I am slowly starting to get it. Yakima marches to the beat of it’s own drum – and I like it.

I mean it’s Fry Sauce. Not Thousand Island (I know there is a subtle difference). It’s not soda, it’s “Pop”. 

Now comes the Cheese Zombie? My confusion was at an all time high here. I blame California.

A co-worker brought it up recently. He said he had some Cheese Zombies over the weekend and it was fabulous. Wait, Cheese Zombie on the weekend? I had so many questions.

Is this a Walking Dead thing?!? What’s a Cheese Zombie? Is this a secret society thing? Is there a special handshake? And what does a Zombie social event look like?

Turns out, Cheese Zombies started in the 50’s, right here in the Yakima Valley.

The story goes that one of the school district’s received a bunch of cheese. I mean, A BUNCH OF CHEESE. Since necessity is the Mother of Invention, a school official didn't want it to go to waste, so he invented a new school menu item – The Cheese Zombie.

You have to understand, Zombie movies were all the rage in the 50’s. That is part of the inspiration in naming the "Cheese Zombie".

It was a hit. Kids love cheese. Now, in 2020, the dough and excess cheese and butter make it more of a treat than a regular food item.

The Cheese Zombie is basically an epic grilled cheese cake with layers of cheese baked with fresh dough.

The dough is more pizza than sandwich type bread. They are easy to make, easy to snack on and taste awesome!

Yakima Valley school districts still make them. You may have enjoyed one then. If you are jonsin’ for one, you can get your Zombie thrill from a number of stores, bakeries and even at Applebee’s in it's birthplace of Yakima.

You will be hearing more about Cheese Zombies as we get closer to Halloween because how many times is the word “Zombie” synonymous with food? Not many. So we will take advantage of that.

So please, be patient with me. I am learning the ways and language of Yakima. My assimilation here is a work in progress.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, my Cheese Zombie is getting cold.


All My Best,

The JimShow