied New Player…Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?