PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC (WBTW) It was a simple slip of the tongue that gave this iconic South Carolina staple its name. A neighbor called the pimento cheese, Palmetto Cheese and the name stuck.
Now the Pawleys Island location that helped the brand take off is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
“Sea View Inn is in our blood,” owner Brian Henry said.
The rocking chairs gaze out at a picturesque view guests have enjoyed now for eight decades. The stories from this porch and these rooms include that product known well in South Carolina and across the country
“I think it’s humbling how it started locally here in a seafood store. Stuck 12 containers in the ice next to the mullett,” Henry said of the beginning of Palmetto Cheese.
It was at Sea View that the distinct taste became main stream. Guests enjoyed it as part of the Sea Views traditional weekly cookout
“It was kind of like lost picnic food for a while,” Palmetto Cheese recipe creator Sassy Henry said. “All you could buy at the grocery store was something that doesn’t really resemble Pimento Cheese.”
Sassy however had been perfecting the recipe in the years before.
“I made it for Brian we were dating,” Sassy said.
A lot of pressure for the man she said she was trying to woo.
action was it was excellent, she’s always been a great cook,” Brian said.
A good answer from the man who would become her husband. Sassy’s version took off as they served it to friends at tail gates before moving to Pawleys, taking over Sea View.
Another fun fact about the product is on the top of every container. The woman on the lid is Vertrella Brown. She’s a family friend of the Henry’s and the cook at the Sea View Inn that helped make the recipe for the guest.
“It’s blown our minds that not only is it popular but people are almost fanatical about it,” Brian said of Palmetto Cheese.
As proof of that, a woman sitting on the porch nearby actually interrupted the interview to tell us how she always tells people at the store they have to try Palmetto Cheese.
The couple says their customers are their best sales people. Comment after comment flood their social media. Words like delicious, best ever and even doubters now convinced otherwise.
“It’s made in South Carolina which was really important to us,” Sassy said.
The couple says people ask them all the time when they are going to sell the company. They say they’re just having too much fun right now to think about that.
Brian and Sassy are not originally from the Palmetto State but they both say after spending so much time here, they consider themselves South Carolinians.
Sassy says her favorite thing to put Palmetto Cheese on is Ritz Crackers, while Brian says he loves it on a hamburger or with grits.
Palmetto Cheese is a trademark for a brand of pimento cheese from Pawleys Island Specialty Foods, a division of Get Carried Away, based in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. It is manufactured and packaged at Duke Sandwich Productions located in Easley, South Carolina.
According to Serious Eats, back in the 1870s, New York farmers started making soft, unripened cheese that eventually evolved into cream cheese. Around the same time, Spain began sending canned red peppers or "pimiento" over to the United States.
Costco reportedly pulls Palmetto Cheese after founder calls Black Lives Matter a 'terror organization' Costco has reportedly removed Palmetto Cheese from store shelves after the owner of the pimento cheese brand called Black Lives Matter a "terror organization."
“Vertrella Brown began producing batches of Sassy's recipe in 2003 for delighted guests at Sea View Inn,” according to the company's website. “And her image personifies the soulful flavor that is embodied in this unique, southern recipe of pimento cheese. And this is why we refer to it as 'The Pimento Cheese with Soul.
It's believed that the pimento, arguably the most popular olive stuffing, was used to cut the fruit's bitterness. Then as today, the higher-end olives are often meticulously hand-stuffed while the lower-end-but-still-delicious green olives are usually stuffed by a machine.
Although the recipe has its origins in the northern United States, it is generally most closely associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States and has been referred to as the "pâté of the South" and "the caviar of the South." Pimento cheese sandwiches have a long history as a concession at the Masters golf ...
While pimento cheese is a staple in many Southern homes, Charlotte has been considered the Pimento Cheese Capital of the World, according to Mental Floss.
Once opened, as long as the product remains refrigerated, Palmetto Cheese should be good until the date printed on the side of the lid. However, like any product, the “freshness” will be compromised after a few weeks, though it would remain safe to eat. After the expiration date, the product should be discarded.
The controversy also called attention to the branding of Palmetto Cheese, which includes the face of a Black woman on the product's packaging. The company will be creating a foundation to honor the memory of Vertrella Brown, Henry said.
“It was kind of like lost picnic food for a while,” Palmetto Cheese recipe creator Sassy Henry said. “All you could buy at the grocery store was something that doesn't really resemble Pimento Cheese.” Sassy however had been perfecting the recipe in the years before.
Who is Brian Henry? The owner of Palmetto Cheese, Brian Buck Henry, along with his wife Sassy, founded the company following moving to Pawleys Island in 2002.
Palmetto Cheese is gluten free, made with Wisconsin sharp cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise and chopped pimentos along with other quality ingredients. Our pimento cheese has the taste and texture of homemade and is currently available in over 10,000 locations in 45 states and Washington D.C.
Believe it or not, this dish originated in the North and was made with pimentos and cream cheese. However, in typical Southern fashion, South Carolina decided to make the dish their own by tweaking the recipe and using only the best locally sourced ingredients.
Pimentos have Georgia roots too. Georgia was the pimento capital of the world in the 1930s. It started near Griffin at Experiment Station. Pimentos were plentiful and profitable, launching pimento cheese as the go-to working class lunch and a proper society snacking staple.
Pimento Cheese, a cheese spread made with mayonnaise, pimentos, and of course, cheese is a huge part of southern cuisine. Palmetto Cheese, aka "pimento cheese with soul," was born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and is loved by customers around the country.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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