The tomato sandwich special at Union Market, featuring Hanover tomatoes, arugula, Duke's mayonnaise, sea salt, sherry vinegar and olive oil (Photo courtesy Union Market)
“It’s magic,” Rebecca Lupesco, brand marketing manager for Duke’s, says of the company’s beloved mayonnaise.
The Southern brand is partnering with 10 local restaurants to commemorate tomato season during Hot Tomato Summer, a weeklong event starting July 19 and presenting seasonal dishes that feature tomatoes and mayonnaise. Each participating restaurant will create one to three special dishes with the two ingredients that will be offered throughout the week in addition to their regular menu. Participating establishments, which include Lunch and Supper, Brenner Pass, ZZQ, North End Juice Co., Common House, Millie's, Ruby Scoops, Saison, Union Market, and Fuzzy Cactus, will receive 100% of the proceeds after facing a difficult year due to the pandemic.
Duke’s also partnered with Richmond ad agency Familiar Creatures to facilitate the first-time event this year and celebrate the culinary offerings in the city.
“We really wanted this to be more about [the restaurants] and giving them a spotlight to flex their creative muscles and do something a little bit different and a little bit fun,” McKenzie Pickett, brand manager of Familiar Creatures, says.
Lunch and Supper owner Rick Lyons — who is preparing an heirloom tomato sandwich and tomato pie for the event — says a rule of thumb as a chef is not to make certain things from scratch, including mayonnaise, because you cannot prepare them better than they can be produced.
“One of the things that we love about our product, but also the chef community and the restaurant community love, is the fact that we're not adding sugar to our products, so it's not masking the flavors of the foods that they're making,” Lupesco says. “It's really working as more of a key ingredient that enhances the flavors of their dishes and their food.”
Rabia Kamara, chef and owner of ice cream shop Ruby Scoops, says her brand loyalty runs deep when it comes to condiments — she has used Duke’s exclusively since 2008. Kamara plans on offering a Duke’s Mayo ice cream and tomato-watermelon sorbet, in addition to limited event-themed specials Wednesday through Sunday.
“Being in Richmond, having [Duke’s] for the first time in Richmond, it just feels right to be here and use that in particular,” she says.
Fuzzy Cactus co-owner Michael Cipollone, who moved to Richmond from Kentucky, echoes this sentiment and has become a big fan of incorporating Duke’s into his dishes.
“I think the fact that [Duke’s] has kind of a more vinegar-based flavor to it really lends itself pretty easily to incorporate into recipes,” he says. “Obviously, having any kind of acidic element kind of elevates the flavors of whatever you're cooking, and Duke’s can do that and also be used for something when you're cooking at home for yourself in your kitchen.”
Common House, which is traditionally a members-only club, will open its doors to the public for the event, drawing customers in with day passes to try its three specials: a shrimp roll, cured salmon and Duke’s Mayo Chocolate Cake. Bryan McClure, chef de cuisine of Common House, says he drew inspiration for his creations from a dish he prepared for his family, a wine dinner for a local farm in Hanover and his appreciation for renowned chef Thomas Keller, respectively.
Duke’s and Sauer Brands — the Richmond-based food production company that manufactures the mayonnaise — will each be donating $5,000 to Shalom Farms, a nonprofit that grows fresh fruits and vegetables and is dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to healthy food. The farm is providing tomatoes to Ruby Scoops and ZZQ for the event.
Lupesco and Pickett each say they hope to try all the dishes prepared for the event, and they have mapped out an itinerary to hit all the establishments to make that happen.
“There's no better time to celebrate the iconic duo of mayo and tomatoes than right now in tomato season,” Pickett says. “The whole idea behind the event is like twofold: One, it's celebrating that duo — which is over 100 years old because the brand is that old — and two, encouraging people to come out and get back in the swing of going to their favorite restaurants and supporting their restaurants as they bounce back from the pandemic.”
