Chef Boyardee: Difference between revisions

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| caption        =  
| caption        =  
| type          = Canned [[pasta]] products
| type          = Canned [[pasta]] products
| currentowner  = Hometown Food Company
| currentowner  = [[Brynwood Partners]] (Hometown Food Company)
| origin        = United States
| origin        = United States
| introduced    = {{start date and age|1928}}
| introduced    = {{start date and age|1928}}
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}}
}}


'''Chef Boyardee''' is an American brand of canned [[pasta]] products owned by Hometown Food Company. The company was founded by Italian immigrant [[Ettore Boiardi]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], in 1928.<ref name="Chef Boyardee">{{cite web|url=http://www.chefboyardee.com/about-us|title=About Us|website=Chef Boyardee|publisher=ConAgra Foods|access-date=28 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=real>{{cite episode|title=The Man, The Can: Recipes Of The Real Chef Boyardee|series=[[All Things Considered]]|station=[[NPR]]|date=17 May 2011|last1=Boiardi|first1=Anna|last2=Norris|first2=Michele|last3=Siegel|first3=Robert|author-link3=Robert Siegel|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/05/17/136398042/the-man-the-can-recipes-of-the-real-chef-boyardee|transcript=Transcript|transcript-url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/136398042|access-date=28 April 2013}}</ref>
'''Chef Boyardee''' is an American brand of canned [[pasta]] products owned by Hometown Food Company.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brynwood Partners &#124; May 01 2025 | url=https://www.brynwoodpartners.com/news-article/hometown-food-company-a-brynwood-partners-portfolio-company-agrees-to-acquire-the-chef-boyardee%C2%AE-brand-from-conagra-brands-inc }}</ref> The company was founded by Italian immigrant [[Ettore Boiardi]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], in 1928.<ref name="Chef Boyardee">{{cite web|url=http://www.chefboyardee.com/about-us|title=About Us|website=Chef Boyardee|publisher=ConAgra Foods|access-date=28 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=real>{{cite episode|title=The Man, The Can: Recipes Of The Real Chef Boyardee|series=[[All Things Considered]]|station=[[NPR]]|date=17 May 2011|last1=Boiardi|first1=Anna|last2=Norris|first2=Michele|last3=Siegel|first3=Robert|author-link3=Robert Siegel|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/05/17/136398042/the-man-the-can-recipes-of-the-real-chef-boyardee|transcript=Transcript|transcript-url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/136398042|access-date=28 April 2013}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:Chef Boyarde (7494944432).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Chef Boyardee factory in [[Milton, Pennsylvania]], as seen from across the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] at [[Central Oak Heights]]]]
[[File:Chef Boyarde (7494944432).jpg|thumb|250px|The Chef Boyardee factory in [[Milton, Pennsylvania]], as seen from across the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] at [[Central Oak Heights]]]]
After leaving his position as head chef at the [[Plaza Hotel]] in New York City, [[Ettore Boiardi]] opened a restaurant called Il Giardino d'Italia ("The Garden of Italy") in 1924<ref name=fact>{{cite web|last=Abraham|first=Lisa|title=Your favorite food icons: Fact or fiction?|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_769558.html|work=The Tribune-Review|publisher=Pittsburgh|access-date=29 December 2011|date=29 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131093931/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_769558.html|archive-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Pengo|title=Chef Boyardee|website=Cleveland Centennial|date=22 May 2011|url=http://clevelandcentennial.blogspot.ca/2011/05/chef-boyardee.html|access-date=28 April 2013}}{{Circular reference|date=September 2020}}</ref> The idea for Chef Boiardi came about when restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his spaghetti sauce, which he began to distribute in milk bottles.<ref name=fact/> In 1928, Boiardi met Maurice and Eva Weiner, who were patrons of his restaurant and owners of a local self-service grocery store chain. The Weiners helped the Boiardi brothers develop a process for canning the food at scale in Cleveland. They also procured distribution across the United States through their grocery's wholesale partners.<ref name=real/><ref name="Farenish 2021">{{cite web |last=Farenish |first=Melissa |title=The iconic chef on the pasta cans has a lasting legacy in Milton, Pa. |website=NorthcentralPA.com |date=29 December 2021 |url=https://www.northcentralpa.com/life/the-iconic-chef-on-the-pasta-cans-has-a-lasting-legacy-in-milton-pa/article_c3a90cee-746d-11eb-aeaf-a74c390d3f48.html |access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19940622&id=1hQcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YXwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6741,1308512| newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]| title=Carl Colombi served up Chef Boy-Ar-Dee idea| first=Bonnie| last=Frey| date=June 22, 1994| page=4B| access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref> He decided to anglicize the name of his product to "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans pronounce his name correctly.<ref name=fact/> The first product to be sold was a "ready-to-heat spaghetti kit" in 1928. The kit included uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, and a container of grated cheese.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eatmedaily.com/2010/06/natural-history-of-the-kitchen-chef-boyardee/|title=Natural History of the Kitchen: Chef Boyardee|website=Eat Me Daily|date=8 June 2010|last=Butler|first=Stephanie|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203165907/http://www.eatmedaily.com/2010/06/natural-history-of-the-kitchen-chef-boyardee/|archive-date=3 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1938, the company had outgrown its Ohio facility, and production was moved to [[Milton, Pennsylvania]], where they could grow their own mushrooms and there was a ready supply of tomatoes.<ref name=real/><ref name="Farenish 2021"/>


