Charlie Bolin takes his mayonnaise personally. The recipe comes from his mother (the brand's namesake), and Bolin says it was the last thing that she wrote down for him before she died. Could that be why it’s so delicious? Or is it simply because every ingredient is natural, because you can actually taste the lemon juice, onion, and two sunny egg yolks in each jar?
Irene’s Mayonnaise hit the St. Louis market three years ago, and it can be found in the refrigerated sections of such stores as Straub’s, Lucky’s Market in Rock Hill, Edibles & Essentials, John Viviano & Sons Grocers, Ladue Market, Pete’s Market, Parker’s Table, and Larder & Cupboard.
“This is true gourmet mayonnaise,” says Bolin, who runs his company, Irene Foods, from his home in Richmond Heights. ”It’s not like the traditional store-bought stuff.”
The mayo is flecked with pepper, and there’s a faint, pleasing toothiness from the onion. It’s airier and creamier than many other brands, and there’s no oily aftertaste. Bolin says water is the second ingredient to most mayonnaise after, but he uses egg yolks. The only other ingredients are canola oil, lemon juice, Grey Poupon mustard, and vinegar.
“People are always looking for something special and clean,” says Bolin’s distributor, Katie Geisert of Farm to You Market. “It’s been very well-received.”
Bolin says he's following in his great grandfather’s footsteps: Charles D. Bolin helped bring Kellogg’s Corn Flakes to the market in 1906. “My great grandfather and I did similar things at different times,”’Bolin says. “I am proud to carry on the family’s name.”
For now, a manufacturer in Rogers, Arkansas, makes one batch of 1,200 jars per year. But Bolin says he’s just been approved to be a vendor on Amazon.
“I’ll never give up on my mom’s mayonnaise,” he says. “Once people taste it, they realize it’s night and day.”
