Crystal 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.