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Cheese Wiz Andrew Arbogast’s dip is cheesy, in a good way.
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heese has been a key him socks or cookies, Andrew asked them ingredient in Andrew to send him a George Foreman grill. Arbogast’s life. Andrew also was deployed to AfArbogast, 36, is the ghanistan. “Before I left, I shipped myself founder of Arbo’s Cheese Dip, which will five huge packages of summer sausage debut at its first grocery store, High Point and cheese.” Grocery, on May 15th. While planning for their mission to The dip, which he’s sold at pop-up Afghanistan, Andrew, who was the air misevents, is made from a recipe his dad, sion commander, sat down with his soldiers Charlie Arobogast, concocted years ago. and said, “We’re going to break bread to“He may have run across some version of it gether first.” “I came in with this foot-andin a magazine,” Andrew says. “And he just a-half summer sausage and smoked Gouda added some different things down the road cheese and cut it on the table.” and made it what it was.” His philosophy? “Food is morale.” But Andrew, who grew up on his While in the service, Andrew married dad’s cheese dip, says, “All other cheese and he and his wife, Erin, became the pardips will never meet my expectations.” ents of twins. But, he says, the service “was His dad’s dip was an essential at rotatnot where my future was meant to be.” ing “Sunday dinners” put on by about a Andrew eventually got a job at Internadozen families. Everyone said, “Charlie, tional Paper, where he is category manager. bring your cheese dip.” Apparently, the culinary Andrew also loved to life still nagged at him. cook. “I remember cookLast November, he woke ing macaroni and cheese up and his first thought in the sixth grade.” He was, “You need to figure didn’t go by the recipe. “I out how to sell your dad’s was just doing everything cheese dip. You have the by touch, taste, feel, look.” willpower, the drive, the Andrew also loved to passion.” He told his idea eat. “You can say the pasto an entrepreneur friend, sion is not only cooking, who said, “If it’s good, it it’s food. It’s all food. I love will sell.” cheap or high-quality — Andrew enlisted his five-star restaurants, but friend and four other also Big Macs.” people to do a blind He went to boarding tasting between his dip PHOTO BY MICHAEL DONAHUE school at Subiaco Acadand two other popular Andrew Arbogast emy in Arkansas, but he local dips. All five people looked forward to two chose his cheese. things on his trips home: his dad’s sweet tea Andrew chose the name “Arbo’s” beand cheese dip. cause “it’s short, to the point, and it works.” Andrew wanted to pursue cooking as Needing a catchy slogan to go with his logo, a career after high school. “I wanted to go he came up with “Cheese Fix Mafia.” to culinary school ’cause that was my main Describing the dip, Andrew says it passion. I learned that passion from my has “character and body.” It’s smooth, but dad.” But his mother told him, “You need chips won’t break when you stick them in to get a real education first. And if you still the container. want to do that, you can pursue that.” Andrew is excited about Arbo’s Cheese Andrew began working toward a food Dip hitting High Point Grocery, but, he service degree at Northwest Missouri State says, “My vision for this is to not stop at the University, but he found he had to give that local level. I want to be in Kroger. I want up after he got an ROTC scholarship to finto be in Walmart. I want to be everywhere ish his education. So he switched his major that sells cheese dip.” to general psychology. Future plans may include a “spicier verAfter he graduated, Andrew, who besion,” but Andrew says, “right now, I’m not came an Apache helicopter pilot, spent 10 messing with a good thing.” High Point Grocery is at 469 High Point years in the Army, which included a stint in Terrace; (901) 707-8102. Iraq. Instead of asking his parents to send
