The Story of Chef Boyardee
Who is Chef Boyardee? Ettore J. ‘Hector’ Boiardi was born on 22 October 1897 in Piacenza, Provincia di Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. At 11 years of age, he began working as an apprentice chef in a hotel in Piacenza. At 16 years of age, on 9 May 1914, he arrived at Ellis Island aboard the ship “La Lorraine,” and he and his brother Paolo ‘Paul’ Boiardi went to work in the kitchen at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Eventually, the young cook worked his way up to become the head chef. By 1915, Hector Boiardi was in charge of food catering for the wedding of American President Woodrow Wilson, at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, and he later supervised the catering of the homecoming meal for 2,000 World War One soldiers at the White House. In 1923, he married Helen Wroblewski, and together the couple had one son. At 28 years of age, in 1926, Hector Boiardi opened his Il Giardino d’Italia (English: The Garden of Italy) restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. His customers asked for bottles of his pasta sauce so that they could serve it at home, and he obliged. He then added cheeses and pasta to the sauce. In 1927, he met and collaborated with two of his restaurant patrons, Maurice and Eva Weiner, owners of a chain of self-service grocery stores, to begin making his food products on a larger scale. Mr. Boiardi and his brothers Mario Boiardi and Paolo ‘Paul’ Boiardi began to process first sauces and then other foods, at a canning plant for distribution across the United States. The popularity of Hector Boiardi’s products led to an expanded factory in 1928, and by 1929 he was selling his spaghetti products nationwide. A decade later, in 1938, the Boiardi family moved their company to Milton, Pennsylvania, where they began to grow fresh produce, including tomatoes and mushrooms, as ingredients in their food products. It was during this time that Mr. Boiardi began to sell his packaged products with the name ‘Chef Boyardee,’ so that his customers could more easily pronounce his Italian name. Hector Boiardi sold his company for just under 6 million dollars in 1946 to American Home Foods (which later became International Home Foods), though continuing to be involved as an advisor in their canned pasta business for the remainder of his life. Mr. Boiardi’s name, spelled phonetically as ‘Boyardee’ and his likeness are still on the food labels. Ettore J. ‘Hector’ Boiardi passed on at 87 years of age on 21 June 1985 in Parma, Ohio, United States of America. His life’s work is available at your favorite market or internet retailer, and you can also find out where it is available near you by visiting the Chef Boyardee website at www.ChefBoyardee.com.
Who is Chef Boyardee? Ettore J. ‘Hector’ Boiardi was born on 22 October 1897 in Piacenza, Provincia di Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. At 11 years of age, he began working as an apprentice chef in a hotel in Piacenza. At 16 years of age, on 9 May 1914, he arrived at Ellis Island aboard the ship “La Lorraine,” and he and his brother Paolo ‘Paul’ Boiardi went to work in the kitchen at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Eventually, the young cook worked his way up to become the head chef. By 1915, Hector Boiardi was in charge of food catering for the wedding of American President Woodrow Wilson, at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, and he later supervised the catering of the homecoming meal for 2,000 World War One soldiers at the White House. In 1923, he married Helen Wroblewski, and together the couple had one son. At 28 years of age, in 1926, Hector Boiardi opened his Il Giardino d’Italia (English: The Garden of Italy) restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. His customers asked for bottles of his pasta sauce so that they could serve it at home, and he obliged. He then added cheeses and pasta to the sauce. In 1927, he met and collaborated with two of his restaurant patrons, Maurice and Eva Weiner, owners of a chain of self-service grocery stores, to begin making his food products on a larger scale. Mr. Boiardi and his brothers Mario Boiardi and Paolo ‘Paul’ Boiardi began to process first sauces and then other foods, at a canning plant for distribution across the United States. The popularity of Hector Boiardi’s products led to an expanded factory in 1928, and by 1929 he was selling his spaghetti products nationwide. A decade later, in 1938, the Boiardi family moved their company to Milton, Pennsylvania, where they began to grow fresh produce, including tomatoes and mushrooms, as ingredients in their food products. It was during this time that Mr. Boiardi began to sell his packaged products with the name ‘Chef Boyardee,’ so that his customers could more easily pronounce his Italian name. Hector Boiardi sold his company for just under 6 million dollars in 1946 to American Home Foods (which later became International Home Foods), though continuing to be involved as an advisor in their canned pasta business for the remainder of his life. Mr. Boiardi’s name, spelled phonetically as ‘Boyardee’ and his likeness are still on the food labels. Ettore J. ‘Hector’ Boiardi passed on at 87 years of age on 21 June 1985 in Parma, Ohio, United States of America. His life’s work is available at your favorite market or internet retailer, and you can also find out where it is available near you by visiting the Chef Boyardee website at www.ChefBoyardee.com.
The name ‘Chef Boyardee’ and likenesses of Ettore J. ‘Hector’ Boiardi are trademarked properties of ConAgra Foods.
What will be your life’s work, where will it take you, and what will coming generations say about you?
What will be your life’s work, where will it take you, and what will coming generations say about you?
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