It's the stuff of crystal glassware, horseback riding, plenty of black-tie glamor, and in , it was the location of President Woodrow Wilson's second wedding. Not only did Boiardi take charge of catering for the wedding, but he impressed the President and the new First Lady so much that they asked him to oversee a dinner they planned for 2, soldiers who were returning from the first World War.
That would send any chef into fits of panic, but Boiardi handled it all. It's tough to imagine any commercially produced product going to extreme lengths to source their ingredients, but Chef Boiardi was so committed that when he started his company, he picked up and moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania.
The reason? Boiardi wanted a particular type of tomato for his sauce, so he headed to Milton, Pennsylvania. The town had been hard hit by the Depression, and when he gathered a group of farmers together to ask if they would grow his tomatoes, it was the beginning of change for the little town. The farmers were in, and Boiardi took over an abandoned hosiery mill to open his production facility.
That facility wasn't just for mixing and bottling, either — they even grew their own mushrooms right on the premises. Boiardi's contributions to the struggling town during those hard years hasn't been forgotten, either, and Milton erected a statue to him in Today, you can head to the grocery store and choose from a whole line of Chef Boyardee products.
But the very first product, the one that started it all, was incredibly simple. When he kicked off the company in , it was with a ready-to-heat spaghetti kit that was inspired by the products his restaurant customers used to ask him for. The kit contained uncooked pasta, a container of pre-grated cheese, and some of his sauce. The kits were marketed as not only being convenient and a nutritious option for any dinner, but as a super-affordable way to feed your entire family. Chef Boyardee the company was well established by the time World War II started, and the increased pressure on the home front meant that everyone had to pitch in and do their part.
Chef Boyardee played a major part in that, and their ready-to-eat meals weren't just shipped overseas as a crucial part of keeping soldiers fed on the front lines, they were an invaluable reminder of what was waiting for them at home.
He also encouraged employees to participate in patriotic displays and parades, and when the war ended three years later, Boiardi was honored with the nation's Gold Star — the highest honor that can be given to a civilian in support of the country's military.
So, when did Chef Boyardee go from high-end meal for the entire family to a guilty pleasure in a can? When Boiardi decided to maximize output in support of the war effort, keeping those doors open 24 hours a day meant he needed to hire more people.
Once the war ended and that kind of commitment wasn't necessary any more, Boiardi was faced with a choice: lay off all the people he had hired, or sell the company.
Boiardi sold. By this time, they were employing around 5, people and producing more than , cans a day. Today, members of the Boiardi legacy are a bit cautious about what's in those cans. According to Boiardi's grand-niece Anna Boiardi, it's not at all what he had envisioned for the product with his name on it, but it's still a completely legitimate alternative for those nights when there's just not time to put something together from scratch.
Chef Boiardi has been immortalized in his Chef Boyardee products, but that's not the only company he owned. He and his son, Mario Boiardi, also owned a Milton, Pennsylvania steel mill and went on to found Boiardi Products , a flooring and tile company based in New Jersey. Contact seller. Visit store. See other items More See all.
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Buy only this item Close this window. Report item - opens in a new window or tab. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Item specifics. Seller Notes:. Engaging text familiarizes readers with topics of interest including his shift from restaurant work to selling prepackaged meals to manufacturing his own canned meals. An entertaining sidebar, a helpful timeline, a glossary, and an index supplement the historical and color photos showcased in this inspiring biography.
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