Tom & Chee first appeared outside the ice rink on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati a decade ago. It was then, underneath a tiny food tent, that the very first griddles sizzled with every flip of a grilled cheese sandwich and the very first helpings of steaming tomato soup were ladled into the bowls of hungry ice skaters.
It was also then, in the final days of 2009, that Tom & Chee rewired the collective national consciousness with the debut of arguably the most quintessentially American culinary experience ever: the grilled cheese donut.
With a center of melty cheddar cheese sandwiched between two golden-brown donuts, it had the makings of a bona fide Instagram sensation, pre-Instagram.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Tom & Chee will celebrate turning double digits with a return to Fountain Square and a literal holiday: Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus will mark the occasion by declaring Dec. 3, 2019 “Tom & Chee Day” in Hamilton County. (How’s that for a birthday present?)
The Fountain Square pop-up will feature classic Tom & Chee favorites “at throwback prices,” according to a release. Offerings will include the original grilled cheese, tomato soup, BBQ bacon melts and grilled cheese donuts served up by CEO and president Roger David and founders Corey Ward and Jenny Rachford, plus a birthday cake-filled donut topped with a crown of whipped cream cheese and sprinkles. There will also be swag and giveaways at every Cincinnati location.
Since its beginnings as a humble tent, Tom & Chee has expanded into four brick-and-mortars across Greater Cincinnati (with a fifth location coming soon to Anderson) and has been franchised out as far as Georgia, Oklahoma and Colorado. The restaurant has been featured on ABC’s Shark Tank and The Chew as well as The Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food Nation and Amazing Eats. The TODAY Show even once named their grilled cheese donut as one of the “Best Sandwiches in America.”
Get there early — the first 100 customers will get a free birthday cake grilled donut.
Noon-2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St. Downtown, tomandchee.com.
