Thousand Island salad dressing can be found on store shelves across the country, but its origins have roots right here in the 1000 Islands region. And as our Amanda Kelley tells us the legends behind its creation have been bringing big attention to the area recently.

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THOUSAND ISLANDS, N.Y. -- It's a rivalry full of flavor in the 1000 Islands region - two legends of how the famous Thousand Island salad dressing came to be.

Boldt Facilities Director Shane Sanford said, "There is some competition, local competition, friendly competition as to where it was first originated."

Boldt Castle tells visitors the dressing was invented by one of George Boldt's stewards. It was a creation made aboard the Yacht Louise while cruising the St. Lawrence when Boldt's chef lacked ingredients for salad dressing.

But if you go to the 1000 Islands Inn just down the river, you'll find another story.

Thousand Islands Inn Owner Allen Benas said, "The dressing was created by the wife of a fishing guide, who would serve it to his fishing customers at shore dinners. They're one of the longest traditions on the river."

There's even a third legend that links the dressing to the Chicago area, each story adding its own flavor to history.

But the mysterious origins of the salad dressing and the rivalry between the two stories has surprisingly brought a lot of attention to the Thousand Islands.

CBS crews descended upon the 1000 Islands this past week, taking a look at the mysterious history of the dressing while exploring the St. Lawrence River. Meanwhile a WCNY PBS Documentary, 'The Mysterious Origin of Thousand Island Dressing' highlights this same legend. They say their research finds a little truth in each story.

Documentary Writer/Director Eric J. Roberts said, "The interesting thing that we found is that there's a reason these stories exist. Each has a role, no one is right, no one is wrong. Everyone was right in some way, everyone was wrong in some way."

Regardless of who's right and who's wrong, the business owners say they believe the national spotlight will bring an extra boost to to tourism this summer.

Benas said, "There are a lot of people that don't know there are Thousand Islands or where it is, so with this publicity which will go nationwide, it's going to introduce a lot of people to our existence and hopefully entice a lot of people to visit."

It's just the right recipe for success.