Cheese Shops We Love: Southern Whey

Location:

223 NE Broad Street

Southern Pines, NC

A Couple of Cheese Lovers

Angela Sanchez and her husband, Chris Abbey, fell into the cheese business by accident. Soon after they moved from Charleston to Southern Pines to be closer to family, the previous owners of Southern Whey, who were old friends, asked if they wanted to buy the cheese shop due to an impending divorce.

Since the couple both had worked in sales, they jumped at the chance. “It was a chance to learn something new,” Angela said.

After they took over the shop in 2015 in the idyllic, tree-lined downtown Southern Pines, the couple has focused on selling artisan cheeses from around the world and cheese produced in the Carolinas. They’ve made cheeses more approachable for their eclectic southern community that’s a mix of locals, military families, retirees, and visitor to this golfing mecca. They also specialize in cheese and meat boards, their house-made pimento cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches and various condiments.

“We focus on small farm, artisan made cheeses,” said Sanchez, who had spent 20 years in the wine industry working for an importer.

The Store

It’s a small store but with a large variety. On a given day, they carry 30 to 50 different cheeses.

The store has a large cheese counter with assortment of cheeses and cheese wheels and another smaller refrigerated case of packaged cheeses with most selling for under $20. “We try to have thing that you won’t find in the grocery store,” said Chris, who previously worked in medical device sales.

In may a sign in the window read—“100 Percent Vaccinated Staff.” A clear indicator of how Sanchez and Abbey look to put customers at ease.

The small store was able to stay open throughout the past year by limiting to only five customers in the store at a time, offering delivery and curbside pickup.

Top Selling Cheeses

Tickler, an aged English cheddar is loved for its distinct sharp flavor and crunch. The interplay of sweet, tangy and even nutty notes make it a winner not just with customers but also led to its winning a gold medal from the British Cheese Awards in 2015.

Midnight Moon by Cypress Grove in Northern California, a semi-hard yet creamy Gouda style cheese with a sweet and fruity taste. Made from goat’s milk, it’s pale, dense, and smooth, is aged 6 months or more, and has a rich caramel finish. Cypress Grove was an early leader of the artisanal cheese movement and makes a number of distinctive and unique cheeses.

"Sottocenere" by ulterior epicure is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sottocenere® al tartufo means “under ash with truffles” in Italian and the name of a pale and yellow semi-soft cow’s milk cheese with a strong aroma and a mild sweet dairy flavor. Flecks of black truffles are added in the paste and the cheese is aged in ash for 3 months. The ash is created from various spices, including nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, licorice, anise, and fennel adding to its flavor and aroma. A trademarked cheese made in the Venetian style, it’s imported by Michele Buster of Forever Cheese in NYC.

Among favorite North Carolina made cheese include goat cheese from Paradox Farm Creamery in West End, Three Graces Dairy out of Marshall, and Hickory Grove, a buttery and rich cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery.

Also Look For

The store carries an assortment of chips, olives, crackers, jellies and nuts and a small supply of wine.

Among more popular items are the are 1 in 6 Snacks Carolina kettle flavored potato chips from Raleigh; chutney from Virginia Chutney Co. with flavors the include sweet peach, fig, and cranberry as well as Memaw’s Country Kitchen lemon biscuits and chocolate chip cookies made in North Carolina.