There’s a new food truck in Coastal Virginia, and owner Mike McMurphy isn’t shy about hitting you with the ooey-gooey good stuff. It says so right in the name.
Cheese It Up food truck—easy to spot with its bright blue paint job complete with a yellow melted cheese top—debuted in early February with stops around Virginia Beach including Pleasure House Brewing and the Oceana Navy Exchange.
On a recent blustery day, their Traditional grilled cheese with Parmesan crust, sharp yellow and white cheddar, smoked Gouda and Fontina on a choice of rye, marble white, sourdough or brioche ($8) was a cozy blanket for your insides, especially with a side of their daily special Sausage and Potato Soup ($4 cup, $6 bowl).
The Southern Classic grilled cheese ($10) is an explosion of warm, spicy housemade pimento cheese accented by a vine-ripe tomato on marble rye and well paired with their menu staple Smoked Tomato Bisque ($4 cup, $6 bowl).
McMurphy is a Virginia Beach native, Kempsville High School graduate and Army veteran (Rangers and 82nd Airborne). He trained in the culinary arts through an apprenticeship at Colonial Williamsburg and graduated from Johnson & Wales in 2000.
“The food truck is an example of my tastes and my look on modern Southern and Mid-Atlantic cuisine,” McMurphy says. “We will be rotating menus every season and running weekly specials on soup, sandwiches and mac-n-cheese.”
After all, what would a cheese-themed food truck be without a little mac? Their 3-Cheese Mac N Cheese ($6) boasts a triple threat of cheddar, Fontina and Gouda, while their Dirty Mac ($9.50) takes it over the top with the addition of pulled pork and house barbecue sauce.
Other regular sandwich choices include the Tailgater ($12) with pulled pork, sharp cheddar, pickle slices and house barbecue on sourdough and the Caprese ($10) with sliced mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, caramelized onion and tomato jam, basil and vine-ripe tomato on rye.
Check out Cheese It Up and find their weekly location schedule and menus on Facebook and Instagram.
Leona Baker
Leona Baker is the Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine, a writer, creative, communications professional, food freak, news junkie, nature and travel lover and mom. She holds a degree in English from James Madison University and a degree in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She previously served as Senior Copywriter for Spark 451, Director of Marketing & Communications at Virginia Wesleyan University, and Senior Editor of Port Folio Weekly.
