Celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month at The Pop Shop! April is National Grilled Cheese month, and The Pop Shop is the place to celebrate! The Pop Shop serves more than 30 variations of the American classic. That means that customers at The Pop Shop can sample a month’s worth of grilled cheese sandwiches and never repeat themselves! Celebrate the gooey glory of grilled cheese with us! Here's how...   Grilled Cheese Platter of the Day - A Month of Sandwiches During National Grilled Cheese Month, The Pop Shop will feature a "Grilled Cheese of the Day” platter. The platters, which will be accompanied by a Pop fries and a beverage, will feature some new sandwiches as well as your Pop Shop favorites. CLICK HERE FOR GRILLED CHEESE CALENDAR MENU. (Offerings are subject to change.) Cheesy Poetry Contest Along with being National Grilled Cheese Month, April is also National Poetry Month. The Pop Shop loves both, so we're hosting our third annual Pop Shop Poetry Contest. We're looking for great poems, limericks or haikus about something Pop Shop related. An ode to grilled cheese would be smashing. Or how about a few verses on the joys spinning on our counter stools or a tribute to chocolate cokes. The winning bards — one child and one adult — will receive a free T-shirt and a gift certificate for a free lunch. To enter, e-mail thepopshopcafe@aol.com or mail your entry to The Pop Shop Contest, 729 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108. The deadline is April 26, 2011. Winners will be named on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Winner does not need to be present to win. Click here to read poems from our 2009 Cheesy Poetry Contest Click here to read poems from our 2010 Cheesy Poetry Contest Be Our 2011 Grilled Cheese King and Queen No swimsuit required! The Pop Shop will name a Grilled Cheese King and Queen to help celebrate National Grilled Cheese month.  The King and Queen will each receive a year's worth of grilled cheeses, a custom portrait by Lora Carr that will hang forever at The Pop Shop, and bragging rights! The new king and queen will be crowned at a ceremony at The Pop Shop on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 and must be present to win. What makes a great king or queen? Poise, a refined palate, a great sense of humor, a good does of moxie, and — of course — a love of Pop Shop grilled cheese.  To nominate yourself or a friend send an e-mail thepopshopcafe@aol.com  Tell us why this person deserves to be the 2011 King or Queen and a photo if you like. The deadline is April 26, 2011. The new king and queen will be crowned at a ceremony at The Pop Shop on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 and must be present to win. To read about our 2008 King and Queen click here To read about our 2009 King and Queen click here A Brief History of Grilled Cheese Author Laura Werlin, describes grilled cheese as America’s favorite warm and toasty sandwich but its roots reach far back into history. The earliest recipes for foods similar to grilled cheese sandwiches are found in Ancient Roman cookbooks. Modern grilled cheeses descended from these ancient recipes. The sandwich gained popularity in America in the 1920s when affordable sliced white bread and inexpensive American cheese became readily available. Recipes from that time were referred to the sandwich as “toasted cheese” rather than “grilled cheese.” The sandwich was common fare for Navy sailors during World War II. Cookbooks from that time state that navy cooks grilled up hundreds of "American cheese filling sandwiches" in ship's kitchens because it was economical, easy to make, nutritious and well-liked by the crews. In the 1940s and 50s, grilled cheeses were served open-faced and made with processed "American" cheddar cheese. They were quite popular in school cafeterias and other institutional kitchens. Even then tomato soup was the usual accompaniment. By the 1960s, the top piece of bread was added.  Grilled cheese trivia: If you are not from Collingswood you might not realize that all our grilled cheeses are named after streets of our town! The Pop Shop’s Famous Grilled Cheeses A grilled cheese sandwich is a relatively simple sandwich, usually made up of two pieces of sliced buttered bread and at least one slice of cheese in between. At The Pop Shop, simple turns into sensational with combinations of twelve kinds of cheese, eight bread bases — including Philadelphia soft pretzels —, and dozens of fillings. Our artisan breads come from Hudson Bread and are hand cut in house into thick ¾-inch slices. Soy cheese can be substituted on any sandwich. Each Pop Shop grilled cheese is named after a street in Collingswood. Our most famous grilled cheese -- The Calvert -- was featured on Throw Down with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Chef Flay came to The Pop Shop to challenge owners Stink and Connie Fisher to a grilled cheese throw down. Flay's 5'B grilled cheese and our Calvert are available every day at The Pop Shop. See pictures! Other Favorites include:  Magil – American cheese, aged Cheddar, and provolone on sourdough Haddon - Brie with caramelized apples and onions, Black Forest ham, and grain mustard on wheat. Cambridge - Cheddar, thinly sliced roast beef, and caramelized onions with horseradish butter on ciabatta. Edison – Cheddar, smoked ham, and green apples on rye Atlantic – Mozzarella, grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, and balsamic mayonnaise on focaccia. And the classic …Collings - Classic American cheese on country white. In addition to 30 grilled cheeses there e are also 6 open faced melts. Grilled cheese’s favorite accompaniment —homemade tomato soup — is always on the menu, of course, and served with Goldfish crackers.