Cheese entrepreneur Charlotte Pimento owes business to Jeopardy! earnings

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (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! “It was an incredible genesis of our story, but it was just the beginning,” said John Morgan, owner of Pimento Cheese Royale in Queen City Charlotte. “Everything else was basically a matter of hard work.”

In the spirit of Jeopardy! This leaves us with a lot of questions, like “What is a success story in Charlotte?” and “What is your measure of success?” » Also, “What do we call southern caviar?” »

When it comes to business, people rarely have all the answers.

“Am I getting fried here?” » Morgan said with a laugh.

We saw him packing his product with his friends and family, including his father. John’s 5 year old chimes in, looks like he’s still “cheese maker.”

“We managed to find a better way to do everything else here, but we’re still collecting the materials! said Morgan, using a giant shovel to power his packaging machine.

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Even the equipment feels family-friendly.

“By the way, this is EMILY, this is our packaging robot. She is the true MVP of our team,” he said.

Many people who start a business struggle in times when they have no idea.

It’s not easy to be cheesybut Morgan learned long ago that when faced with adversity, sometimes you have to answer in the form of a question.

“It’s Jeopardy!” said announcer Johnny Gilbert, in an episode that aired in January 2013. “Introducing today’s contestants…an elementary school teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, John Morgan!”

“No one dares accuse me of wearing one of those headdresses,” said host Alex Trebek.

“What is a tiara?” Morgan intervened.

“Yes!” Trebek says

At his peril! Audition, John was asked what he would do with his winnings. Morgan had an answer for them.

“At that point, we were like, ‘We’re going to be the biggest and best chili cheese company on the planet!’ “, recalls Morgan.

He had the most money for Final Jeopardy, but he whiffed the last question. Even so, the $2,000 he earned for finishing second stood him in good stead.

“The iota of a germ of a spark of a beginning,” Morgan says. “It was a cool thing to tell people – it still is.” It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Cash flow from the game show went to a blender to start his chili cheese business. March 2024 marks 10 years of activity. John’s spread is sold nationwide as far away as Alaska, in a handful of flavors.

“Blue cheese, chili, that’s my contribution to humanity,” Morgan said, beaming with pride.

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One day he will turn the business over to Henry and one-year-old Felix, who are already wearing a lab coat that employees wear during the packaging process. “He loves his hairnet, big fan,” Morgan joked.

This brings us to the question: “What is the future?” »

“Jeopardy! It was an incredible genesis of our story but it was only the beginning. Everything else has largely been a matter of hard work,” Morgan noted.

All the “whats” on Jeopardy paid off, so John never asks himself, “What if?”

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