Of ‘Maters and Mayo: Hot Tomato Summer and the History of Duke’s

It’s that special time of year, when it’s too dang hot to do anything but sit back and enjoy a tomato sandwich. And what’s a sandwich without a little schmear? That’s right, it’s time for Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer!

Hot Tomato Summer began in Richmond in 2021 to promote the timeless flavor pairing of ripe tomatoes and tangy Duke’s Mayo. Since then, the celebration has expanded to Greenville, Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Knoxville. In each city, participating restaurants create dishes incorporating the star ingredients, with bonus points for innovation. A second Virginia city – Virginia Beach – joins in the fun this year. Visit hottomatosummer.com for participating restaurants and their specials. One restaurant in each city will be honored with the Golden Tomato Award and reign supreme, at least until next summer.

Duke’s Mayo was invented in 1917 by Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina, where she sold sandwiches to World War I soldiers at the nearby Camp Sevier. Duke built upon this success and partnered with local drugstores and grocery stores to expand sandwich distribution. Following the success of her sandwich business, the enterprising Mrs. Duke began manufacturing her famous mayonnaise for sale and became an influential businesswoman, community figure, and suffragist in Greenville.

The demand for Duke’s continued to grow throughout the 1920s. In 1929, Eugenia Duke sold her business to the C. F. Sauer Company. The Sauer Company, founded in Richmond in 1887, already had a well-established business manufacturing extracts and spices when it acquired Duke’s. Eugenia remained involved as a salesperson for the brand.

These early advertisements in Virginia newspapers show that Duke’s was making its way from South Carolina to Virginia grocery store shelves in the 1920s. Sales representatives visited communities to demonstrate the use of Duke’s Mayonnaise, Relish, and Russian Dressing, as seen in this Rockbridge County News announcement from 1924.

The Sauer Company increased production and advertising for Duke’s Mayo. In many ads, they co-promoted their extracts and spices along with the mayonnaise. Only one ad mentions Mrs. Duke and the origin of the famous condiment.

Many advertisements specifically appealed to housewives and mothers. Duke’s “subtle goodness” is selected by Today’s Woman, who must balance a multitude of identities and still make dinner.

Hot Tomato Summer isn’t Duke’s first promotional contest. In 1931, they gave cash prizes to those who submitted the best answers to “Why I Prefer Duke’s Mayonnaise.”

Today, Duke’s Mayo is manufactured in Mauldin, South Carolina, still using Eugenia Duke’s original recipe. Hot Tomato Summer runs from July 17-27, so get out to a participating restaurant in your area this weekend to take part in this Southern culinary tradition.

All newspaper ads are from Virginia Chronicle, the Library of Virginia’s free online newspaper database.

Further Reading

• • Dieterle, Jarrett. Worth The Whisk: How The Woman Behind Duke’s Mayo Became A Tycoon, 7 June 2018. Accessed via NPR’s The Salt.
  • Duke’s Mayo Timeline, https://dukesmayo.com/pages/history
  • “Hot Tomato Summer Returns with New Flavors, New City, and Even More Mayo” – PRNewswire Press Release
  • Sauer Brands: Our History, https://sauerbrandsinc.com/pages/our-story
  • StudySC: Eugenia Duke. Accessed via South Carolina State Library.