Southern Pimento Cheese is a versatile, wonderful spread that is revered in Augusta at the Masters. You won’t need a Green Jacket to enjoy these sandwiches made with Southern Pimento Cheese!

 

Oxford, Augusta &
Southern Pimento Cheese

My memories of pimento cheese go waaaaay back. It is one of those delicious childhood foods that conjures up fond memories from a time long ago. So, what do Oxford, AL and Augusta, GA have in common? Keep reading!

If you saw my LIVE facebook broadcast on How To Host A Golf Watch Party, this sandwich was front and center!

This recipe for Southern Pimento Cheese is rich, creamy and very traditional. I used freshly grated cheddar and a small scoop of pimentos. If  you prefer more of those awesome pimentos, scoop away!

Let’s start from the beginning.

Each Thanksgiving, we would drive down from Huntsville, AL to Jacksonville, AL and celebrate with family. My great-grandparents,  J.R. & Hester Hamric, settled there from Sand Mountain in the 1920’s so their eight children could attend college at Jacksonville State University, if they so desired. That’s right, college.

Back in a day when women were keeping house, my cosmopolitan great-grandmother knew how vital a college education would be for women in the future. My grandmother and several of her sisters married and settled in Jacksonville. As a little girl,  I used to swim in the Jax State Natatorium, and would walk with my grandfather on the Jax State track as the Marching Southerners practiced around us. Perfect memories. Such a great town. GO GAMECOCKS! By the way, have you seen the Jax State football stadium, the Burgess-Snow Field?!?

But, let’s get back to the story.

On Thanksgiving Day, we would eat the main meal at my Great Aunt-Amy’s house, and then all of us would move on to my grandmother’s house for the second part of the day. My grandmother would host what she affectionately called “party time” at her home. It was a casual, open house affair just for family. Our Oxford & Birmingham kin would meet us there to enjoy sweet iced tea, potato chips, French onion dip, baby gherkin pickles and celery boats filled with Southern Pimento Cheese.Sometimes, the sisters would switch up who hosted the main meal & who hosted the party. But, the end result meant lots of time running around outdoors with my cousins, good food, and fellowship. (Out of respect for my relatives, I must clarify that the “party” was a dry affair. Alcohol was not present in their homes at any time. They were true Southern Baptists who led by example.)

WE’RE ALMOST TO OXFORD….

My grandmother had a hard time making the Southern Pimento Cheese celery boats! Yours truly would eat them as fast as she could make them! They were one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving Day in Jacksonville. That, and the Caramel Cake for dessert! 🙂

With the exception of my Great Uncle Alvis Hamric, all the Hamric siblings were alive, active and very present in my young life, as were their children, cousins, etc. My mother’s cousins and her brother (my Uncle Jeff) were outstanding men and women who made an impact on my young life.

What a blessing it was to be surrounded by such a large, loving, Christian family! I never met my Uncle Alvis; he went home to the Lord before I was born, but was always affectionately mentioned at family gatherings. 

Oxford, AL

Mayor Alvis Hamric served the City of Oxford, AL for two terms. He was a driving force in making sure the “new mall” on Quintard Avenue was located as close to I-20 as possible in the early 1960’s. Like his mother Hester, he was a visionary and very smart. Even though it was not a popular decision at the time with his constituents, he knew that one day Oxford might thrive if restaurants and shopping were by the interstate for travelers. (At the time, residents wanted the mall positioned closer to Anniston. Building out towards the interstate was considered to many as “too far away” and “no one would stop at our exit anyway”. )

If you ever find yourself on I-20 heading west from Atlanta to Birmingham, Oxford is the main stop in between.

I think he would be very humbled to see the Mellow Mushroom, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. that greets travelers as they make their way from Atlanta to Birmingham on I-20.

His vision, forty years later, is realized. It all started with Quintard Mall, a Waffle House and a gas station. Quintard Mall secured an anchor store – Sears & Roebuck. Great Uncle Alvis created jobs and a climate for growth that would exceed his lifetime.

Oxford City Hall is located on Hamric Dr.

Great Uncle Alvis was a man of a Lord and had a heart of service to others. His brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews shared his faith and compassion

Enter Copa. And Augusta.

Now you know why I LOVE Southern Pimento Cheese.

Great memories from wonderful moments with family.

Augusta, GA

Flash forward – I’m nineteen years old, a freshman at Mercer, and I meet this super cute boy from Florida. Guess what? He’s a golfer. A really good one, too! One year, he and a few members of the Mercer Men’s Golf Team take a little road trip over to Augusta to watch a practice round at the Masters.

He came back to campus famished, having eaten only hot dogs during the day. He was in awe that everyone else was ordering pimento cheese sandwiches sold in wax paper packages!

“Heather, what is pimento cheese? Why is it such a big deal in the South ?” he asked.

And so I told him.

and…..Pimento Cheese

Southern Pimento Cheese represents a way of life for so many of us…family…fellowship…and warm memories.

Make some for your family. Spread it on bread & have a sandwich. (Close your eyes, pretend you’re at the Masters, and sip on an Azalea Belle Cocktail!)

Warm it up, and serve it as a dip with crackers.

Or, spread a little bit on a celery boat! 🙂

Like a big southern family, there are many ways to enjoy Southern Pimento Cheese!