Southern Tastes Panel: Pimento cheese

At Sweet Grass Next Door, you can get pimento cheese on your burger (or even, I hear, melted on your chips). Kelly English has been known to stuff okra pods with it. Elwood’s Shack makes a solid pimento cheese, too. Where else can you get a good version of the caviar of the South? Well, the Southern Tastes Panel has thoughts on that. Read all the responses online at commercialappeal.com, and visit the Southern Tastes Facebook page at facebook.com/sotastes to tell us who you think has the best PC. Kat Gordon, Muddy’s Bake Shop I’m totally biased, as my favorite is the one we make here at Muddy’s. It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe, and it’s delicious! She spoiled me for life on yum-azing, super-cheesy, not-real-goopy pimento cheese. My other favorite is Kathy’s new pimento cheese recipe at 20/20 Diner on Cooper. ... I think she uses olives in it. It’s really different, but totally delicious, especially on whole wheat crackers! Stacey Greenberg, diningwithmonkeys.com My dad always kept a container of pimento cheese in the fridge growing up, and I thought it was the grossest thing ever. I never believed pimento cheese could be good until Tom gave me a taste of his at the Cooper Young Farmers Market. Now I am totally addicted to it. I typically eat Tom’s on Ak-Mak crackers for a snack, but the very best way to enjoy it is on a barbecue sandwich in place of the coleslaw. Tiffany Langston, Memphis Visitors and Convention Bureau I am a Southerner who is not a big fan of pimento cheese, but

I really enjoy the pimento cheeseburger at Sweet Grass Next Door. Josh Hammond, Buster’s I must do a shout-out for Holiday Ham in honor of my grandfather, who would have me fetch him a fresh container of their homemade recipe. My guess is they probably sell more pimento cheese than anybody in the city! Angela Moon, Kirby Wines & Liquors My grandmother, Carrie Arata, mother of 12 and cashier/ lunch lady at Treadwell school for almost 100 years, made a simple and delicious pimento cheese, light on the mayo. My favorites now are Holiday Ham and The Grove Grill. John Vergos, Rendezvous Homemade with sharp cheddar, light on mayo, with a healthy dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. I love the pimento cheese sandwich at the Little Tea Shop. Ben Brock, Amerigo My wife makes awesome pimento cheese, and for years it was the perfect holiday gift. For many years I would pour a couple of drinks, and she and I loaded pounds and pounds of cheese into huge stainless bowls for the mixing. I would chop enough garlic to satisfy a busy Italian restaurant, dice a bag of onions, grate four to six varieties of cheese, and watch her mix secret spices and herbs to add to the mountain of cheese. She would taste, add more secrets, taste again, and eventually it would pass inspection. Then we spent the remainder of the night putting the prized mixture into jars with ingredient labels and holiday ribbon. People became addicted and couldn’t wait for the cheese to hit their desk or doorstep. We have skipped the last couple of years, opting for the easier and cheaper option of buying gifts, but I think this year we will go back to our old tradition and give the gift of cheese love. Better be nice to the Brocks! And don’t worry, Tom, we won’t sell it. Kathy Katz, Cooper Street 20/20 I have had a love affair with Tom and Ross since they started their business, but Cooper Street 20/20 also makes pimento cheese. I have three different kinds: Traditional, Zesty South Westy (a Tex-Mex style with cumin, cilantro, jalapeño) and Spanish olive pimento cheese made with imported green olives and parsley. My secret in all my pimento cheeses is grated onion and cream cheese. Ugh, I just gave out my secret! And big kisses to Tom and Ross. Congratulations on your success from the other pimento cheese girl. Tom’s Tiny Kitchen is the rock star, and I am just the backup band? We’ll see ...