Photo by Peter Diantoni
Pimento cheese is as common on American Southern tables as beer brats or pickled herring are to Milwaukee events. Pimento cheese—a thick yet spreadable staple—is typically made with a base of cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and sweet pimento peppers and is found everywhere throughout the South from cafés to church potlucks, weddings and funerals.
Martha Davis Kipcak, local food advocate and owner of Mighty Fine Food, is from Tyler, Texas, where she grew up eating pimento cheese. When she moved to Milwaukee in 1998, she noticed pimento cheese wasn’t available in this region. She later went on to become a founding member of the Milwaukee Food Council and she saw potential in Milwaukee’s booming artisan food market. The time seemed right to introduce pimento cheese to the Midwest.
Davis Kipcak formed Mighty Fine Food in November 2012 and introduced her first product, Martha’s Pimento Cheese, made from her own recipe. Using Clock Shadow Creamery’s kitchen, she began making the specialty cheese with shredded aged cheddar from Cedar Grove Cheese, to which she adds the pimento peppers and other natural ingredients. While many people automatically associate pimento peppers with stuffed green manzanilla olives, Davis Kipcak notes there are no olives in pimento cheese.
The end result is the Southern delicacy that can be enjoyed on everything from sandwiches to toppings for burgers, baked potatoes and eggs. Davis Kipcak said pimento cheese is also good spread on toast, bagels or crackers; as an ingredient in pies, biscuits and mac ’n’ cheese; or paired with fruits and vegetables.
“It’s all about the cheese,” said Davis Kipcak. “I’m presenting Wisconsin cheddar in a whole new way, marrying my Southern food traditions with assets of Wisconsin.”
The slightly sweet pimento peppers subtly contrasts the sharp cheddar for a complex blend of flavor. Martha’s Pimento Cheese offers a mild blend, a medium blend with jalapeño peppers that complement the pimento, and a hot flavor that includes dried chile de árbol peppers. The jalapeño and chile de árbol varieties are created not for heat, but to highlight the cheese, Davis Kipcak notes.
Martha’s Pimento Cheese is crafted in small batches with no added preservatives. The eight-ounce retail size containers are available at Clock Shadow Creamery’s store on Bruce Street, Outpost Natural Foods, Beans & Barley, Larry’s Market, Glorioso’s Italian Market and West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe at Milwaukee Public Market, as well as outlets in eight states throughout the Midwest. Davis Kipcak recently partnered with Troubadour Bakery, Colectivo Coffee’s baking arm, to include her pimento cheese in a biscuit with tomato and kale.
Davis Kipcak offers demonstrations and tastings. She still notices quizzical expressions from people who have never heard of pimento cheese, but once people try it, they become fans. “It’s a staple. It’s not just for special occasions,” she said. “Households in the South keep pimento cheese in their refrigerators alongside mustard of mayonnaise. It’s a versatile way to experience cheese.”
For more information, visit mightyfinefood.us.
