Chef Boyardee is a brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by ConAgra Foods. Named after its founder, Italian-American immigrant Ettore Boiardi, the line began production in the United States in the 1920s. Along with its canned products, Chef Boyardee also markets boxed pizza and lasagna mixes.http://www.chefboyardee.com/tasteefood/kits.jsp
History
In 1924, Boiardi opened the Giardino d'Italia restaurant at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.http://www.clevelandart.org/Kids/story/people/boiardi.html The product line which would become Chef Boyardee began when satisfied restaurant customers began asking Boiardi for his recipe and samples of his ingredients. As demand outgrew his restaurant kitchen, he opened a factory in 1928, moving production to Milton, Pennsylvania ten years later. Upon mass distribution, he decided to name his product "Boy-Ar-Dee" to help Americans properly pronounce his name.
The product line was sold to American Home Products in 1946, over difficulties arising from the company's rapid growth. The brand was distributed for consumption by the American military. American Home Products spun off its food division as International Home Foods in 1996. International Home Foods was purchased by ConAgra Foods in 2000, which continues to produce a line of Chef Boyardee canned pastas bearing Boiardi's likeness. Also, many cans contain 1 serving of vegetables.
