Businessman. A native of Piacenza, Italy, he was a world-renowned chef known for his many Italian dishes. Known affectionately as 'Chef Boyardee,' he founded his food franchise of products with his wife, Helen. He became a food prodigy by age 11 in his native Italy, but later emigrated to New York City in 1915, where his brother got him a job working as a waiter and then chef in the Plaza Hotel's kitchen. He later accepted another job at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1920s, where he began to sell his canned spaghetti sauce and other products. The products became so much in demand that there is a story that he catered President Woodrow Wilson's second wedding. In the 1940s, his products were in such high demand that he opened up his first restaurant called the Il Giardino d'Italia. During World War II, his canned products, which he called 'Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee,' were also used as food supplies for American soldiers serving overseas. After the Second World War, he sold his company to the American Home Foods Company for an estimated $6 million dollars, so he could spend more time with his wife. Over the next few decades, his food products became even more popular, and his company grew into a vast fortune.
Businessman. A native of Piacenza, Italy, he was a world-renowned chef known for his many Italian dishes. Known affectionately as 'Chef Boyardee,' he founded his food franchise of products with his wife, Helen. He became a food prodigy by age 11 in his native Italy, but later emigrated to New York City in 1915, where his brother got him a job working as a waiter and then chef in the Plaza Hotel's kitchen. He later accepted another job at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, during the 1920s, where he began to sell his canned spaghetti sauce and other products. The products became so much in demand that there is a story that he catered President Woodrow Wilson's second wedding. In the 1940s, his products were in such high demand that he opened up his first restaurant called the Il Giardino d'Italia. During World War II, his canned products, which he called 'Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee,' were also used as food supplies for American soldiers serving overseas. After the Second World War, he sold his company to the American Home Foods Company for an estimated $6 million dollars, so he could spend more time with his wife. Over the next few decades, his food products became even more popular, and his company grew into a vast fortune.
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