When Josh Caffey was growing up, he ate a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches.
“We didn’t have lots of money,” he explains, “so we had it as a staple. We loved grilled cheese, but it gets old having the same sandwich every night. So we invented ways of having fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. Now everyone’s in on that act … but we were there first.”
Caffey spent his early career in software development, but just last year his finances reached a perilous crossroads. Desperate, he prayed for guidance says he felt like he was being called to the food industry. He found a food trailer and fell back on his childhood standby.
“God sent me that way,” he says. “All I had was an idea and a vision, and a month later I was selling sandwiches at the Tulsa State Fair.”
His truck was one of the fair’s big sellers, and now he has a restaurant: Eiffel Tower Grilled Cheese Co.
The food is miraculously good. Just take a bite and it explodes in a happy blend of primal flavors.
In the chicken bacon ranch, the meaty bacon taste dominates, with an undertone of sweet ranch dressing. The Hawaiian beef features slow-cooked beef, a lot like pulled pork, and a tangy blend of Dijon mustard and mustard seeds. Both of those sandwiches have some Swiss cheese in the mix in order to maintain the restaurant’s concept. Cheesier alternatives include the American, with Swiss, cheddar and Monterey Jack. There’s also one called BAE which features bacon, avocado and eggs with a hint of cheese too. Every sandwich is made to order, and in a few weeks they’ll be baking their own bread. Don’t forget to try the deep fried apple pie, a fantastic fair food treat made to order and topped with cinnamon caramel syrup and whipped cream.
“Everyone loves it!” one of the line cooks gushed. “We have regulars who come in all the time.” Their most devoted fan, however, is Caffey himself.
“I’ve eaten nothing but these sandwiches for the past eight months,” he says.
