Local Restauranteur Launches New Line of Premium Melting Cheese

A perfect compliment to comfort food classics like fries, hot dogs, beef, baked potatoes and more.

After using a specific melting cheese for menu items for 45 years, Michael’s Grill & Salad Bar of Highland Park was known for their comfort food classics topped with this delectable addition. However, in 2023 owner Ryan Gamperl noticed it just wasn’t melting as it originally had. After burning several batches, a confused Gamperl reached out to the manufacturer directly and they informed him they’d modified their recipe. Gamperl found this modification compromised his menu items, so he sought out to develop something better.

A natural problem solver, Gamperl headed to Mar’s Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Wisconsin to find a temporary solution to his melting cheese problem as the current option was not going to fly with his customers. Through Mar’s, he found a manufacturer that was willing to work with him on a recipe specific for melting. After many tweaks over several months that included adding more cheddar, trying different whey proteins, testing for creaminess and more, they found themselves serving their guests Michael’s very own premium melting cheese. Customers noted the change and were thrilled with the new recipe and often said “you should sell this so we can take this home!” Additionally, he found himself talking with other restaurants who were facing melting problems with the previous cheese and realized “ok, it’s time to share this with everyone,” thus bringing Michael’s Premium Melting Cheese to market!

“I knew I couldn’t compromise the integrity of our recipes by serving a less than perfect melting cheese,” says Gamperl. “Developing our own formulation was our only option and that’s exactly what we did. I couldn’t have imagined how quickly it would take off!”

Now, in addition to being the perfect complement to fries, burgers, beef, baked potatoes, and hot dogs at Michael’s, Michael’s Premium Melting Cheese is also delicious at home on crackers, toasted sandwiches, in noodles for a creamy, gourmet mac and cheese and more! Gamperl’s customers are buying his cheese in the restaurant (retail xxx) and reporting back to him how delicious their in-home concoctions are all thanks to his development. Additionally, local consumers will soon find Michaels’ Premium Melting Cheese on the shelves at Sunset Foods and foodservice operations can purchase through Sysco with more retailers to be announced soon!

Michael’s began as a hotdog stand in 1977, morphed into Michael’s Grill and Salad Bar and quickly became a staple in the Downtown Highland Park community. Michael’s Premium Melting Cheese launched in August 2024 and is sold to direct to consumer and at the retail level too. For more information about Michael’s visit www.eatmichaels.online.