Maker And Monger’s Chef Toastie Series Is Returning With This Korean Twist On A Vegemite Sando

Prahran’s specialty cheese shop Maker & Monger—which dispenses Melbourne’s best cheese toasties—is adding to its menu for September some seriously impressive sangas for its annual chef-led toastie series.

Charmingly named Friends of Fromage, Maker and Monger has been rolling out this limited toastie menu every year, each better than the last. Normally we see Maker and Monger’s owner and head cheesemonger Anthony Femia stepping up to the grill, but this year sees five stellar Melbourne chefs bringing their own renditions to the table.

The talent behind these creations is near unmatched. Hot on the heels of award season—although this series was well in the works prior—Maker and Monger has got everyone from MFW’s Local Hero Trailblazer winners Chayse and Blayne Bertoncello (O.My) and Gourmet Traveller’s Best New Talent winner Mischa Tropp (Toddy Shop) to the bona fide leader in Melbourne’s vegan scene Shannon Martinez (Smith + Daughters). 

Running every weekend during September with limited quantities available each day, here’s what you can expect from Maker and Monger’s Friends of Fromage 2024:

Image credit: Maker & Monger | Jana Langhorst

Mischa Tropp’s The Mischa

Saturday 31 August & Sunday 1 September

Freshly minted Best New Talent by Gourmet Traveller, Mischa Tropp describes his toastie as “kind of like the best veg sandwich you’ve ever eaten”. Think potato, capsicum, beetroot, chaat masala, green chutney, and a decent hunk of cheese between two slices of bread before thrown on the sandwich press to become a toastie.

Rosheen Kaul’s The Rosheen

Saturday 7 September & Sunday 8 September

A jack of all trades and master of all, Rosheen Kaul is whipping up a tuna sambal melt for Friends of Fromage. “Spicy yum” as Kaul perfectly puts it, The Rosheen is an extra special toastie, not just because it’s her first appearance in Maker and Monger’s toastie series, but the recipe has been plucked from the pages of an exciting new project of hers.

Shannon Martinez’s The Shannon

Saturday 14 September & Sunday 15 September

Shannon Martinez is a true Friends of Fromage legend, having linked up with Anthony Femia a number of times to bring a vegan flair to the series. This year, she’s doing her toastie a little differently—and by differently, we mean not a toastie at all. “Basically I’m giving you a big bowl of cheese dip,” which translates to a hot queso in a cob loaf, served with blue corn chips.

Chase & Blayne Bertoncello’s The O.My

Saturday 21 September & Sunday 22 September

If you’ve been to O.My in Beaconsfield, you’ll be familiar with the Bertoncello brothers’ signature Jerusalem Artichoke dish that’s been a menu mainstay for over a decade. It’s where the whole artichoke is used in a zero-waste approach. Every bit is either pickled, fried, or made into a puree. Their toastie for Friends of Fromage is no different, other than the addition of comté cheese to bring it all together. As Blayne would say, “It’s good between bread.”

Jung Eun Chae’s The Chae

Saturday 28 September & Sunday 29 September

Last but certainly not least, Jung Eun Chae of Chae in Cockatoo is making her Friends of Fromage debut this year, pouring her two hatted 16+ years experience into The Chae—a Korean take on a Vegemite cheese toastie. Just like the restaurant, the ingredients for The Chae are made from scratch with the hero being doenjang—traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. Thrown in with cashew butter, sesame oil, fermented fruit, Hafod cheddar, and Comté Réservation between two slices of bread. It’s Chae Restaurant in one bite.