Howard's Creek Makes the Real "Snappy Cheese"

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Our Relationship with Joe Allman - A Letter of Authenticity

RE: Letter of Authentication of the Real History of Beer Cheese in Kentucky

TO: Prospective Buyers and Interested Beer Cheese Lover's

FROM: Timothy H. (Tim) Allman - only son of Joe Allman

I am the only son of Joe Allman. My daddy was Southwestern cook who cooked all over the place. My father was the head chef for Turf Catering that handled several race tracks in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arkansas and finally ending up in New Orleans where he worked at the Fairgrounds Racetrack up until his death in 1975. My father and his cousin John wanted to come up with something that would increase the drink thirsts of the customers in this small restaurant on the Kentucky River. The result was a sharp cheddar cheese with a little kick. People would be given what we called beer cheese in a small Souffle cup with saltine crackers, radishes and celery when they were greeted at their table or bar, before they put in their drink order. By the time the bartender came back with their drinks they ordered more drinks. It worked, and that was the birth of Snappy Cheese. Those who still remember Allman’s on the River know that “Snappy Beer Cheese” when they taste Howard’s Creek Authentic Beer Cheese.

I can remember as a child sitting on the counter watching my father and Susie, the salad girl for Allman's, make what we called “Snappy Cheese”. Sometimes they would let me help.

After the third time my uncle’s John’s restaurant burned down, he didn’t rebuild it and Susie went to work for the restaurant across the road that sits on Howard’s Creek, now called Hall’s on the River. She made the recipe there for a while, however, Hall's by then had their own recipe. Some people that worked at Hall’s were taught to make the “Snappy Cheese” and passed it down through their family. But in the 1980's Hall’s sold the rights to their name and their beer cheese recipe to a company in Louisville that put another beer cheese under the Hall's label. Being deceived by the Louisville, KY Company and disappointed resulted in many other beer cheese recipes made in Kentucky come onto the market.

I came across Howard’s Creek on the internet in February 2010 and emailed Kathy Gorman Archer. I told her that “…if what she said on her website is true, thank you for keeping my daddy’s recipe alive”. Kathy’s family was one of those few who preserved the real “Snappy Beer Cheese” recipe. She has made it for over 30 years. We talked and she sent me beer cheese. Once I took a taste I knew she had it just like my father Joe Allman did. We have emailed and talked on a regular basis since then. I have come to Kentucky to represent my daddy’s recipe under Howard’s Creek Authentic Beer Cheese. It’s part of Kentucky Beer Cheese History and its origins, Howard’s Creek in Kentucky.

Allman Family Photos & Quotes from Tim Allman, Son of Joe Allman

Joe Allman Family 1952 Winchester, KY

You got it perfect

"Got the cheese today, and all I have to say is that you have it. You got it perfect, just the way my father made it. Brought back some memories when I took the first bite, and the aroma is right. My wife even went crazy over the cheese. Thanks!"

~ Tim Allman, Joe Allman's Son

Joe Allman Family 1952 Winchester, KY
mr and mrs joe allman

Thank you for keeping my fathers legacy alive!

"I am glad to finally hear that my father's recipe (Joe Allman) is still in use. Susie who took care of me when I was a small child, also worked for my father and my uncle John. She knew the recipe when she went to work at Halls. I remember as a child sitting at a table hand mixing Snappy Cheese as my father would add the ingredients. Thank you for keeping my fathers legacy alive!"

~ Tim Allman, Joe Allman's Son

mr and mrs joe allman
joe and tim allman 1949

Joe Allman was a Chef for over 60 years

"Joe Allman was a Chef for over 60 years. He cooked with the best while living the way he wanted. My father and Justin Wilson were real good friends. My father worked at the Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans. Justin Wilson liked the track. When he came to the track, he and my father would get together and put out some of the best culinary Louisiana dishes. My father was one of those that never liked to stay in one place too long until he settled in New Orleans where he spent the last 25 years of his life. He passed away in 1975 and is buried just outside of New Orleans. Something else you might be interested in is that my father also invented 1000 Island dressing."

~ Tim Allman, Joe Allman's Son

joe and tim allman 1949

"Uncle John (Johnny Allman) and my father, Joe, were 1st cousins. Uncle John had a brother named Jim, and my father had a brother named David who lived in Louisville, and 3 sisters. I was taught to cook by my father, as I was raised in the business. I got some Cajun recipes if you want them. My father taught me quite a lot about cooking, and I cook at home all the time. I was in the restaurant business for around 2 years in Louisiana, but I couldn't keep a cook because they could not satisfy me with the food they prepared, so I worked myself 16 to 20 hrs a day, 7 days a week, and that burned me out, but I never put out a bad plate of food. Thanks for keeping Snappy Cheese alive!"

~ Tim Allman, Joe Allman's son

joe and tim allman 1949

Joe and Tim Allman 1949

While there are conflicting stories about beer cheese origins, Tim Allman, the son of Joe Allman, has cleared up the history of beer cheese and authenticated Howard's Creek as the "Snappy" cheese his daddy made, saying, "Thank you for keeping my daddy's recipe alive." Joe Allman's Snappy beer cheese recipe was first served in the 1930s at Boonsborough, Clark County, Kentucky, known as "Allman's Restaurant." It was one of three restaurants that Johnny Allman owned in that exact location. By the time the third one burned to the ground in 1978, Johnny decided to not rebuild. In 1979, my family was privileged to acquire the "Snappy" Beer Cheese recipe from their family. But it was Joe Allman, his cousin, who invented this culinary delight, known in Kentucky as "SNAPPY" Cheese. Joe Allman was the head chef for Turf Catering. He traveled to all the major racetracks in the US, creating the menus those racetracks would serve with farm-to-table recipes for their respective areas. 

In 2006, rebranded under Howard's Creek Authentic Beer Cheese, we call it "an artisan sharp cheddar with a little kick!" Some other bits and pieces of history, interestingly enough, a competitive restaurant, Hall's, across the road from the original Allman's location, is not on the River but faces the Kentucky River; however, if you can sit on the deck at Hall's on the River, that creek is Howard's Creek, which flows into the Kentucky River. It's the first industrial site West of the Allegheny's. This is where the history begins of Howard's Creek Authentic Beer Cheese and the families that made and served the Original "Snappy" Recipe. You can find it in numerous stores, restaurants, and, of course, at our facility on Big Run Road, Lexington, KY.

Experience Howard's Creek Authentic Beer Cheese that was and still is "The Original Kentucky River Valley Delight™" Snappy Cheese for decades. That artisan sharp cheddar with a little kick!

Many people try to imitate or duplicate our recipe. During cheesemaking, the Authentic "Snappy" Beer Cheese is one heat. It's not hot or mild, just right, made in small batches. It's what you pair with it that makes it hotter or milder. If you have any questions about our beer cheese, please call us today. We are located on Big Run Road, in Lexington, KY, near Boonesborough, KY.