Return of the Pimento Cheese Passport

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Take a bite of the crunchy grilled pimento cheese sandwich from Sandwich Depot. | Photo by Forrest Clonts

Experience Columbia SC is bringing back the Pimento Cheese Passport , and this time it’s digital + features 17 Midlands restaurants. It’s a change for the cheddar.

First off, register for your passport and prepare for a culinary tour of Cola area restaurants where local chefs’ serve their creative takes on the simple Southern classic. From Terra’s pimento cheeseburger pizza to The Root Cellar’s Southern Egg Rolls, the participating spots serve pimento cheese in a variety of styles that we think are grate.

🧀 Why do we have a Pimento Cheese Passport?

Pimento cheese and Cola’s history go hand in hand. The rich history dates back to Janie Dubose’s pimento cheese recipe from the 1912 Columbia cookbook, “A Friend in Need” and E.T. Hendrix selling the shredded cheese, pimento, and mayo mix by the pound to “keep kool ” during those famously hot summers.

DYK Hendrix restaurant on Main Street was named for E.T. Hendrix, the grocer who occupied the space from 1906 to 1926?

🧀 What’s in it for you?

Not only will you get to try some of Cola’s finest restaurants, but you’ll be registered for prizes with each cheesy bite. The prizes are offered in three tiers.

  • Check in at five restaurants to receive a passport mug or pint glass
  • Check in at 10 restaurants to receive a Pimento Cheese Passport t-shirt
  • Check in at all 17 restaurants to receive a mug, pint glass, t-shirt, and $50 gift card to your favorite Pimento Cheese Passport participating restaurant.

Saturday is National Cheese Day, so it’s the perfect time to begin redeeming your stamps. Not sure where to start? We recommend a Columbia classic — the pimento cheeseburger from Rockaway Athletic Club with a side of pimento cheese fries.


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David is based in Columbia, SC where he’s lived since graduating from UofSC’s School of Journalism in 2006. In his 20+ years in the Soda City, he founded Scene SC, an outlet covering the SC music scene, and has contributed to local publications including SCETV, Jasper Magazine, Free Times, and The Post and Courier. He currently serves on boards for One Columbia for Arts and Culture and the Jam Room Music Festival.
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