Downtown Sudbury getting grilled...cheese
Melody Coulas wanted to create a business based around her favourite comfort food
All one Sudbury student needs for a good summer is bread, meat and cheese.
Melody Coulas is the owner of Grill'd Cheese 2 Pls, Sudbury's newest food cart. The École secondaire du Sacré-Cœur student wanted to create a stand for her signature comfort food.
"At our house, we always liked grilled cheeses, and I thought I may as well turn it into a business," she says.
Customers can BYOGC — Build Your Own Grilled Cheese — from three different types of breads, cheeses and meats. Coulas travels around Sudbury, hitting up the local farmers markets and downtown lunch crowds.
She says she wanted to start up last summer, but found that starting a business involves more layers than her sandwiches.
"You have to get a bylaw permit, health inspection, fire inspection," says Coulas.
"I felt really stressed out. The summer is nearly over and we just started last week. I wish I would have started eariler."
Family helps deliver cheesy fix
But the business is coming together with the help of her family, and a $1,500 grant from the province's Summer Company Program.
"It's hectic and stressful, but my mom works for me and so does my brother," says Coulas.
"He deals with the money and I just make the sandwiches, which is really helpful."
Coulas says she'd like to continue the cart business when school starts this fall. She says her hours might shift, but people in Sudbury can rely on her for their cheesy fix.
"Maybe I'll just be doing the market, then I'll re-start next summer," she says.
Coulas's tips for that perfect grilled cheese
- Put the meat on the grill first — it takes the longest to heat up.
- Slap your bread on the grill and wait until heated.
- Layer your cheese and watch that melt.
- Time for the meat.
- You thought you were done with the cheese, right? Wrong. Add another layer so the bread sticks.
- Top it off with your other slice of bread.
- Cover on the grill and let that bad boy cook.
"The perfect grilled cheese sandwich is made with patience," says Coulas. "Put care into it and don't do it too quickly."
with files from Casey Stranges