made in the
car olinas
Food & Drink
carolina table salt Michael and Geena Woodard have combined the flavors of the Carolinas into one perfectly balanced seasoning. As the two like to say, it is “Good on ‘most anything,” a seasoning used as often as someone’s heart is blessed. • www.carolinatablesalt.com
sunburst trout farms With nearly 70 years of experience, Sunburst Trout makes some of the most delicious delicacies you can buy, all locally produced in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. Get everything from trout jerky and trout au poivre to the always in demand smoked rainbow trout caviar. • www.sunbursttrout.com
boquete mountain coffee The NoDa coffee roastery has been serving up some of the finest and fairest coffee in the Queen City for nearly four years. Their coffee is always sourced through Direct Trade meaning their product comes straight from the source. Boquete is served at some of the finest establishments in Charlotte and has received acclaim and deservedly so. • www.bo-co.info
kitchen other than his own, and no feedback other than that of his family and friends, John Morgan dove in head first, but not blindly and certainly not without a good plan. “I spent two years methodically plotting every aspect of our company. In spite of all of that, we still face curve-balls on a daily basis. You can’t predict the future, but you can be ready for most of what it throws your way if you plot things out in advance.”
Although not new to the world of business, John Morgan found himself thrown into the Charlotte culinary scene as a self proclaimed novice. Luckily, he was accepted with open arms. “Charlotte has embraced the heck out of us. The support, the sense of community, the sense of personal and professional fulfillment...it’s been the best case scenario.” Though Queen Charlotte Pimento Cheese Royale has been relishing in almost immediate success, John still works his day job as a school teacher, loving both endeavors equally. It seems as though he lives the life of many, often struggling with balancing work and personal life. Good for him he has the
support of his parents Eddie and Marlene Morgan, and his fiancee, Myers McKenzie. With no signs of slowing down, John Morgan has much to look forward to and big goals for his pimento cheese. “I want Queen Charlotte’s to be as ubiquitous as a bottle of Heinz. I want the Charlotte skyline and all of the Carolinian iconography of our labels in refrigerators from Maine to Tijuana. It will be a complete pimento cheesification of the universe.” At the rate he is going, it should not be long. To learn more about John Morgan and his Pimento Cheese Royale, visit www. qccheese.com or visit them on facebook or instagram @QCCheeseRoyale.
mar/apr 2015 • @qcexclusive • 85