Host Melissa interviews Frank Yarborough, creator of Frankie B’s pimento cheese, just days before the Pimento Cheese Festival in Downtown Cary Park. Frank shares how he grew up with his mother’s pimento cheese, learned the family recipe after she passed, and refined it into three flavors with a focus on traditional Southern taste, Duke’s mayonnaise, and a spreadable, dense consistency. He describes early public tastings outside his Academy Street home, the strong festival response, and moving into an inspected commercial kitchen before selling officially. Frank discusses festival sales goals, local retailers and restaurants now carrying the product, ideas for serving pimento cheese, and future plans that may expand into Southern baked goods like chocolate and lemon meringue pies.
00:00 Meet Frankie B
02:08 Family Recipe Roots
03:57 From Sharing to Flavors
04:39 Festival Buzz Takes Off
07:26 Branding and What Makes It Different
09:25 Selling Out and Scaling Up
14:33 Going Legit Commercial Kitchen
16:16 Why Cary Owns Pimento Cheese
17:11 Downtown Cary Life Changes
19:16 Fencing In Privacy
20:02 Roots in Downtown Cary
21:04 Festival Crowds and Traffic
21:36 Judging Pimento Cheese
23:00 Duke's and Family Legacy
24:17 Best Ways to Eat It
27:33 Beyond Pimento Cheese
29:22 Growing Frankie B's
32:13 Where to Buy and Ship
33:29 Wrap Up and Thanks