News Love it or hate it, mayo gets more popular -- and chefs are divided Jan. 30, 2014 at 4:51 PM ET 
 
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 Don’t forget the mayo when you’re setting up your Super Bowl spread this weekend—the condiment just overtook ketchup as tops in the nation. 
 
 
 
 Americans bought $2 billion worth of mayonnaise last year, compared to $725 million in ketchup, according to market-research firm Euromonitor. (While it’s been widely reported in recent years that salsa is now the No. 1 condiment over ketchup, Euromonitor sensibly categorizes salsa as a dip, not a condiment.) 
 
 Mustard, which is a complete inverse to mayo, health-wise, came in nearly last on the list, after soy sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce, besting only steak sauce. 
 
 Mayo has always seemed to be the pet condiment among chefs, most of whom use it liberally and take pride in whisking together their own. 
 
 “Mayonnaise is the result of eggs and olive oil. They go out on a date and have a really good time," restaurateur and "Top Chef" alum Fabio Viviani told TODAY.com. “Chefs love olive oil and eggs separately. Of course they would like the combination.” 
 
 Viviani has nothing against mayo haters. “It’s a personal preference,” he says, but those who claim to hate the condiment might want to try the ham sandwich with sweet pineapple mayo from his cookbook, "Fabio’s Italian Kitchen." He also suggests trying mixing herbs, sun-dried tomato or pesto into mayo. “Think about mayonnaise as a white canvas and you are the Michelangelo of food,” he said. 
 
 But mayo has its staunch detractors, of course, even among kitchen pros. 
 
 Mayo-hating chef Stephen Jones, of Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails in Phoenix, gets around his disdain for the condiment by making a flavorful aïoli with whole grain mustard, bacon fat, roasted garlic, shallots and herbs to use in potato salad, for instance. 
 
 “I really hate mayo. It’s fatty—not the good fatty—tasteless, and just flat-out gross,” he said. “We do have it at the restaurant, but we never offer it or suggest it. If a guest does request it, we will happily give it to them, but not after we have tried to offer up one of our aïolis first though,” he joked. 
 
 “My sous chefs give me the riot act everyday about my dislike of mayo. They think I'm nuts,” he added. “But there a lot of closet mayo-haters out there and we all need to unite!” 
 
 Philadelphia-based marketing professional Craig Horwitz hates mayo so much, he started a site eight years ago called holdthatmayo.com, and is even co-directed a mockumentary film called "The Mayo Conspiracy," which will be showing in Philly on March 9 and making the film festival rounds later this year. 
 
 “Everything about mayo makes me queasy. The slimy, whitish-yellow color, the consistency, the smell, the fact that it is made from raw eggs!” Horwitz said. 
 
 He gets around the mayo issue with a lot of tomato (“extremely under-rated as a sandwich moisturizer,” he said), avocado (“one of our bigger weapons in the war against mayonnaise”) and Greek yogurt (“which solves the whole tuna fish dilemma”). 
 
 “It can be challenging at restaurants, since so many people want to slime up sandwiches and salads without first getting our permission,” Horwitz said. “The key is to stay on your toes, ask questions and usually finish the order by saying "absolutely no mayo" at a much higher volume.” 
 
 Indeed, Texas-based chef Tim Love—a spokesperson for Hellman’s—says mayo is in a lot of restaurant dishes you might not even be aware of. At his restaurants, it may be the base for a dip, used as a binder in a casserole, or added to roast chicken for moisture. 
 
 “I think mayo haters are missing out,” he says. “Haters can be won over by realizing that they've probably eaten it and enjoyed it.” ||||| “Mayochup” is already available internationally, but U.S. consumers have yet to find the condiment — a pre-mixed mayonnaise-ketchup product made by Kraft Heinz — in stores. 
 
 The company, based in Chicago and Pittsburgh, proposed changing that Wednesday on Twitter, surveying “saucy Americans” about whether or not they wanted to see the product in U.S. stores. If mayochup gets 500,000 “yes” votes before Sunday, the company says, it will debut the product. 
 
 By early Thursday afternoon there were more than 500,000 votes, with 55 percent in favor of the hybrid. Several of the nearly 8,000 comments responding to the survey were celebratory. 
 
 Predictably, however, some of the voting populace engaged in terse Twitter debate about the proposed product, finding the idea more wretched than wonderful. 
 
 “What the hell is wrong with you people? That's disgusting!!” replied Twitter user @Jack9The3Knife. 
 
 The marriage of ketchup and mayo is not new, said some, outraged at what they believe is a rebranding of “fry sauce,” a condiment thought to have originated in Utah. While some were curious about the new product, many fry sauce adherents lamented the seeming abandonment of the fry sauce name. Would the formula be similar, the beloved mayonnaise-ketchup ratio they appreciate replicated? 
 
 “This tears my heart in two,” tweeted user @waderpotater. “While I often dream of a world in which I can dip fried potatoes in fry sauce from coast to coast, I could not purchase or use a product that won't meet the necessary quality standards of fry sauce.” 
 
 Kraft Heinz, in a statement Thursday, acknowledged that the name “mayochup” is somewhat polarizing. It has committed to putting the final name up for vote if the product launches. 
 
