Cheese and Thank You food truck serves up grilled cheese sandwiches with flavorful twists

Chef Austin Benz removed himself from the restaurant industry for five years, fixing hospital beds for a living instead of being creative in the kitchen.

But even though he chose to quit his role as head chef of a restaurant to take a higher-paying, more predictable position, he never stopped working towards his dream of saving up to open a food truck.

That dream has been a reality for more than a year now in the form of the Cheese and Thank You grilled cheese food truck.

“Just when people started to forget about me, I came back with a food truck,” Benz said.

Cheese and Thank You is a gourmet grilled cheese truck that travels to biergartens and breweries across the Midlands.

Benz’s dream of owning a food truck stemmed from a desire to get back to the basics — cooking. He didn’t want to manage a large team of people, but rather wanted the ability to come up with creative new dishes for his specialty menu.

Food trucks specialize in a niche food group, and when trying to think of a “fun, approachable concept” for the food truck, grilled cheese was the winner.

“Something as basic as a grilled cheese that everyone has had, we turn into something that might be familiar but not what you’ve always had,” co-chef Adam Whitehead said.

Benz spent at least three years conceptualizing Cheese and Thank You and another year searching for the best food truck to buy while he was still working his job fixing hospital beds.

Shortly after opening, Benz was able to bring Whitehead, his good friend, on as a full-time employee. Together, the two run the food truck and serve up the classic sandwiches with fun flavor twists.

But while they carry the majority of the work, they’re not alone — Benz’s wife, Callie Benz, supports them and jumps in sometimes, and his son, Cordell Benz, is now old enough to work with his father in the truck.

Cooking with his 15-year-old son was always Benz’s goal.

“The days that we’ve been able to do that make everything worth it,” Benz said. “There have probably been 10 or 15 times in this past year when I just look at my wife and I’m so happy I could cry. To see it all come to fruition.”

Each Cheese and Thank You sandwich starts with the “House Grilly” as a base. It’s a four-cheese mixture grilled on sourdough and seasoned with mayonnaise.

“We wanted to start out with an amazing grilled cheese sandwich — one that was worth the money, would fill you up, and could maybe save your butt after a couple pretty thick beers,” Benz said.

Cheese and Thank You regularly partners with the family-owned Hazelwood Brewing Company in Lexington.

“Guests absolutely love them,” Hazelwood tap room manager Eric Wolfe said. “They are incredibly creative with their grilled cheese creations, and their side item, the pickle salad, is absolutely out of this world.”

Wolfe’s favorite sandwich was the March specialty item, Hawaiian pizza grilled cheese. Their flavor creativity is what sets their grilled cheese apart from other options, Benz said.

There are six signature menu items, as well as monthly specials. April’s special is a crab Rangoon grilled cheese that “100% captures a crab rangoon in a grilled cheese,” according to Benz.

Other menu staples include a Korean bulgogi melt ribeye grilled cheese and a king veggie grilled cheese with a South African Chakalaka relish.

Each of the options are meticulously crafted to check different boxes on customers’ palettes, Benz said. But customers are sometimes weary of Cheese and Thank You’s unusual combinations before they try them.

“Some people get a little apprehensive about our sandwich (flavors) that are a little more out there, but after you talk them into trying something that’s out of their wheelhouse, they usually enjoy it,” Whitehead said.

Grilled cheese enthusiasts can find Cheese and Thank You at a variety of breweries and biergartens across the Midlands such as WECO, Hazelwood, Vino Garage, Lazy Creek, and events at the Icehouse Amphitheater and Saluda Shoals. The food truck posts its lineup monthly on its Instagram @cheesethankyou.

Working with breweries is a “beautiful partnership,” according to Benz.

“It’s a great fit because they’re able to (focus on) serving beers,” Benz said. “And (the partners) have the best rotating menu in town. One day they have Mexican food, then grilled cheese, paella — I think it really offers them a lot more opportunity to feed different crowds.”

The Cheese and Thank You food truck will be in the shop and out of commission on National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12, but Benz expects it to be up and running again in time to serve up cheesy goodness over the weekend.