By Teri Bayus

Comfort food produces a physical happiness that affects our physiology. Studies have turned up evidence that the comfort foods we crave are actually artifacts from our pasts.
We all have memories of happier times, and by eating foods that remind us of those times, we symbolically consume that past happiness. Nothing is more comforting than a grilled cheese sandwich — that little bastion of love your Mom prepared, cut the crust off, and sliced into triangles.
Now as a grown up, I crave these jewels of cheese and bread grilled to perfection when I am sick or down. Enter my “Hallelujah” moment, when a food truck roared past the Tolosa Press headquarters with the name, “Grilled Cheese Incident.”
Even more joyful, I found that the chef is one of my favorites, Mike McGourty. Mike had worked for years at the Cracked Crab, turning me on to some amazing seafood concoctions.
He left the pot and leapt into the pan opening and operating the Grilled Cheese Incident with his lovely bride, Annie Lynch, helping out and running the register when needed.
Mike made five different sandwiches for me to try, each a sample of the simple and delicious creativity of the perfect sando.
He first explained that the secret to the perfect grilled cheese sandwich is the bread. His is baked daily from Brian’s Bread and he has French, Sourdough, and Caraway rye. It is sliced thin, but dense enough to hold the creamy insides intact.
My editor had been talking about The Hangover, which had started my lusting after this food truck and was not disappointed about this ridiculously good mixture. Cheddar and Muenster cheese with shredded potatoes, roasted poblano chilies with bacon jam and a fried egg was the elements. Ecstasy was how I described the taste.
On to “The Incident.” This one has sharp cheddar and gouda cheese with slow cooked pulled pork, caramelized onions with his own unique barbecue sauce served on Brian’s Sourdough bread. The savoriness of the pork and the tartness of the cheeses made me want to try some more.
Next was the Quintessential California with Havarti and Jack cheese, smoked applewood bacon, sliced tomato and avocado on a cracked wheat bread. It held up to its name representing the most perfect example of quality.
We moved on to the Tavern Popper, a twist on the popular jalapeño poppers that you’d find in most bar food menus. This one was served on French bread with melted-to-perfection Jack and cream cheese laced with fire-roasted jalapeños. It was dipped into a sweet chili Mae Ploy sauce that brought the sweet and hot flavors exploding.
My last one was most unusual, and my favorite. The Dragon has English mustard and ale and sharp cheddar with smoked applewood bacon, balsamic onion jam, and sliced apples. Sweet, hot, cold and savory. It was an impeccable sandwich.
You can build your own using any of the above items and Mike is there making or supervising every plate. They also serve Basil tomato soup, chips, soda and water. You can find where they will be parked on their Facebook page or this schedule: Monday’s at Bang The Drum, Thursday at Central Coast Brewing, Friday at Tapit and Saturday and Sunday at local wine and lifestyle special events. As Mike likes to say, “Stay cheesy my friends.”
The Grilled Cheese Incident is San Luis Obispo County’s newest food truck featuring gourmet grilled cheese on local artisan bread. Look for them on the road or follow them on Facebook for specific times, places and specials at: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grilled-Cheese-Incident.

Teri Bayus can be reached at: or follow my writing and ramblings at: www.teribayus.com. Bayus also hosts Taste Buds, a moving picture rendition of her reviews shown on Charter Ch. 10. Dinner and a Movie is a regular feature of Tolosa Press.