NORM AITKEN’S BEST EVER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

On Sunday, when Ottawa chef Norm Aitken of Empire restaurant competes against three other chefs from across Canada to see who can be the quickest to grill 250 sandwiches, he’ll be using bread from Toronto’s Stonemill Bakehouse, butter from Stirling Creamery in Stirling, Ont., and, cheeses from Empire. If you’re among the first 1,000 people to arrive, you’ll get a sandwich for free. Here, he shares his tips for making a great grilled cheese sandwich at home. Makes: 1 sandwich Preparation time: 15 minutes

2 slices grainy bread Sliced or grated cheese (Aitken advises: “Loads of cheese!”) Surprises: Aitken says you can make a grilled cheese special by adding extra favourite ingredients, such as guacamole, crispy bacon, sautéed mushrooms or roasted red peppers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

2. Build the sandwich with a layer of cheese, then a surprise, followed by another layer of cheese.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until cheese melts, then place under broiler to brown the bread (1-2 minutes). Flip the sandwich to brown the other side of the bread under the broiler, then slice and serve.