Experience Columbia SC is bringing back the Pimento Cheese Passport, and this time it's digital + features 17 Midlands restaurants. It's a change for the cheddar.

First off, register for your passport and prepare for a culinary tour of Cola area restaurants where local chefs' serve their creative takes on the simple Southern classic. From Terra’s pimento cheeseburger pizza to The Root Cellar’s Southern Egg Rolls, the participating spots serve pimento cheese in a variety of styles that we think are grate.

🧀 Why do we have a Pimento Cheese Passport?

Pimento cheese and Cola's history go hand in hand. The rich history dates back to Janie Dubose's pimento cheese recipe from the 1912 Columbia cookbook, "A Friend in Need" and E.T. Hendrix selling the shredded cheese, pimento, and mayo mix by the pound to "keep kool" during those famously hot summers.

DYK — Hendrix restaurant on Main Street was named for E.T. Hendrix, the grocer who occupied the space from 1906 to 1926?

🧀 What’s in it for you?

Not only will you get to try some of Cola’s finest restaurants, but you’ll be registered for prizes with each cheesy bite. The prizes are offered in three tiers.

Check in at five restaurants to receive a passport mug or pint glass
Check in at 10 restaurants to receive a Pimento Cheese Passport t-shirt
Check in at all 17 restaurants to receive a mug, pint glass, t-shirt, and $50 gift card to your favorite Pimento Cheese Passport participating restaurant.

Saturday is National Cheese Day, so it’s the perfect time to begin redeeming your stamps. Not sure where to start? We recommend a Columbia classic — the pimento cheeseburger from Rockaway Athletic Club with a side of pimento cheese fries.