Hellmann's "America's Sandwich" Appears at the Smithsonian Cafe with VML

Sep. 02, 2026

As brands looked for authentic ways to participate in cultural milestones surrounding America’s 250th birthday, Hellmann’s in partnership with VML recently launched a nationwide, 50-state bracket tournament to solve a long-standing culinary debate: What is America’s official sandwich?

After weeks of voting and rivalries across the US, Hellmann’s officially crowned Pennsylvania’s Philly Cheesesteak as "America’s Sandwich."

Jessica Grigoriou, SVP of Marketing, Condiments at Unilever North America said: 

“America chose the Cheesesteak, so now we’re giving it the celebration it deserves. We’re bringing America’s Sandwich to the Smithsonian, where fans can celebrate its place in American food culture and, of course, taste it with the perfect creamy finishing touch of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. After all, you can’t celebrate America’s Sandwich without America’s number one mayo.”

 

Josh Parschauer, Group Creative Director & Will Gardner, Group Creative Director at VML said: 

“It’s not every day that a brand gets to make a claim on behalf of an entire country. We saw how much pride states take in their signature sandwiches – from Maine’s lobster roll to California's tuna salad – and realized America was missing a sandwich of its own. What better time to find that sandwich than in celebration of America’s 250th birthday? And what better brand to do it than America’s #1 mayo.”

 

Tapping into local food pride and digital consumer engagement, the campaign brought together fans across all 50 states to vote through round-by-round matchups of iconic regional favorites.

Last week on Thursday, August 27th the sandwich was placed on the menu at the Smithsonian cafe where it will be a featured menu item until September 17th. There was a sampling for all of the museum's guests that day. See below for assets from the sampling: