Heywood Gourmet Grilled Cheese Dishes Up One of PETA’s Top Five Grilled ‘Cheese’ Sandwiches

Vegan Options Soaring at Hot Spots Across the Country

For Immediate Release:
April 2, 2015

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Just in time for National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12, PETA’s “official” tasters are releasing their picks for the Top Five Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Los Angeles’ Heywood Gourmet Grilled Cheese beat out a throng of competitors to take home fourth place for its sandwich Bill Clinton’s Epiphany, which is served on delicious multigrain bread and topped with vegan cheddar, roasted red peppers, and avocado.

“It’s easy to see why Bill Clinton’s Epiphany is worthy of being named after our 42^nd president, with its mouthwatering mix of flavors,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “With animal-friendly cheeses easier than ever to find across the country, PETA encourages everyone to trade dairy cheese in for a cheesy vegan treat.”

As documented by PETA, whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” cows exploited for their milk are genetically manipulated to produce up to 10 times the amount of milk that they naturally would and are mutilated, often without receiving any painkillers.

Top honors went to Strange Matter in Richmond, Virginia, for its sandwich The Revenge, which features vegan ham, jackfruit, and vegan Field Roast between two vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. Taking second place is the Vegan Grilled Cheese, courtesy of Ballyhoo’s Historic Seafood Grille in Key Largo, Florida, which contains house-made coconut-milk cheddar. Nabbing third place is the sautéed mushroom and grilled onion–layered Pesto Grilled Cheese at Plum Bistro in Seattle, and in fifth place is the vegan-upon-request Parmageddon at Cleveland’s Melt Bar & Grilled, which features potato and onion pierogi, sautéed onions, vegan cheddar, and fresh napa vodka kraut.

Each restaurant will receive a framed certificate. For more information, please visit PETA.org.