Some foods are more than recipes. One bite can take you back to a place that no longer exists, surrounded by people you haven’t seen in years.
For generations of South Jersey residents, the famous cheese spread served at the old Sweetwater Casino is one of those foods.
People still remember it. They still talk about it. And decades after it was first served along the Mullica River, some insist it was simply “the best.”
Now, thanks to the granddaughter of the woman who created it, that little taste of South Jersey history is back and available to purchase.
The Woman Behind the Famous Sweetwater Cheese Spread
Long before recipes went viral on social media, Alvina Petersen created something that quietly became a local legend.
Petersen worked for decades as a sous chef at Sweetwater Casino during the 1960s and early 1970s. She had no formal culinary training, but she certainly knew her way around a kitchen.
Alvina created the recipe for Sweetwater Casino’s famous cheese spread.
A Minnesota native, Alvina raised a family there before moving to New Jersey as a single mother. She first settled in Hammonton and eventually lived in a cabin right on the Sweetwater property while working at the restaurant.
And she wasn’t just known for the cheese.
“My grandma was an amazing cook and baker,” her granddaughter, Dee Petersen, told South Jersey Food Scene. “She also made an amazing cheesecake, among other things, but my favorite was the homemade ice cream with vanilla bean. I also loved her New England clam chowder.”
Still, that cheese spread became intertwined with people’s memories of Sweetwater.
No, There’s No Horseradish in It
Ask longtime Sweetwater fans about the spread, and you may hear it called the “horseradish cheese.”
There’s just one problem. There’s no horseradish in it.
The creamy spread combines cheddar cheese and Philadelphia cream cheese with a few other ingredients that remain a closely guarded family secret.
Whatever Alvina put into it, the combination made an impression and became an irresistible part of Sweetwater Casino’s menu.
Sadly, Alvina died in January 2006 at age 91 while living with one of her sons in California. But one important piece of her culinary legacy stayed with the Petersen family: her original cheese spread recipe.
And that’s where Dee comes into the story.
Bringing Grandma’s Recipe Back to South Jersey
Dee Petersen moved back to New Jersey from Texas and, about five years ago, began making her grandmother’s cheese spread again.
At first, it wasn’t a business. She made it for family and friends. Then friends of friends wanted some. Word began to spread.
Dee previously worked in a restaurant in New Jersey before moving to Texas, and ran a baking and candy-making business in Texas, which she continues here in New Jersey called Dee’s Treats.
But this particular recipe came with something you couldn’t recreate in a kitchen: decades of memories.
“People enjoy it for the unique taste, and at the same time for the memories it brings with it,” Petersen said.
That’s the heart of this story.
Dee isn’t simply making cheese spread. She’s keeping a little piece of her grandmother — and a little piece of old South Jersey — alive.
“It’s pretty amazing how many people still remember the cheese spread,” she said.
Remembering Sweetwater Casino
For those who never experienced it, Sweetwater Casino was one of those legendary South Jersey destinations whose history became almost as colorful as the people who passed through its doors.
Located along the Mullica River outside Hammonton, Sweetwater’s roots stretched back to the 1920s. Despite the “Casino” name, it wasn’t a casino in the modern Atlantic City sense. The original establishment reportedly operated as a speakeasy with gambling during Prohibition.
Over the decades, Sweetwater became a destination for generations of South Jersey families.
Then, in 2008, a fire following a lightning strike destroyed the historic building.
The property eventually began another chapter. The Iles family purchased the site in 2016, initially operating an outdoor river deck before developing modern dining and marina facilities there. It’s now called Sweetwater Marina and Riverdeck.
Buildings can disappear, and places can change, but food has a funny way of holding onto the past.
Maybe that’s why Alvina’s cheese spread still means so much to people.
A South Jersey Food Memory You Can Taste Again
Today, Dee sells her grandmother’s creation as Alvina’s Authentic Sweetwater Cheese, made from the original recipe served all those years ago.
For someone who remembers sitting at Sweetwater decades ago, opening a container might bring back far more than the taste of cheddar and cream cheese.
It will bring back memories of loved ones who aren’t around anymore. Or simply a time when life felt a little different.
And for those of us who never had the original? We finally have a chance to find out what everybody has been talking about.
Alvina’s Authentic Sweetwater Cheese is currently available at:
Farmer John’s Food Market
3430 Nesco Road
Hammonton, NJ 08037
609-561-3840
Stoc-Up Food Market and Deli
1239 Mays Landing Road
Folsom, NJ 08037
609-567-7400
Shamrock Deli
31 N. Davis Avenue
Audubon, NJ 08106
856-546-6370
More than half a century after Alvina Petersen made her cheese spread in the Sweetwater kitchen, her granddaughter is making sure the recipe — and the memories that come with it — aren’t forgotten.
Sometimes preserving South Jersey history doesn’t require a museum.
Sometimes you need a cracker and a little cheese spread.
If you have memories about this cheese spread or Sweetwater Casino, I’d love to hear them!
SJFS is dedicated to food, dining, restaurants, and drinking in South Jersey. Got a news tip? Email southjerseyfoodscene@gmail.com.