 Dawn Scheidner, assistant professor of marketing at Lewis University in Romeoville, tweeted that she appreciates Kraft Heinz’s “using the power of consumer voice as a marketing tool,” even though she, a self-described "anti-mayo person," hates the idea. 
 
 Twitter campaigns like this drive consumer loyalty because they involve audiences in the process, Schneider said in an interview. Whether prospective buyers like the idea or not, talking about it and sharing the survey helps Kraft Heinz advance the campaign's reach, she said. And more consumers trust their friends and those they follow on social media than they do brands, Schneider said, making them even more likely to engage with promotions like this one. 
 
 "It's a really smart concept," she said, adding that Kraft Heinz has created "a buzz about a product that literally doesn't exist yet." 
 
 Another unanswered question: If mayochup does hit store shelves in Chicago, will it be an acceptable condiment on hot dogs? 
 
 eolumhense@chicagotribune.com 
 
 Twitter @essayolumhense ||||| CLOSE Heinz, the popular ketchup brand, took to Twitter to announce the potential new product, 'Mayochup.' USA TODAY 
 
 Heinz is considering selling in the U.S. a new condiment called Mayochup that combines mayonnaise and ketchup. (Photo: Heinz) 
 
 Is it disgusting, a rip-off product or just the thing you have been waiting for all your life? 
 
 Those are just some of the social media reactions to the possible launch of a new Heinz condiment called Mayochup. 
 
 Heinz is allowing consumers to vote on whether this new product — a pre-made blend of mayonnaise and ketchup in one container — should be sold in the United States. 
 
 From now through April 15, you can vote in a Twitter poll, and if the poll closes with 500,000 yes votes, Americans will have their chance. Currently the product is only available in some Middle East Gulf states. 
 
 Want #mayochup in stores? 500,000 votes for “yes” and we’ll release it to you saucy Americans. — Heinz Ketchup (@HeinzKetchup_US) April 11, 2018 
 
 "We’ve seen a fierce debate on Twitter, with over 200,000 already voting yes," said Nicole Kulwicki, Director of Marketing for Heinz. "It’s looking like Heinz Mayochup has a strong chance of launching." 
 
 But not all the reactions have been positive with people on social media. Here's how some people are responding: 
 
 This is disgusting 
 
 Mayochup? It sounds like what you throw up after eating bad mayonnaise. — Ricky Babaloo (@RickyBabaloo) April 11, 2018 
 
 This is a rip-off: It's already a product 
 
 Y'all act like this is something new. Half a million votes for yes. Lol pic.twitter.com/IZ2lrMwcXY — Pat BACON (@patbacon007) April 12, 2018 
 
 And salsa golf in Argentina. And mayoketchup in Puerto Rico. Goya’s been producing it for years. I also have a German brand in my pantry. — Travis Nichols (@travisnichols) April 12, 2018 
 
 This is crazy same thing different name 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3L39X9ETBO — Austin Anderson (@AustinA801) April 12, 2018 
 
 Heinz acknowledged the references to other products. "The next question at hand is whether we call this delicious blend Mayochup or Fry Sauce," Kulwicki said. "We know our friends in Idaho and Utah are passionate about Fry Sauce, and we’ve seen lots of other great suggestions online, so if we get to 500K YES votes, we will be giving the nation a say in our final name." 
 
 Do we need a 3rd bottle: Too lazy? 
 
 I was gonna say no cause I don’t like mayo, but then I thought, people will be too lazy to have made their own. And they can probably balance it right, so why not. its not even for me lmao — Timothy (Child Of America and France!) (@TnelisGnimaercs) April 12, 2018 
 
 It combines two bottles, so really we're eliminating one for you. — Heinz Ketchup (@HeinzKetchup_US) April 11, 2018 
 
 No your not. I don't put ketchup AND mayo on everything...its not hard to follow..I need separate bottles. It's only good for burgers imo... — Steve #NYY, #NYG (@sdt927) April 11, 2018 
 
 This is just what I need 
 
 HEINZ! I need Mayochup! Please bless me! I’ve waited my whole life for this — Frap (@FrapAllison) April 12, 2018 
 
 Yes! Yes! Yes! I need this in my life right now! pic.twitter.com/SSUDmwRREd — James Tategami (@Amazoness_King) April 11, 2018 
 
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– You put it on hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and a whole slew of other stuff, but ketchup doesn't even come close to the king of condiments. That would be mayonnaise—$2 billion of which is sold in the US each year, compared with around $800 million of the red stuff, Euromonitor data shows, per Quartz. In fact, ketchup almost missed out on the number two spot to soy sauce, which came in at $725 million, followed by barbeque sauce at $660 million, hot sauce at $550 million, and mustard at $450 million. (If you're wondering about salsa, it was considered a dip in this case, but would have grabbed the No. 2 spot from ketchup.) While one chef tells NBC News that mayo is "fatty—not the good fatty," the condiment's top spot doesn't necessarily show off America's love of fatty foods. Quartz points out that the low-fat mayo market has doubled since 2005 as Americans look for healthier options. Another reason for its peak position? It's in everything from tuna salad to spicy tuna rolls, plus hidden in plenty of restaurant dishes you're probably not aware of. Meanwhile, amid mayo's success, Heinz is trying to boost its ketchup sales with its first Super Bowl ad in 16 years, which Adweek has here.