AKA Ettore Boiardi

Born: 22-Oct-1897
Birthplace: Piacenza, Italy
Died: 21-Jun-1985
Location of death: Parma, OH
Cause of death: Natural Causes
Remains: Buried, All Souls Cemetery, Chardon, OH

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Chef, Business

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Chef Boy-Ar-Dee

Raised in Italy, Ettore Boiardi was an excellent cook even before adolescence. He immigrated to America when he was 16, taking the name "Hector" as he passed through Ellis Island. He worked in the kitchens of several top-notch restaurants, including New York's famous Plaza and Ritz-Carlton hotels. Often the youngest cook in the kitchen, he grew his stylish mustache because he hoped it made him look older.

At 24 he opened his own restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia in Cleveland's Little Italy, where his spaghetti sauce became so popular he started selling it in carry-out bottles. Sales of the bottled sauce soon surpassed his restaurant's business, and in 1936, weary of explaining the pronunciation of his last name, Boiardi's began labeling his pre-packaged foods as "Chef Boyardee". Boiardi sold the company to American Home Foods in 1946, pocketing $6-million before taxes. He died in 1985, but his face still appears on cans of Beefaroni, cheap ravioli, and other canned Italianesque food. The Chef Boyardee brand is now owned by ConAgra.

Father: Joseph Boiardi
Mother: Mary Maffi Boiardi
Brother: Mario Boiardi (chef)
Brother: Paul Boiardi (maître d')
Wife: Helen Wroblewski Boiardi (b. 2-May-1905, m. 7-Apr-1923, d. 2-Jul-1995)
Son: Mario Boiardi

    Naturalized US Citizen
    Italian Ancestry

Official Website:
http://www.chefboyardee.com/

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