By: Rachel Bernstein

With National Cheese Lovers Day celebrated Jan. 20 and the Green Bay Packers reaching the Super Bowl, it seemed like a good time to call Vic Corbi, owner of Grilled Cheese & Co. in Catonsville.

I made the mistake of doing this Q&A before lunch time, and now I’m insanely hungry for grilled cheese sandwiches.

The restaurant’s only been open for 9 months, and Corbi’s already has another store opening in the works. (Stay tuned for that news later.)

We talked about the most popular grilled cheese special in Baltimore, and what are some of the most interesting ways you can even redo the original favorite.

TDR: How many grilled cheese sandwiches have you sold since opening last April?

Corbi: Too many to count. I don’t have the exact number in my head, but it’s been many, many sandwiches.

TDR: Have you altered the menu since opening?

Corbi: It’s been the same. We run a special every three weeks, roughly. We do a new sandwich to keep something fresh and new on the menu. But we also rotate different soup specials. We’ll just make a large batch of soup and it could last a few days or about a week.

TDR: What’s the most popular grilled cheese sandwich you offer?

Corbi: The crabby melt is by far the most popular sandwich. Being right here in Crabland, I guess for obvious reasons. It’s the most fabulous sandwich we sell.

TDR: Any runners up?

Corbi: The BCT is the second most popular, followed by the original. The BCT is bacon, cheddar and tomato. Those are three sandwiches we sell at all the festivals we go to every year.

TDR: What’s your personal favorite?

Corbi: The crabby melt.

TDR: What’s been the most innovative sandwich you’ve created?

Corbi: The sweetest thing. It’s a dessert grilled cheese. It’s marscapone cheese with raspberry on it, and then topped with chocolate chips and brie. We also have fun with a lot of the specials. We did a version of the Greek giro sandwich that was extremely popular, and we did a sandwiched called “The Wing In It,” a buffalo grilled cheese. Just twists on other popular foods. Right now we have a sandwich running called the Rancher. It’s got grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar, and we top it with a ranch dressing.

TDR: Anything interesting coming up soon?

Cordi: I think our next special we’re going to roll out will be around lent. We’re going to do a tuna melt since not everyone will do the chicken or beef. It’s something everybody’s familiar with, so it should sell pretty well.

TDR: Are you going to show up at more festivals?

Corbi: We’re going to continue to do how we started the business, which is by going to festivals. More of the festivals are next season, typically in April and May. We’re going to as many beer and wine festivals. And we’ll add more like Hon Fest.