For decades, Axelrod Onion Dip & Dressing has been more than just a favorite appetizer for my family. It's been a fixture at every function, as reliably present as (if not more enthusiastically requested than) relatives at our birthday parties, backyard graduation celebrations, Christmas Day dinners, and fall Sunday gatherings. 

‘Axelrod’, as we call it in our family, was how we taught—okay, tricked—the grandkids into eating their veggies (though making ‘ice cream cones’ by dipping Bugles in Axelrod was an equally popular pastime). Axelrod anchored every crudite and took center stage in every chip-and-dip. When the Axelrod was brought out onto the porch, it signaled the start of happy hour—the unofficial-official kickoff of our family fun. 

And once we all grew up, and spent the occasional evening together at our local hometown pub, we’d gather late-night at the kitchen counter and break it out of the fridge to keep our laughs and good times going. We’d track it down wherever life brought us: from grocery stores down the Jersey shore during summer vacations to Instacart orders during the darkest days of the pandemic. 

When I was a homesick college student, my Mom would pack this dip into a cooler bag for the three-and-a-half-hour drive so I could have a taste of home. Because that’s what Axelrod is to me and my family: Home. 

This petition is not just about reinstating a discontinued grocery store product—it's about nostalgia; it's about comfort; it's about celebration and cherished memories. The discontinuation of this product has left a void in our family traditions. It pulls a thread that threatens to unravel the fabric of our gatherings, which have already been made more difficult as life and distance and jobs and kids add extra complexity. (Is this a lot to ask of onion dip? Yes. But I believe in the power of Axelrod!) 

We understand that businesses must make tough decisions based on market trends and bottom lines. However, we believe that there is still significant demand for Axelrod Onion Dip & Dressing, not only from my family, but from countless others who have made this product part of the happiest and most important days of their lives. Profit margins aside, that’s the value of this product. What is that worth to a company like Hood? 

We urge Hood to reconsider its decision and reinstate production of Axelrod Onion Dip & Dressing so that families like ours can pass along these traditions to future generations. Please sign this petition if you agree.