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Farmstrong sandwich the media’s top choice in Armstrong grilled cheese competition

Eight businesses and organizations competed in the 10th annual competition
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Village Cheese’s sandwich came in third place in the Grilled Cheese Competition Friday, March 31. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

It was a day full of cheesy goodness for five members of the media who came out to judge the best grilled cheese sandwiches Armstrong has to offer.

And by the time the tour of eight Armstrong establishments was over Friday, March 31, the judges were stuffed to the gills — in the best way possible.

The five judges included Cam Luckock of Your Country News, Brian Martin and Rebecca Barton of Beach Radio, Heather Black of the Okanagan Advertiser and, for the first time, Brendan Shykora of the Vernon Morning Star.

Together, they named Farmstrong Cider Company’s ‘Farmstrong Dill-icious’ the Media’s Choice winner of the 10th annual Armstrong Professional Grilled Cheese Sandwich Competition.

True to its name, the winning sandwich featured dill butter grilled into the bread and fresh dill on top. Between two pieces of sourdough loaf from Askew’s in Armstrong, there was aged cheddar, Havarti and mozzarella (all 100 per cent Canadian), double-smoked bacon, diced pickles and pickled onions.

The Farmstrong sandwich scored an impressive 115 points out of a possible 120, beating out second place by a mere two points, which illustrates how difficult the judges’ task was in choosing the best grilled cheese.

Farmstrong earned the Media’s Choice nod in its first time taking part in the competition.

Coming in second place was the Wild Oak Café’s ‘The Mulberry’ sandwich, which featured fig jam, black pepper bacon, brie, Gouda and mozzarella cheese on rye sourdough.

In third place was the first stop on the tour, Village Cheese, which produced a mouth-watering ‘Dilicious Grilled Cheese.’ Like the Farmstrong sandwich, dill was the not-so-secret ingredient, and made for a subtle but noticeable dill flavour profile. The sandwich featured red onions and cheddar with a salami ‘flower’ on the side — a nice artistic touch.

“I thought it was really creative, the variety of ingredients was incredible, and everything was delicious,” Black said.

Black added her personal favourite was the offering by PV BLVD, the ‘BLVD Grilled Cheese,’ which featured Mediterranean flavours with feta, sundried tomatoes and local cheese on local sourdough.

“The feta just kicked it up a notch,” Black said, adding her close second was the Farmstrong sandwich.

The public now has the chance to take part and name one of the eight sandwiches the People’s Favourite. Simply go to one of the participating restaurants, order their grilled cheese sandwich and vote at the restaurant. The sandwiches are available until April 15, and ballots can be cast until April 12.

The other restuarants taking part include:

• Askew’s Bakery — “The Hold the Meat Grilled Cheese”;

• Armstrong Legion — “Legion Cheesy Melt”;

• Country Manor Kitchen — “Say Cheeze Please”;

• Frosted Tier Cakes — “Savoury Goodness”

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Brendan Shykora
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The Wild Oak Café’s sandwich was named runner-up at the Grilled Cheese Sandwich Competition, Friday, March 31. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)


Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started at the Morning Star as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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