Charlotte pimento cheese entrepreneur owes business to Jeopardy! winnings
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – We’ve all heard ‘It takes money to make money.’ Some entrepreneurs get help from investors or a business loan.
Well, one Charlotte man owes his livelihood to a game show.
“Jeopardy! was an amazing genesis of our story but it was just a start,” John Morgan, owner of Queen City Charlotte’s Pimento Cheese Royale, said. “Everything else has been very much about just hard work.”
In the spirit of Jeopardy! that leaves us with a lot of questions, like “What is a Charlotte success story?” and “What is your measure of success?” Also, “What is known as southern caviar?”
When it comes to business, folks rarely have all the answers.
“Am I getting grilled here?” Morgan said with a laugh.
We watched him pack his product with friends and family, including his dad. John’s 5-year-old pitches in, seems like he’s always “cheesing.”
“We have managed to find a better way to do everything else around here, but we’re still scooping the stuff!” Morgan said, using a giant scooper to feed his packing machine.
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Even the equipment feels like family.
“This is E.M.I.L.Y., by the way, this is our packaging robot. She’s the real MVP of our team,” he said.
Many starting a business venture fight through times when they haven’t got a clue.
It ain’t easy being cheesy, but Morgan learned long ago that in the face of adversity sometimes you must respond in the form of a question.
“This is Jeopardy!” said announcer Johnny Gilbert, in an episode that aired in January of 2013. “Introducing today’s contestants…an elementary school teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, John Morgan!”
“None dare accuse me of wearing one of these headdresses,” host Alex Trebek said.
“What is tiara?” Morgan chimed in.
“Yes!” Trebek says
At his Jeopardy! audition, John was asked about what he’d do with his winnings. Morgan had an answer for them.
“At that point, it was like, ‘We’re going to be the biggest, best pimento cheese company on the planet!’” Morgan recalled.
He had the most cash going into Final Jeopardy but whiffed on the last question. Even so, the $2,000 he earned for finishing second went a long way.
“The iota of a germ of a scintilla of a start,” Morgan says. “It was something cool to tell people —still is. It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
The gameshow cash flow went towards a mixer to start his pimento cheese venture. March of 2024 marks 10 years in business. John’s spread sells nationwide as far away as Alaska, in a handful of flavors.
“Blue cheese, pimento cheese, that’s my contribution to humankind,” Morgan said, beaming with pride.
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One day, he’ll hand the business over to Henry and one-year-old Felix, who already has a lab coat that employees wear during the packing process. “He loves his hair net, big fan,” Morgan joked.
That leads to this next question: “What is the future?”
“Jeopardy! was an amazing genesis of our story but it was just a start. Everything else has been very much about just hard work,” Morgan noted.
All the “whats” on Jeopardy paid off so John never wonders, “What if?”
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