Blue Plate marks 100 years with Gulf South cookbook

Blue Plate Mayonnaise is launching its centennial celebration with Dressed, a 256-page cookbook due Oct. 15 that pairs more than 100 recipes with stories from Gulf South cooks and chefs. The book aims to spotlight the foodways, traditions and people that shaped the New Orleans brand over nearly a century.

Why it matters: - Blue Plate is using its 100-year milestone to connect the brand’s history to the broader food culture of the Gulf South. - The cookbook is designed to preserve recipes, family traditions and regional cooking styles that have shaped Southern tables for generations. - The book also gives Blue Plate a fresh way to stay culturally relevant as the brand enters its second century.

What happened: - Blue Plate Mayonnaise announced Dressed: 100 Years of Blue Plate Mayonnaise and the Foodways of the Gulf South as the centerpiece of its centennial celebration. - The cookbook goes on sale Oct. 15 and is available for preorder now. - The book features more than 100 recipes from chefs and home cooks across Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and the Southeast. - The project is built around storytelling by James Beard Award-winning author Cheryl Slocum and photography by Denny Culbert. - Blue Plate was founded in New Orleans in 1927.

The details: - Dressed is organized around the ways people gather and share food, from everyday meals and simple sandwiches to backyard cookouts, celebrations and Sunday suppers. - The cookbook includes 15 contributors whose recipes reflect generations of Southern cooking. - Featured contributors include Emeril Lagasse, Lucas McKinney, Justin Kennedy, Roscoe Hall, Emily Shaya, Robert St. John, Bo Reily, Michael Gulotta, Peter Nguyen, Jolie Meaux, Arkesha Baquet, Julie Vaucresson, Tony Hietbrink, Hannah Jobe and Cheryl Slocum. - Recipes in the book range from Crabmeat Remick and Fried Shrimp Po-Boy to Red Beans and Rice, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Braciolone with Red Gravy and Spiced Sandwich Cookies. - The collection also includes dishes such as shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, debris po-boys, grilled cheese, root beer-glazed ham and lemon pound cake. - Dressed is 256 pages and costs $39.95. - The book is available through Hoffman Media, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org. - The ISBN is 978-1-971708-04-1. - Blue Plate describes its egg-yolk-only mayonnaise recipe as a longtime staple across the South. - Blue Plate calls itself the official mayonnaise of po-boys. - The company is the largest family-owned mayonnaise brand in the United States. - More information is available at Blue Plate's website.

Between the lines: - The cookbook frames mayonnaise as a cultural connector, not just a condiment, and uses that idea to broaden the brand story beyond product heritage. - By centering Gulf South chefs, restaurants and home cooks, Blue Plate is tying its identity to regional pride and family memory. - The mix of restaurant names, home-style dishes and personal stories suggests the company is aiming for both nostalgia and cookbook appeal. - Hoffman Media’s involvement signals a traditional publishing approach meant to position the book as a keepsake, not a promotional booklet.

What's next: - Dressed will reach readers and shoppers when it hits shelves on Oct. 15. - Blue Plate is likely to use the centennial year to amplify the brand’s history and its ties to Gulf South kitchens. - The company’s anniversary campaign may continue to lean on heritage-driven storytelling as the brand celebrates 100 years.

The bottom line: - Blue Plate is turning its centennial into a regional food story, with a cookbook meant to preserve, sell and celebrate the culture that built the brand.