Sam Mason's Mayonnaise: Former WD-50 Chef To Open Aioli Shop In Brooklyn

Since he left his post as the highly lauded, absurdly creative pastry chef at Wylie Dufresne's WD-50 restaurant, Sam Mason has bounced around quite a bit. He opened (and closed) a cocktail-centric restaurant in downtown Manhattan called Tailor, he hosted a food show on IFC called Dinner With The Band and he opened a relaxed bar called Lady Jay's in Williamsburg. But his next venture is far odder still: he's opening a store in Brooklyn that will sell only mayonnaise.

Apparently, the new venture is an outgrowth of a small mayonnaise business he's been running out of food festival Smorgasburg in Brooklyn all summer. The business is called Empire Mayo, and is a collaboration with fashion designer Elizabeth Valleau. Flavors for the high-end mayo, which comes in cute little jars, include parmesan, mushroom, foie gras and coffee.

We at HuffPost Food love a good flavored aioli, and have been to restaurants with mayo lists longer than their wine lists. But they're usually french fry specialists, and the different varieties are dipping sauces for crunchy french fries. The main hangup we're having with the idea of an all-mayo storefront is one of decor. When you walk in, will you be surrounded on all sides by refrigerators stocked with full rainbows of mayonnaise? That sounds a little scary, even to us.

The Empire Mayo storefront opens in November at 564 Vanderbilt Ave. in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights.

Comments

[MiseryChick]

05:54 PM on 09/22/2011

Save your money and make your own aioli. Take two egg yolks, add the juice of one lemon and a dash of salt, put it in a blender or food processor until it's slightly thickened, then slowly pour olive oil until it's the right consistency for mayo, finish with some roasted garlic. From there you can use your imagination and do whatever you want with it! Try adding some curry or sriracha for example - be creative and go to town.

[Canadiananana]

12:29 PM on 09/22/2011

Never once thought, while I was adding diced roasted red peppers, wasabi, etc. to mayo for the kids, "Gee, I should open a business!" Shows me!

[Monicalups]

03:20 AM on 09/22/2011

Sounds like heaven to me... this is where I will be doing my Christmas shopping! :)

[BinghamLofts]

12:53 PM on 09/21/2011

next stop, an all ketchup store... love me some ketchup!

[millefleur]

09:51 AM on 09/21/2011

This totally makes my day, my year and quite possibly my LIFE!! Eggs and oil — the possibilities are endless.

[StephenJK]

05:47 AM on 09/21/2011

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of things you can do with mayo. It's God's gift to the culinary world. LOL

[fishnetdiver]

04:48 AM on 09/21/2011

why am I reminded of Martin Mull and Fred Willard's "History of White People in America" mockumentary?
"Honey! We're out of mayonaise!"
"It's okay dad, you can use my jar!"
"Or mine!"
"Thanks Billy and Susie! You've saved the weekend cookout!"

[cameron d]

04:39 PM on 09/20/2011

A boutique food shop in Brooklyn? Get out of town! (I kid, I kid.)

[Karl Wilder]

04:21 PM on 09/20/2011

Only in New York kids...only in New York.