Personal Injury Attorney in Mayo, SC

GREENVILLE — A new cookbook is giving Upstate residents another reason to eat mayonnaise, as if anybody needed one.

VisitGreenvilleSC, Greenville County’s tourism marketer, is releasing Eugenia Duke's Unofficial Mayo Guide to Greenville, a Duke’s Mayo-focused cookbook to celebrate the mayonnaise’s creation in Greenville 108 years ago.

The book features 24 recipes from local restaurants — like Comal 864, Soby’s and Stella’s Southern Bistro — all with a hefty dose of mayonnaise.

“Living in the South, you know that it's just an ingredient that everyone can't get enough of, and so we're super proud of that heritage,” said Brenda Cassabon, a public relations professional representing VisitGreenville.

She added “we kind of had a culinary gold mine on our hands, so to speak. And so we wanted to make sure that people knew that.”

VisitGreenville has capitalized on Duke’s Mayo’s cult following in recent years, introducing not just a cookbook but also a Mayo Trail with historic sites and local restaurants connected to Duke’s Mayo.

Cassabon said Greenville’s connection to Duke’s Mayo has flown under the radar in some ways. With Greenville approaching a number of culinary milestones – like Top Chef filming in the city and the Michelin Guide coming to the Southeast – now is the right time to remind people.

“I think it's a vehicle in order to tell Greenville's culinary story, and Duke’s is such a big part of that story,” Cassabon said.

South Carolina has long sworn by the classic mayonnaise known for its distinctive tang, even if the company is no longer based in the Palmetto State.

While Duke’s Mayo still operates a factory near Mauldin, the Boston-based private equity firm Advent International purchased Duke’s Virginia-based parent company earlier this year, according to previous Post and Courier reporting.

But Greenville is where it all started.

In 1917, Eugenia Duke began making sandwiches for soldiers stationed at Camp Sevier during World War I. She did so from her home kitchen in Greenville, selling the sandwiches for a dime a piece, according to a local historic marker.

The sandwiches were popular, but the mayonnaise was a hit.

By 1923, Duke began bottling the condiment from a factory along the Reedy River. The factory, now known as the Wyche Pavillion, still stands in downtown Greenville.

In 1929, Duke sold the company to a Virginia food distributor and served as spokesperson before eventually moving to California.

Many of the recipes in VisitGreenville’s cookbook feature traditional uses of mayonnaise, like coleslaw from Bobby’s BBQ or heirloom tomato sliders from Fireforge Crafted Beer.

Other recipes find more innovative ways to use mayonnaise, like Fork and Plough’s beef carpaccio with smoked paprika aioli or Feed and Seed’s pimento pierogi stuffed with potatoes, cheddar cheese, pimento peppers and mayonnaise.

The chefs at Topsoil even offer up a recipe for what they call “blueberry swamp cobbler pie.”

Cassabon said finding chefs to contribute a recipe using Duke’s Mayo wasn’t difficult.

“It seems that every Southern chef has a story with Duke’s and a really fond memory to it,” she said.

After a career dedicated to caring for patients with cancer, Nancy Drourr expected retirement to be the start of a new chapter. However, when troubling health issues emerged, she had to put her plans on hold.

Nancy turned to Mayo Clinic, where a care team uncovered a rare and complex disease called sarcoidosis. Now, with answers, Nancy has resumed the pursuit of a lifelong goal and wrote a letter to her care team thanking them for giving her hope.

Watch: Science of angels': A mother's thankful letter for team who diagnosed rare disease

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (2:13) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"I invested in a very rewarding career taking care of cancer patients. I believed that a big part of my life included service above self," says Nancy.

After retiring in 2022, Nancy noticed changes in her health. A lingering rash, fatigue and short-term memory challenges led to two years of tests and appointments with physicians near her home in Tampa, Florida.

"Being a patient was a new position for me," says Nancy. "I took care of patients, and I take care of people. I felt I needed more support than what I was getting."

When bloodwork in 2024 suggested Nancy may have a severe kidney condition, she turned to Mayo Clinic.

"When I saw the MRI and the results, there was a concerning finding, which was bone lesions and spleen lesions, and to the radiologist, it was concerning," says Dr. Fouad Chebib, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. "We needed to figure out in a timely manner the source, if it's cancer, but otherwise it could be an infectious process or other autoimmune disease."

Sarcoidosis diagnosis

A biopsy ruled out cancer, but did confirm a diagnosis of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that affects approximately 200,000 people in the U.S.

"In the case of Nancy, it was quite severe with multiple organs being involved, from skin to bone to spleen to many other organs, and it significantly affected her life," says Dr. Chebib.

Treatment plan

While there is no known cure for sarcoidosis, Nancy's care team, including experts in rheumatology, oncology, infectious diseases and other areas, developed a treatment plan to manage her disease.

"It was within my power now to navigate this disease and not give up on the things that brought me such joy in this life," says Nancy. "Dr. Chebib was my angel, and he made sure I had everything I needed to get answers."

"I'm passionate about making sure that the disease does not dictate the lives of my patients, getting to the bottom of the problem, and making sure we get the answers to things that potentially have not been answered elsewhere," says Dr. Chebib.

Nancy receives weekly treatment and regular follow-ups to measure progress. She's also given more thought to her textile design business. The dream influenced by her grandmother decades ago was put on hold to focus on her health.

Nancy's journey also inspired her to write a letter to her care team titled "The Science of Angels," in which she shares her gratitude for the diagnosis and treatment options.

"I will forever remember how deeply the science of angels impacted my life and those of my loving sons," Nancy reads. "Thank you for instilling hope and a medical path forward in the treatment of my rare and complex disease."