The Big Cheese
(photo by Steven Fairfield Photography)
Aaron Milberger has a long standing passion for cooking and hosting. It started decades ago in his college years where he took on his first job in a kitchen of a local burger restaurant. It was there that he first felt the spark to own his own restaurant.
His professional career took him a different path into the world of healthcare software. Although he was stuck behind the keyboard during the day, he continued to pursue his interest in further developing culinary skills, practice other cuisines, and forming his cooking principles.
He moved to Maine in 2009 where he was introduced to the vibrant and busy food scene of Portland. The city, the breweries, the chefs, and the friends he met over the years resparked the interest. After 15 years of working in the corporate world, he left his career to chase his dream and to connect with his community.
Aaron was going to build a food truck business, but he didn't know what type of food to carry. He wanted to provide a service that promoted local business, allowed for creativity, and would turn out the same quality food found in conventional restaurants.
After years of weighing different cuisines Aaron settled on grilled cheese. It offered a lot of opportunity for creativity, and the use of local ingredients, however, it also presented a challenge. It would need to stand apart and overcome the preconceptions of the boring, old American grilled cheese.
The solution came through the principles he adopted over the years:
Make it your own
Make it yourself
Make it fresh
Don't shy away from collaboration
In 2020, Cheese The Day was formed and the food trailer was put into service. Since then, it has been all over Southern Maine serving up grilled cheese at concerts, weddings, community events, and more!