[[Image:ChefBoyardeeMinibites.jpg|right|thumb|Two Chef Boyardee Mini Bites canned pasta products]]
In 1924, after leaving his position as head chef at the [[Plaza Hotel]] in New York City, [[Ettore Boiardi]] opened a restaurant called Il Giardino d'Italia ("The Garden of Italy")<ref name=fact>{{cite web|last=Abraham|first=Lisa|title=Your favorite food icons: Fact or fiction?|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_769558.html|work=The Tribune-Review|publisher=Pittsburgh|access-date=29 December 2011|date=29 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131093931/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_769558.html|archive-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Pengo|title=Chef Boyardee|website=Cleveland Centennial|date=22 May 2011|url=http://clevelandcentennial.blogspot.ca/2011/05/chef-boyardee.html|access-date=28 April 2013}}{{Circular reference|date=September 2020}}</ref> The idea for Chef Boiardi came about when restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his spaghetti sauce, which he began to distribute in milk bottles.<ref name=fact/> In 1928, Boiardi met Maurice and Eva Weiner, who were patrons of his restaurant and owners of a local self-service grocery store chain. The Weiners helped the Boiardi brothers develop a process for canning the food at scale in Cleveland. They also procured distribution across the United States through their grocery's wholesale partners.<ref name=real/><ref name="Farenish 2021">{{cite web |last=Farenish |first=Melissa |title=The iconic chef on the pasta cans has a lasting legacy in Milton, Pa. |website=NorthcentralPA.com |date=29 December 2021 |url=https://www.northcentralpa.com/life/the-iconic-chef-on-the-pasta-cans-has-a-lasting-legacy-in-milton-pa/article_c3a90cee-746d-11eb-aeaf-a74c390d3f48.html |access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19940622&id=1hQcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YXwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6741,1308512| newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]| title=Carl Colombi served up Chef Boy-Ar-Dee idea| first=Bonnie| last=Frey| date=June 22, 1994| page=4B| access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref>  
The U.S. military commissioned the company during [[World War II]] for the production of army rations, requiring the factory to run 24 hours a day.<ref name=real /> At its peak, the company employed approximately 5,000 workers and produced 250,000 cans per day.<ref name=real/> After the war, production was scaled down and many of the wartime hires became expendable. Rather than lay them off, he sold the company to American Home Foods in 1946 for nearly $6 million. Boiardi remained as a spokesman and consultant for the brand until 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mashed.com/80512/untold-truth-chef-boyardee/|title=The untold truth of Chef Boyardee|last=Kelly|first=Debra|date=15 August 2017|website=Mashed|language=en-US|access-date=7 February 2020}}</ref> American Home Foods turned its food division into [[International Home Foods]] in 1996. Four years later, International Home Foods was purchased by [[Conagra Brands|ConAgra Foods]], which continued to produce Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Boiardi's likeness.<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=Meet the Real Man Behind the Brand|website=Chef Boyardee|publisher=ConAgra Foods|url=http://www.chefboyardee.com/history|access-date=28 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602093656/http://www.chefboyardee.com/history|archive-date=2 June 2013}}</ref>


