Baton Rouge natives probably remember the first time they realized Sensation salad dressing wasn’t mass marketed. Richard Hanley, founder of Hanley’s Foods, certainly does, and it was the spark that led him to devise his own recipe and build a company around it.
Our city’s signature dressing was originally invented by Chef Jake Staples in the early ’40s at the erstwhile Bob & Jake’s Restaurant on Government Street, and it’s since been replicated at restaurants all over the city. Hanley was the first to trademark it, though, after months of test batches to find just the right classic flavor. He’s brought it into the 21st century, and now you can find it on grocery shelves and in quick-bite restaurants like The Salad Shop.
Of course, Hanley can’t reveal his secret recipe, but we do know that all sensation dressings have the same basic ingredients: grated Romano cheese, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Are you Baton Rouge enough to figure out the correct ratio yourself?
