By BRIDGET SCOTT
A CRANBOURNE resident and his best friend have dreams to melt the hearts of sandwich lovers near and far and they’re wish may soon become a reality.
Cranbourne West man Anthony Jean has a vision to create some of the best toasted cheese sandwiches known to man and, thanks to a new program, he and his best friend may be one step closer to his dream.
Anthony, along with friends Mark and Justine, have been named one of just 10 finalists in the Hahn JumpStart program, an initiative which is designed to encourage groups of friends with a unique idea to get together and share their passion.
When Anthony’s friend Mark heard about the program he approached the chef and friend of 25 years.
“I’ve had the idea for a while but I wanted to make it a bit more professional,” Mark said.
“He came to the party with better ingredients.”
The team of three are set to jet off to Sydney for a two-day conference with seminars and mentoring.
Anthony said he can’t wait to start the process.
“We’re extremely excited to be named a finalist for Hahn JumpStart,” he said.
“I’ve been a professional chef for over 10 years so when Mark came to me with the idea to create a toasted cheese sandwich business I was keen to lend my skills and experience to help make this dream a reality.”
Mark said the idea of a cheese toastie is a very “nostalgic meal” and when done well it can “hit a good note”.
The men said they would locate their business anywhere with plenty of traffic, whether it is a store along Flinders Street or in the heart of a local shopping centre.
The ‘Melt’ team are in the running for the first prize as well as a people’s choice award.
Mark said he has lived off cheese toasties his entire life and there would be nothing better than to create a business out of it.
“I’ve been smashing them down since I was young,” he said.
“I love anything with melted cheese.”
The winners of the competition are set to be announced on 3 December and the general public can jump on the website to have their say on who should take home a prize.
