A champion for her community and causes, Chef Crystal De Luna-Bogan embodies Natural American Goodness as a passionate proponent of utilizing quality ingredients and supporting local.
About Chef De Luna-Bogan
Crystal De Luna-Bogan is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and the creative genius behind The Grilled Cheeserie, an imaginative food truck-turned-shop in Nashville that’s famous for its simple yet delicious gourmet grilled cheese melts. Having grown up in a Mexican household, Crystal developed a knack for complex flavor profiles at a young age, but it wasn’t until culinary school, along with stints at prestigious restaurants, including The Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills and Clementine Cafe & Bakery, that she realized her passion for high-end comfort food.
Upon relocating to Nashville in 2010 with her husband Joseph, the duo began to miss aspects of the Los Angeles food scene—specifically the growing mobile dining movement—and decided to start The Grilled Cheeserie food truck. In the near decade since, The Grilled Cheeserie has expanded to three brick and mortar locations, and has been featured on popular programs such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; CNN’s Wander Musts and The Cooking Channel’s Eat St.
Amidst The Grilled Cheeserie’s rapid growth, Crystal and Joseph have remained motivated to leave as small of an ecological footprint as possible. On their mission to achieve a “zero-waste” status, they have strived to use the restaurant as a platform to educate people on the importance of knowing where their food comes from and where the waste from that food goes.
About her restaurant
The Grilled Cheeserie in Nashville, Tenn. was created by husband and wife team Joseph Bogan and Crystal De Luna-Bogan, a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, The Grilled Cheeserie is Nashville's favorite food truck turned brick & mortar restaurant with three locations throughout Middle Tennessee. They serve up gourmet grilled cheese melts and nostalgic treats featuring seasonally inspired, responsibly sourced products. They’ve transformed this classic dish into an entirely new experience by taking a fine dining approach to its preparation. Joseph and Crystal's love for their planet motivates them to use all compostable packaging to leave a small footprint as they grow. They also view their business as a platform to help educate people on the importance of knowing where your food comes from. Joseph and Crystal's hard work was rewarded when The Grilled Cheeserie was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. They were also featured on The Cooking Channel’s Eat St., voted Best Food Truck in The Nashville Scene 8 years running, and were listed #3 on Mobile-Cuisine's Top 10 Most Influential Food Trucks #7 on The Daily Meal’s 101 Best Food Trucks in America in 2015, and were honored with the 2016 Chairman's Award for Small Businesses by the Nashville Business Incubation Center.
