Say cheese! Actually, say “Suga’s Pimento Cheese” and a big smile will come to your face. Every time!
Suga’s Pimento, based in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, was founded by Stacey West (AKA Chef Suga) and her husband, Robert. Chef Suga is an honors graduate from the famed Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta and has worked with some of the area’s top chefs. Even from a young age, she felt that God placed in her the desire to create and serve, and she is honoring that calling in the kitchen.
In 2017, Chef Suga, her son Quinton, and her husband ruled the Sunday brunch in a local restaurant. For a couple of months, they served up classic Southern dishes such as chicken and waffles, sweet potato corn muffins and catfish po-boys. But it was their homemade pimento cheese grits that won the hearts and stomachs of customers who wanted the pimento cheese “straight up.” And, thus an entrepreneur was born.
Chef Suga perfected two of her pimento cheese recipes (Original and Jalapeño) and started selling them on her own. Next came booths at a farmers market and they won customers over one pimento cheese at a time. As their customer base grew, so did her line of cheeses. Currently she has eight flavors with more on the way.
Some of her options are the Serrano & Pepper Jack, Black Truffle, Gourmet Classic, Mango Haberno and Bacon Asiago Jalapeño. That doesn’t stop there — especially if you are vegan! I have great news for you as Suga’s is vegan friendly. Suga’s Pimento offers four vegan pimento cheeses made with potato plants and corn. They are dairy-free and contain no lactose, soy, gluten nor nuts. The Vegantastic Original adds pimento, secret spices and vegan cheeses into a spread that tastes just like the original. In addition, there is Vegantastic Jalapeño, Vegantastic Gouda and Vegantastic Serrano. You can tell the West family has a great passion for their cheese and customers with these many options.
Cheeses
One of my favorite cheeses from Suga’s Pimento is the Smoked Gouda, which is a tangy blend of the Gourmet Classic with smoked gouda cheese and fresh garlic. It has medium heat and was a finalist in the 2019 Flavor of Georgia competition. It is perfect for cooking such as shrimp and grits or having a snack.
Another favorite cheese in mine is the Mango Habanero, which blends in spicy heat, fruity sweet cheese and Gruyere cheese into the Gourmet Classic pimento. Here’s why! When you taste mango, it gives you the feeling like you are on the beach. The benefits of having mango are that it’s really fruity and healthy as well. All in all, it’s a win!
Last but not least, I like the Roasted Pablo & Monterey because it has a great mild flavor to it and it's not spicy. Everything is balanced out quite nicely. If you like a little kick — but not too much — then choose the Roasted Pablo.
Pimento cheese has been called the “Caviar of the South,” and it is perfect for snacks or parties. Suga's comes in several sizes, ranging from 8 ounces to 32 ounces. I’m sure that if you try one, you will find what thousands of others discovered: Suga’s Pimento Cheese is special.