By: Kristin Martin & Taylor Summers
Meet Andrew Bartucci, a junior DePauw student on a mission to provide delicious late night grilled cheese sandwiches at everyone’s convenience. He recently started Cheesin’ this year and it has only gone up from there! If you have a chance to stop by on a Wednesday night, you will sure be glad you did. When Andrew is not making students a tasty late night snack, he works on his double major in Political Science and Classical Civilization. He is also a brother of Beta Theta Pi, a First Year Mentor, and a College Mentor for Kids.
Her Campus: So Andrew tell us a little bit about what Cheesin’ is?
Andrew Bartucci: Cheesin’ is a gourmet grilled cheese cart. We are open on Wednesday Nights, and we are also doing catering for various campus organizations as well.
HC: This is probably a tough business to run by yourself. Who helps you keep Cheesin’ up and running?
AB: Adam Folta was a big part of getting Cheesin’ started and he also in charge of Pizza Dude. Susie Schmank and Jane Pera are the employees of Cheesin’ who are a huge help to making it a success.
HC: What inspired you to start Cheesin’?
AB: I recently realized this summer that I really wanted to become an entrepreneur but the idea of Cheesin’ really started when I was helping Adam roll dough sophomore year. We were joking around about a Grilled Cheese Cart called Grilled Cheese Dude and I guess that has become Cheesin’ now.
HC: Is is difficult juggling both a business and your schoolwork?
AB: It can be tough at times, but I always have enough help and support to get through the week.
HC: What was the biggest challenge you faced when getting started?
AB: When you start your first business, you usually do a lot of things wrong the first time you try it. I estimate it probably took us at least two tries on everything before we did it right. You really have to battle and dig deep before anything substantial can get accomplished.
HC: What advice would you give students who are interested in starting a business on campus?
AB: My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is expect the unexpected. Nothing should go as planned, but thats alright. If you really want to do something, just go for it. The first steps are the hardest parts and once you have the routine down hopefully nothing can stop you.
HC: What has been your biggest reward from Cheesin’ so far?
AB: The best reward is when people enjoy the food I am making. It gives me hope that this idea can turn into a staple of DePauw late night food.
HC: Do you expect Cheesin’ to continue after your time at DePauw is over?
AB: I really hope Cheesin’ will continue after my time at DePauw. I think theres a lot of potential for it to grow into something special. But for now, its going to take a lot of hard work and late nights.
HC: Did you ever imagine doing something like this when you first came to DePauw?
AB: I never imagined myself doing something like this freshman year, but I guess that is the beauty of DePauw. It gives you room to grow and find stuff that you really want to do.
Be sure to check out Cheesin’s latest specials and updates at @Cheesin_DPU.