SOLON
- In his family, he’s considered the big cheese.
This month, Shane Kearns' book, "Melt 100 Amazing Adventures in Grilled Cheese," hits bookstores.Just in time for the holiday season, it will be available through Barnes & Noble and amazon.com, for less than $20.
Kearns' love of grilled cheese sandwiches egged him on to create an online blog, grilledshane.com in 2009.
His goal then was to push the limits of the basic sandwich by adding ingredients not traditionally included in the mix and posting his concoctions.
They varied from traditional recipes to sweet and saucy and “over the top.”
Over the past few years, his quirky blog caught on, attracting a following. In it he explored and reviewed different types of cheeses available, along with wine pairings.
Typically he spent his Sundays creating one original sandwich, taste-testing it and perfecting it, then photographing it for the blog.
His training in digital design from attending the University of Cincinnati was put to use on the project.
“At random times, I thought it might lead to an e-book, but I never thought it would be published and available in bookstores,” Kearns said.
About a year ago fame came knocking on his online door. Adams Media contacted him with a book deal.
The Solon resident, 29, was paid an advance, but Kearns soon learned fame came with a price.
View full sizeIn his Solon kitchen Shane Kearns, shows how it's done. Kearns provide this photo.The book was to have 100 recipes. He now had to measure ingredients, provide detailed recipes, and provide 30-40 book-quality photos.
But the biggest squeeze was he had only three months to invent about 75 new sandwiches not on his blog. Ten of the sandwiches in the book were created by a guest chef to include meat. Shane does not eat meat.
Kearns sandwiched his book work with his regular day job, thanks to an understanding boss. He asked the Chagrin Solon Sun not to divulge her name or the company name.
With not enough cooks in the kitchen, the book adventure became a family affair.
Shane’s mother, Sandy, gave up her kitchen as it turned into a virtual test kitchen and assembly line for sandwiches as he feverishly created six new candidates per day.
To help him save time, Sandy shopped for ingredients while Shane was at work. She also did dishes, earning her a heartfelt acknowledgment in the book.
Shane, a vegetarian, prepared nearly all of his ingredients from scratch.
Meanwhile Shane’s father, Craig, became the chief taste tester, a job he relished.
His publisher rejected some of the entries, sending Shane back to the sandwich drawing board for more ideas.
What’s more, occasionally his publisher accepted the sandwich, but rejected the photo.
This meant Shane would have to remake the sandwich in order to take another photo. Of course, that often meant another trip to the store and more prep time.
What is it about grilled cheese?
“It’s comfort food,” Shane said. “You can make it plain, or add interesting ingredients to push it over the top.”
Some of his over the top selections include a Passover sandwich with fried matzo, scrambled eggs and horseradish, and a pumpkin one with ginger snap cookies.
His 6-year-old nephew inspired him to create one using French toast. Shane called it “cookies” to get his nephew to try it. His ploy worked.
Another sandwich is gluten-free so his 3-year-old nephew with a gluten allergy can eat it.
His most memorable recipe is a dessert grilled cheese sandwich with ricotta cheese and candy canes for a holiday special. He photographed it with cute snowmen figurines, but that photo was rejected by his publisher.
He has used biscuits and even brownies in place of bread.
But, his all-time favorite is one with roasted garlic and chives paired with a sharp English cheese. Unless, of course you count the ones his grandmother made him when he was a child.
It was those plain, traditional grilled cheese sandwiches with white bread and American cheese that nourished him and provided the foundation to add more ingredients and build a better sandwich.
Meet Kearns in person at the Eaton Collection Barnes and Noble bookstore 7 p.m. Nov. 30.
See more local news at cleveland.com/solon.
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