I

n the South, mayonnaise could be its own food group.

“We may argue over the correct way to pronounce ‘pecan’ and which barbecue sauce reigns supreme, but there’s no argument when it comes to mayonnaise,” contends James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef Virginia Willis. “We take our mayo pretty seriously — and if it’s not homemade, it’s got to be Duke’s.”

Ashley Strickland Freeman would agree. That’s why Freeman included Willis’ quote in her new cookbook that celebrates the joys of Duke’s Mayonnaise. “The Duke’s Mayonnaise