In 2025, Chef Boyardee was sold to [[Brynwood Partners]] under its portfolio company Hometown Food Company.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Jesse |title=Chef Boyardee, Iconic Pasta Brand, Sold to Private Equity for $600 Million |url=https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/chef-boyardee-sold-brynwood-private-equity-67bbbb1e?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink |website=Wall Street Journal |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |access-date=2 May 2025}}</ref>  
He decided to anglicize and phonetically spell out the name of his product as "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans pronounce his name correctly.<ref name=fact/> In 1928, the first product to be sold was a "ready-to-heat spaghetti kit". The kit included uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, and a container of grated cheese.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eatmedaily.com/2010/06/natural-history-of-the-kitchen-chef-boyardee/|title=Natural History of the Kitchen: Chef Boyardee|website=Eat Me Daily|date=8 June 2010|last=Butler|first=Stephanie|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203165907/http://www.eatmedaily.com/2010/06/natural-history-of-the-kitchen-chef-boyardee/|archive-date=3 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1938, the company had outgrown its Ohio facility, and production was moved to [[Milton, Pennsylvania]], where they could grow their own mushrooms and there was a ready supply of tomatoes.<ref name=real/><ref name="Farenish 2021"/>
 
[[Image:ChefBoyardeeMinibites.jpg|thumb|Two Chef Boyardee Mini Bites canned pasta products]]
During [[World War II]], the U.S. military commissioned the company for the production of army rations, requiring the factory to run 24 hours a day.<ref name=real /> At its peak, the company employed approximately 5,000 workers and produced 250,000 cans per day.<ref name=real/> After the war, production was scaled down and many of the wartime hires became expendable and their jobs were at risk. In order to preserve the employees’ jobs, Boiardi and his brother Mario decided to sell the company to American Home Foods in 1946 for nearly $6 million (approximately $99,399,384.62 in 2025 adjusted for inflation).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mashed.com/80512/untold-truth-chef-boyardee/|title=The untold truth of Chef Boyardee|last=Kelly|first=Debra|date=15 August 2017|website=Mashed|language=en-US|access-date=7 February 2020}}</ref>
 
Boiardi remained as a spokesman and consultant for the brand until 1978 and appeared in television commercials for the brand.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mashed.com/80512/untold-truth-chef-boyardee/|title=The untold truth of Chef Boyardee|last=Kelly|first=Debra|date=15 August 2017|website=Mashed|language=en-US|access-date=7 February 2020}}</ref> In 1996, American Home Foods turned its food division into [[International Home Foods]]. In 2000, International Home Foods was purchased by [[Conagra Brands|ConAgra Foods]], which continued to produce Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Boiardi's likeness.<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=Meet the Real Man Behind the Brand|website=Chef Boyardee|publisher=ConAgra Foods|url=http://www.chefboyardee.com/history|access-date=28 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602093656/http://www.chefboyardee.com/history|archive-date=2 June 2013}}</ref>
 
In 2025, Chef Boyardee was sold to [[Brynwood Partners]] under its portfolio company Hometown Food Company.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Jesse |title=Chef Boyardee, Iconic Pasta Brand, Sold to Private Equity for $600 Million |url=https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/chef-boyardee-sold-brynwood-private-equity-67bbbb1e?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink |website=Wall Street Journal |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |access-date=2 May 2025}}</ref>


