Angie Cook is #MadeForKnoxville.
From a childhood food memory to a family business project, Angie’s love for pimento cheese is homegrown. Recently pivoting from the food truck hustle, she has now launched a new direction for her business.
For Angie, family is everything. She cherishes memories of eating pimento cheese sandwiches with her grandmother as a child. Being a mother to four children, she desires to pass on food traditions and values in her own family. Her original goal to sell pimento cheese and spreads from a food truck was born out of a desire to teach her kids a strong work ethic. That dream has since evolved, and now she makes and packages her products to sell in stores throughout the East TN region. As one of the first members at the Real Good Kitchen, Angie found community and support to continue putting her heart and soul into sharing her product with others. By creating something that matters to her, she hopes her food will help others make memories around the table.
“Moments of food and family are my most treasured childhood memories.”
In Their Own Words…
Cook’s Pimento Cheese and Spreads was founded in 2016 by Angie Cook and was originally named Cooks on the Curb. What started as a food truck dream has grown into a new name and a new concept – producing and packaging our pimento cheese for you to enjoy.
Our authentic southern pimento cheese is handcrafted and produced in small batches in Knoxville, TN. Each batch is made with love. With the first bite, you’ll be able to tell we are passionate about our pimento cheese!
Food is so important to our family. One of my favorite memories is eating pimento cheese sandwiches with my Grandmother Betty on Saturday afternoons while chatting. These moments of food and family are my most treasured childhood memories.
The memories made around a family dinner table and those food traditions are so important to us. We hope our pimento cheese can be part of that for your family.
Our pimento cheese, along with our other specialty items like holiday sausage balls and more, are available at stores around East Tennessee. You can also find us selling our cheesy goodness at local Farmer Markets and various pop-ups around the area.
What led to entrepreneurship:
We started the food truck as a side hustle (we still laugh about that!) and to teach our children about work ethic. Once we started, we just kept leaning into the different opportunities that came along. As I started the manufacturing and retailing side of the business, it just felt right. Things just began to fall into place and Cook’s Pimento Cheese and Spreads became the dream.
Lessons learned:
It is hard but worth every crazy minute!
Surround yourself with other small business owners. Having the community that we have in Knoxville has been invaluable. It is so amazing to have the support and encouragement from others who are on the same journey.
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