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Melt Hunger with National Grilled Cheese Day Specials

Duke Dining marks food holiday April 12

Students, faculty and staff can dine on a variety of grilled cheese options this Friday.
Students, faculty and staff can dine on a variety of grilled cheese options this Friday.
By Bryan Roth

As part of an ongoing series of events each month, Duke Dining will celebrate a food-related holiday by offering special meals in the Great Hall and Marketplace dining halls. This Friday, it's National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. It follows on the heels of celebrations like Pancake Week and Cherry Pie Day.

"It gives students, faculty and staff something extra to look forward to," said Kirsten Marinko, marketing manager for Duke Dining. "The accompanying educational component breeds interest, too."

As part of Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, students and employees will play "Big Cheese" at the Marketplace from 5 to 9 p.m. and build their own sandwich from a variety of breads, meats and cheeses like provolone, cheddar, Swiss, Havarti and pimento. There will also be spreads that include Boursin and truffled mayonnaise.

At Great Hall, a grilled pear and brie sandwich and a roasted asparagus with fried egg, provolone and parmesan cheese will be available for lunch, as well as a bacon, tomato, and American cheese on rye sandwich for dinner. Grilled cheese specials will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.

Students, faculty and staff looking to milk Duke Dining's efforts can also look forward to future food holiday celebrations at the Great Hall and Marketplace. Upcoming events include April 23's "Picnic Day" (fried chicken, barbecue, hush puppies and more) and National Pretzel Day on April 26, which will offer at the Marketplace soft pretzel buffets with dipping sauces like honey mustard, cheese, Nutella peanut sauce, chili and a cinnamon/sugar mix. The Great Hall will also offer pretzel specials.

In addition to celebrating food holidays, Duke Dining has started a monthly program called "Chef's Chatter," where Great Hall and Marketplace chefs will be available during dinner hours to answer questions from the Duke community and provide dietary information. The next series will be held April 16 starting at 5 p.m. at both locations as chefs talk about mushrooms.