Key Points
- Mayonnaise brands — and loyalties are regional,
- Hellmann’s is preferred in the North and Duke’s in the South.
- Hellmann’s is mild-tasting, while Duke’s has a more pronounced acidity, and its flavor pops.
As a boy growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mason Hereford—chef-owner of Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans and Nashville, among a growing empire of other eateries—wasn’t into the Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise that his family used on toasted sandwiches and in potato salad. Ketchup and mustard were fine, he said, but “mayonnaise just wasn’t my go-to sandwich condiment.” At the time, he said, he found it “nasty.”
These days, the former hater sports a mayo-themed tattoo and reps a mayo brand online. Why the change? Hereford discovered Duke’s Real Mayonnaise, which originated in South Carolina. “I knew Duke’s was specific to the area I grew up in,” he recalled. “As I was learning how to cook, I started branching out, and when I tasted Duke’s, I really liked it.”
During a busy week at the original branch of Turkey and the Wolf, he said, where “mayonnaise is synonymous with Duke’s,” they sometimes go through 25 gallons. “We realized if we made love for this brand one of the cornerstones of our vibe,” he explained, “people could really get stoked on that.”…