Taste of Pimento Cheese Kicks Off Friday in Cary

Cary, NC — While settling into living in Cary, one thing I found fairly whimsical was finding out there’s a large audience of pimento cheese-loving people here. So much so that the southern-style cheese got its own annual festival in 2018 and went on to make an appearance in Southern Living Magazine.

After two consecutive, all-out festivals with food trucks along Academy Street, the festival went on hiatus along with the rest of the festivals planned for 2020. The good news? It’s back for 2021 and starts off this weekend, only a little bit differently.

Taste of Pimento Cheese 2021

June 4-13

In place of a single Saturday afternoon festival, this year’s celebration will be spread out over a period of 10 days from Friday, June 4 to Sunday, June 13, 2021. This year, on the heels of a tough recovery for small businesses, Cary has teamed up with 12 local restaurants to host “Taste of Pimento Cheese.”

How it Works

Unique pimento cheese dishes will be added to the menus of the 12 local participating restaurants for this limited-time event. Each pimento cheese-themed dish will also come with its own special edition Taste of Pimento Cheese collectors pin while supplies last.

Additionally, for a grab-and-go option, folks can pre-order a Taste of Pimento Cheese charcuterie box by June 5 and pick it up at your favorite Cary brewery or the Downtown Cary Farmers’ Market.

Participating Cary Restaurants

The following restaurants and special pimento cheese offerings have been announced for Cary’s 2021 Taste of Pimento Cheese.

Annelore’s German Bakery

  • Pimento-Jalapeno Scone
  • Tomato-Pimento Quiche

Ashworth’s

  • Sweet Belgian waffle topped with pimento cheese and finished with maple walnut syrup
  • Grilled pimento cheese sandwich

Chicken Salad Chick

  • Pimento cheese BLT
  • Pimento cheese scoop with crackers

Corbett’s Burgers & Soda Bar

  • Pimento cheese burger
  • Grilled pimento cheese

Crosstown Pub & Grill

  • TBA

Daybreak

  • Pimento cheese omelet

FRESH. Local Ice Cream

  • Pimento cheese topping for all ice cream flavors

MC Restaurant

  • Korean seafood pancake (octopus, shrimp, mussels, onion, carrot, cabbage, kimchi pimento cheese, kabayaki sauce, bonito flakes)

Once in Blue Moon Bakery & Cafe

  • Pimento cheese scone
  • Southern Gentleman (pimento cheese, bacon and tomato on sourdough)

Ruckus

  • Brisket pimento mac-n-cheese

The Verandah at the Mayton

  • P&P Pimento Cheese (hot pork and pimento cheese served with pita chips)

For further information on the festivities, participating restaurants and ordering your own charcuterie box, visit townofcary.org/cheese.


Story by Ashley Kairis. Photos courtesy of Kairis & the Town of Cary.

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