There are a few concepts in the food truck world that will always be a hard sell, and grilled cheese is definitely toward the top of that list. But this didn’t deter Michael Jacober from opening Morris Grilled Cheese, named after his Russian great-grandfather, at the end of June 2011. He first got the idea for starting a truck after he finished touring with his band, Fang Island, in late 2010. He originally wanted to serve up pasta, but surprisingly enough, that quickly appeared to be too complicated. Michael’s previous careers at upscale restaurants in Paris and New York, including Per Se, Insieme, and Franny’s, gave him superb kitchen skills and means that anything he was going to be cooking on his food truck would have to be of the utmost quality—soggy pasta just wouldn’t do. His second choice after pasta ended up being grilled cheese—unbeknownst to him at the time that Morris would be the third gourmet grilled cheese truck in a row to open to the skeptical critics known as New Yorkers.
From the very beginning, Michael definitely wanted Morris Grilled Cheese to be “all about the food.” During his time working under famed chef Marco Canora at Insieme, Michael received his “prime culinary education,” learning valuable lessons on “cooking, seasoning, and tasting.” His days at the seasonally driven Franny’s—as well as having a girlfriend who’s worked as a farmer at both the Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, New York, and the Queens County Farm—taught him the interesting flavors and value of using local sustainable produce. With these influences in mind, Michael set about preparing his truck and menu for opening.
Their first day open was June 30 on Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where they “hid on the corner and did $70. “They’ve come a long way since then, even developing a slight cult following. Visit the truck during its days in Murray Hill or Midtown, and expect to hear praise from office workers who can’t seem to believe they’re buying fancy grilled cheese off a truck. The rotating seasonal menu has to nearly constantly be explained to new customers and regulars alike, but to Michael and his executive chef, Chris Austin, that simply means “we’re teaching people about food.” Even their best-selling classic grilled cheese sandwich is differentiated by using a mixture of New York cheddar and New Hampshire Landaff. One can expect everything from pastrami to pickled rhubarb to show up in one of their sandwiches, but Michael adds, “We try to balance every sandwich.” Almost all of the ingredients are grown and produced locally, with Michael and Chris making frequent visits to the Union Square and Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets. Even the duck fat available to have your sandwich grilled in is from the Hudson Valley. This loyalty to local sustainable food eventually led them to become the first food truck to be awarded Slow Food NYC’s “Snail of Approval,” an exclusive award for quality, authenticity, and sustainability. But the success hasn’t gone to their head. The truck still has touches from its early days, including the stick-on vinyl lettering originally used to display their name. Even the addition of an official menu board prompted them to realize “we’re becoming more and more like a real food truck.” A really, really delicious food truck.
“Our philosophy is using really great ingredients and making really great food that’s accessible to the public.”
Adapted from Michael Jacober’s recipe
2½ ounces Gruyère, shredded
2 slices sourdough bread, both buttered
3 thin slices pastrami
3 ounces papas fritas (page 178)
1½ tablespoons chimichurri (page 178)
Spread the Gruyère on one slice of buttered bread. Place the pastrami atop the shredded cheese, then lay out papas fritas over the pastrami until they cover the sandwich. Spread the chimichurri on the second slice, and lay it on top of the other piece of bread.
Grill the sandwich in a flat pan over medium-high heat until the cheese has melted evenly, about 5 minutes.
Adapted from Michael Jacober’s recipe
Papas Fritas, or fried potatoes, aren’t usually fried in duck fat, but then again, this isn’t your usual grilled cheese either. Michael recommends using Russian Banana Fingerlings, but it can be switched up with Russets or new potatoes.
½ tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon duck fat
1 pounds potatoes, sliced 
-inch thick rounds
½ onion
Heat the butter and duck fat in a skillet until the duck fat has melted into the butter. Add the potatoes and cook until they are golden brown. When the potatoes are almost fully cooked through, add the onion into the skillet and toss to incorporate thoroughly.
Set aside to cool.
Adapted from Michael Jacober’s recipe
Chimichurri is a Latin American sauce typically used on cooked meats. Michael’s use on a grilled cheese, one with pastrami nonetheless, is a truly unique take, and a tasty one.
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ shallot, peeled
½ jalapeño
1 cup fresh cilantro
½ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh oregano
cup extra-virgin olive oil
Cumin and dried chiles, to taste
Add ingredients to a food processor, and pulse until you have a smooth consistency. Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
•Ideal cooking temperature is 490°F on a panini press.
•Best cooking fat is liquid clarified butter (ghee). Use a pastry brush to spread evenly on both sides of bread.
•Duck fat adds a nice meatiness and an extra crisp to the bread.
•Olive oil is better if cooking in a pan because of the higher smoke point.
•When cutting the sandwich, allow it to set for 30 seconds after cooking in order to better preserve the cheese inside.
•For a crispier bread, try ciabatta or focaccia. Multigrain tends to burn quicker. The ideal bread for flavor is sourdough. Pullman has a tendency to become soggy the fastest due to the moisture content of the bread.
•If the pan is too hot and the bread cooks faster then the cheese, put the sandwiches on a cookie sheet in an oven set to a low temperature (250°F) watching closely until the cheese has melted. This also works well when trying to cook several sandwiches at the same time: “set” the bread at a higher heat, set each sandwich aside, and then place them all in the oven together to melt the cheese.
•It’s important to think about having an acidic component to help balance the fattiness of the cheese. The best ways to achieve this are with pickles, tomatoes, and fresh lemon juice.
•A nice touch is to rub the outside of the cooked sandwich with garlic to give it a deeper flavor.
•Consider the melting point of the cheese you use when cooking the sandwich. Harder cheeses tend to melt slower, so reduce your cooking temperature to avoid burning the bread.