==Advertising==
==Advertising==
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*[https://www.chefboyardee.com/ Official site]
*[https://www.chefboyardee.com/ Official site]
*[https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/boiardi-hector Hector Boiardi (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History)]
*[https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/boiardi-hector Hector Boiardi (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History)]
*[http://graphic-design.tjs-labs.com/gallery-view?advertiser=BOY%25AR%25DEE Gallery of classic graphic design featuring Chef Boyardee]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euo086SUjls 1960s TV ad for Beefaroni]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euo086SUjls 1960s TV ad for Beefaroni]
{{ConAgra}}
{{ConAgra}}
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[[Category:Canned food]]
[[Category:Canned food]]
[[Category:Italian-American cuisine]]
[[Category:Italian-American cuisine]]
[[fr:Chef Boyardee]]
[[fr:Chef Boyardee]]

Latest revision as of 08:41, 22 December 2025

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Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products owned by Hometown Food Company.[1] The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928.[2][3]

History

File:Chef Boyarde (7494944432).jpg
The Chef Boyardee factory in Milton, Pennsylvania, as seen from across the West Branch Susquehanna River at Central Oak Heights

In 1924, after leaving his position as head chef at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, Ettore Boiardi opened a restaurant called Il Giardino d'Italia ("The Garden of Italy")[4] at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.[5] The idea for Chef Boiardi came about when restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his spaghetti sauce, which he began to distribute in milk bottles.[4] In 1928, Boiardi met Maurice and Eva Weiner, who were patrons of his restaurant and owners of a local self-service grocery store chain. The Weiners helped the Boiardi brothers develop a process for canning the food at scale in Cleveland. They also procured distribution across the United States through their grocery's wholesale partners.[3][6][7]

He decided to anglicize and phonetically spell out the name of his product as "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans pronounce his name correctly.[4] In 1928, the first product to be sold was a "ready-to-heat spaghetti kit". The kit included uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, and a container of grated cheese.[8] By 1938, the company had outgrown its Ohio facility, and production was moved to Milton, Pennsylvania, where they could grow their own mushrooms and there was a ready supply of tomatoes.[3][6]

File:ChefBoyardeeMinibites.jpg
Two Chef Boyardee Mini Bites canned pasta products

During World War II, the U.S. military commissioned the company for the production of army rations, requiring the factory to run 24 hours a day.[3] At its peak, the company employed approximately 5,000 workers and produced 250,000 cans per day.[3] After the war, production was scaled down and many of the wartime hires became expendable and their jobs were at risk. In order to preserve the employees’ jobs, Boiardi and his brother Mario decided to sell the company to American Home Foods in 1946 for nearly $6 million (approximately $99,399,384.62 in 2025 adjusted for inflation).[9]

Boiardi remained as a spokesman and consultant for the brand until 1978 and appeared in television commercials for the brand.[10] In 1996, American Home Foods turned its food division into International Home Foods. In 2000, International Home Foods was purchased by ConAgra Foods, which continued to produce Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Boiardi's likeness.[11]

In 2025, Chef Boyardee was sold to Brynwood Partners under its portfolio company Hometown Food Company.[12]

Advertising

Chef Boyardee is one of the few brands to request to be removed from an episode of Seinfeld. In the 1996 episode "The Rye", Kramer is allowed to operate a Hansom cab for a week, and feeds the horse excess cans of Beefaroni, which causes frequent and foul smelling flatulence. As a result of the request, the name was changed to "Beef-a-reeno".[13]

In 2005, Chef Boyardee was shown in MasterCard's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX, which depicts advertising mascots having dinner together.[14]

In 2018, Barbara Lippert of Advertising Age compared the 1966 Young & Rubicam ad for Beefaroni to The 400 Blows and running of the bulls. The ad features a large group of children running through Venice singing, "Hooray...for Beefaroni!" Lippert believed the ad influenced other famous commercials such as Prince Spaghetti (known for "Anthony! Anthony!") and "Hilltop" for Coca-Cola.[15]

See also

References

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  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Sister project

Template:ConAgra fr:Chef Boyardee

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