Inside “Dressed” – The Cooks, Kitchens, and Recipes Behind 100 Years of Blue Plate
There’s a moment at every good Gulf South table when someone reaches for the jar. It happens over a po-boy on a paper-lined tray, beside a Sunday pot of red beans, at the tailgate, at the reunion, at the kitchen counter at midnight. Around here, that’s called getting it dressed. And for 100 years, the jar has been Blue Plate.
Dressed: 100 Years of Blue Plate Mayo and the Foodways of the Gulf South marks our 100th anniversary, and it’s our way of saying thank you to the cooks who made that true. Written by James Beard Award-winning author Cheryl Slocum and photographed by Lafayette-based Denny Culbert, the book gathers more than 100 recipes from chefs and cooks across Louisiana, the Gulf Coast, and the broader Southeast, alongside favorites from Blue Plate’s own kitchen. It’s also a portrait of a place that has always understood that food isn’t the fuel for a good life. It’s where the good life happens.
A love letter to the Gulf South
Dressed celebrates the families, neighbors and cooks who know that even the simplest meal can mean something special. From everyday sandwiches to backyard cookouts, Sunday suppers and celebrations that bring everyone home, the collection reflects the traditions we share and the care we put into feeding one another.
New Orleans classics, Gulf Coast seafood and Southern comfort food fill its pages, alongside familiar favorites and a few surprises. Some dishes may remind you of someone who always made them best. Others may become your own tradition. These are recipes made to be passed around, savored and made again, carrying the flavors we love into new memories around the table.
Pull up a chair and take a look inside
The best part of making this book was the people. We asked chefs, restaurateurs, and home cooks we admire to share a dish that tastes like where they come from. The culinary creations our friends came back with are as varied as the Gulf South itself. Have a look at these highlights – to name just a few:
- Crabmeat Remick from world-famous Chef Emeril Lagasse of New Orleans
- Redfish on the Half Shell with Lemon Remoulade from Biloxi, Mississippi native Chef Lucas McKinney of Josephine’s in Houston, named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s 2026 Best New Chefs
- Fried Shrimp Po-Boy from Justin Kennedy of the famous po-boy eatery, Parkway Bakery & Tavern in New Orleans
- Satsuma Roasted Game Hens from Roscoe Hall of Post Office Pies in Birmingham, Alabama
- Emily Shaya’s Famous Red Beans and Rice from Emily Shaya of Pomegranate Hospitality in New Orleans
- Fried Bologna Sandwich (aka Dad’s Super Sandwich) from Bo Reily, president and CEO of Wm. B. Reily & Co. in New Orleans – makers of Blue Plate Mayo!
- Backyard Burgers with Mississippi Comeback Sauce from Robert St. John of New South Restaurant Group in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
- Char Sui Rib Banh Mi with Chili Crisp-Soy Aioli (aka a Vietnamese Po-boy) from Peter Nguyen of Banh Mi Boys in Metairie, Louisiana
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo with Potato Salad from Louisiana native Jolie Meaux of Porch Wine & Gravy
- Braciolone with Red Gravy from Michael Gulotta of New Orleans
- Julie Vaucresson’s Rémoulade from Julie Vaucresson of the famous Vaucresson Sausage Co. in New Orleans
- Fried Chicken Mayo from Tony Hietbrink of Bourrée and Boucherie restaurants in New Orleans
- Spiced Sandwich Cookies from Cheryl Slocum, “Dressed” author and Birmingham, Alabama native
- Bobby Jean’s Garden Salad from Hannah Jobe of Blue Plate Mayonnaise in New Orleans
- Smothered Pork Chops and Onion Gravy from Arkesha Baquet of Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe in New Orleans
Something for every spread
With more than 100 recipes, picking favorites feels a little like choosing a favorite cousin. A few we keep coming back to:
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo with Potato Salad. The great Louisiana debate, settled on the plate. A scoop of cool, creamy potato salad right in the bowl is a tradition worth adopting if it isn’t already yours.
- Root Beer-Glazed Ham. Sweet, glossy, and built for a crowd. It’s the centerpiece your next holiday table didn’t know it needed.
- Fried Green Tomato Stack with Green Goddess Dressing. Crisp, tangy, and herby all at once, and proof that a dressing can be the star.
- Creole-Style Tuna Salad Sliders. Lunch-counter comfort with a little Creole kick, small enough to make you reach for a second.
- Mac and Cheese and Elevated Grilled Cheese. Two classics that show what a spoonful of Blue Plate does for richness, crust, and that golden finish.
- Lemon Pound Cake and Peach Cobbler. Yes, mayo in dessert. Ask any Southern baker and they’ll tell you it’s the secret to a tender crumb.
The foodways behind the food
Flip through the book and you’ll find the moments that happen around the food: crowded kitchens, long tables, second helpings, and the people who keep showing up for each other. Vivid storytelling and food and lifestyle photography capture what Southern kitchens actually feel like, not just what comes out of them.
The book also traces Blue Plate’s own story, from our New Orleans beginnings 100 years ago to our place in pantries across the Southeast. But Blue Plate didn’t invent the po-boy, the gumbo with potato salad, or the Sunday supper. The real subject of this book is the people who brought us into their kitchens, their lives, and their traditions.
A little history
Blue Plate started in New Orleans in 1927 with a simple promise: a jar of mayonnaise should taste just like homemade. It took more than a thousand taste tests in real customers’ kitchens to get it right. The name and label borrowed from Blue Willow china, the pattern that dressed so many Southern tables, and the first jars reached shelves the old-fashioned way, with a handful of salesmen leaving them at neighborhood markets.
In 1943, in the middle of World War II, production moved into a gleaming new factory in the Gert Town neighborhood of New Orleans. That building still stands today as the Blue Plate Artist Lofts, home to local artists, with the original Blue Plate sign still standing on the roof.
There’s more where that came from, including why the po-boy question “Do you want that dressed?” became part of the local language, how Blue Plate became the Official Mayonnaise of Po-Boys, and a few vintage ads worth framing. You’ll find it all in the opening pages of Dressed.
Get your copy:
Dressed is available for pre-order now, and it arrives on shelves October 15.
We’d love for you to pick it up at your neighborhood bookstore. Local shops are a lot like the kitchens in this book: they hold a community together. If they don’t have it on the shelf, ask them to order it (ISBN 9781971708041).
Pre-order now from:
- Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)
Starting October 15, you’ll also find it at local retailers and bookstores.
