Chef Boyardee
Encyclopedia
Chef Boyardee is a brand of canned pasta
products sold internationally by ConAgra Foods
. Named after its founder, Italian-American immigrant Ettore Boiardi
, the company began production in the United States in the 1920s. Along with its canned products, Chef Boyardee also markets boxed pizza
and lasagna
mixes.
opened the Giardino d'Italia restaurant at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio
. The idea for Chef Boyardee came about when restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his recipe and his ingredients. He opened a factory in 1928, moving production to Milton, Pennsylvania
ten years later. He decided to name his product "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans pronounce his name.
In 1946 the company was sold to American Home Products
. The brand was distributed for use by United States armed forces. American Home Products turned its food division into International Home Foods in 1996. Four years later, International Home Foods was purchased by ConAgra Foods
, which continues to produce Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Ettore Boiardi's likeness.
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
products sold internationally by ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
. Named after its founder, Italian-American immigrant Ettore Boiardi
Ettore Boiardi
Ettore "Hector" Boiardi was the Italian-born chef famous for his eponymous brand of food products, named Chef Boyardee.-Early life:Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy, to Giuseppe and Maria Maffi Boiardi...
, the company began production in the United States in the 1920s. Along with its canned products, Chef Boyardee also markets boxed pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
and lasagna
Lasagna
Lasagna is a wide and flat type of pasta and possibly one of the oldest shapes. As with most other pasta shapes, the word is generally used in its plural form lasagne in Italy and the U.K. Traditionally, the dough was prepared in Southern Italy with semolina and water and in the northern regions,...
mixes.
History
In 1924, BoiardiEttore Boiardi
Ettore "Hector" Boiardi was the Italian-born chef famous for his eponymous brand of food products, named Chef Boyardee.-Early life:Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy, to Giuseppe and Maria Maffi Boiardi...
opened the Giardino d'Italia restaurant at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The idea for Chef Boyardee came about when restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his recipe and his ingredients. He opened a factory in 1928, moving production to Milton, Pennsylvania
Milton, Pennsylvania
Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg. Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890...
ten years later. He decided to name his product "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans pronounce his name.
In 1946 the company was sold to American Home Products
Wyeth
Wyeth, formerly one of the companies owned by American Home Products Corporation , was a pharmaceutical company. The company was based in Madison, New Jersey, USA...
. The brand was distributed for use by United States armed forces. American Home Products turned its food division into International Home Foods in 1996. Four years later, International Home Foods was purchased by ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
, which continues to produce Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Ettore Boiardi's likeness.