A Sweet and Spicy Homage: Papou’s Dressing

For 70 years, Mike Kountouris operated the Mayflower Café in Jackson, Mississippi. The Mayflower is an institution in the South, a place where the locals break bread with lawyers, politicians, and celebrities. Through the ups and downs, Kountouris kept the spirit alive at the cafe with a secret ingredient: his family. Since his death in late 2005, his daughter, Dallasite Callie McDole, is keeping Kountouris’ spirit alive by bottling his famous Comeback Dressing. Her dad originally created the dressing for a Greek salad that he topped with a clump of crabmeat. It’s like a remoulade sauce with a swift kick of heat. “It has taken me three years to get the large batches to taste close to my dad’s,” McDole says. “My dad earned a Purple Heart in the war and lots of people loved him. I want his recipe to live on.” McDole has bottled the dressing as Papou’s Dressing. Locally, Flying Fish serves the sauce on its fish tacos, and bottles are available at Flavors from Afar (6712 Snider Plaza; 214-636-2327) and Rex’s Seafood (5200 W. Lovers Ln.; 214-351-6363). $8.99.