David Matthews is a documentary film maker and works as producer of online media content at Complex Network, mainly the award-winning show Sneaker Shopping.
To understand the real New York, you've got to understand the chopped cheese. So, what exactly is a chopped cheese? On the surface, that would seem simple. The bodega specialty gets its name from the "chopping" of hamburger patties, which occurs on the griddles in delis throughout Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Harlem. The minced meat is covered in cheese, slipped into a roll or hero, and dressed with standard-issue condiments. But when we began to peel back the layers and ask questions about its origin story, how it became so popular, and why it's so difficult to find one in lower Manhattan, we were introduced to a much deeper tale fueled by borough rivalries, hip-hop mythology, and hard-to-swallow truths, giving us a more meaningful glimpse into what makes this city tick.
