The US President The OG Chef Boyardee Cooked For

In 1914, the man whose face would eventually iconically grace the bright red label on cans of meals like Spaghetti & Meatballs and Beefaroni landed on Ellis Island. At 17 years old, Italian-born Ettore "Hector" Boiardi, who became known as Chef Boyardee, migrated to the United States and began cooking at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Already armed with about six years of restaurant experience, Boiardi quickly advanced and became head chef at Barbetta on 46th Street. Then, he secured a summer job cooking at Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where his skills landed him the opportunity to lead the catering for President Woodrow Wilson's wedding reception for his second marriage in 1915.

In her book "Delicious Memories," Boiardi's great-niece Anna Boiardi writes that the reception for Wilson's wedding to Edith Bolling Galt was held at Greenbrier, and a brief article in the New York Times announcing Boiardi's death says the same. However, other sources, including the official White House website, claim that the wedding took place at Galt's home. Regardless of the setting, the reception was relatively small, and there are few details about the food outside of the fact that there was an iced, tiered fruitcake topped with pink orchids. Still, given that Wilson was known for having a distinct lack of enthusiasm about food outside of a penchant for chicken salad, it can only be inferred that Boiardi had impressed the President, since he later called on Boiardi to cook again.

Approximately three years after Woodrow Wilson's wedding, he hosted a dinner at the White House for 2,000 soldiers returning from World War I. When he did, he called on none other than Hector Boiardi to oversee the preparation of the meal. However, the event would ultimately become just the first time that Boiardi played a role in serving the United States military.

After leading multiple kitchens in restaurants in the U.S. and opening one of his own in Cleveland, Boiardi noted the demand for products that consumers could take home and easily prepare. Initially, he sold his pasta sauce out of his restaurant, packaged in milk bottles, before ultimately opening the Chef Boyardee Company with his two brothers in 1928. The company's name was spelled in such a way to make it easier for consumers to pronounce.

The company was quickly successful, and about a decade and a half after opening, production soared as the company began supplying rations to World War II soldiers. The Milton, Pennsylvania-based plant began round-the-clock operations, preparing a quarter of a million rations on a daily basis. Boiardi took the job of providing rations for the military seriously, and in 1946 he was awarded a Gold Star for his efforts to support the troops.

Hector Boiardi and his brothers propelled the Chef Boyardee brand to success and fed the military. When the war was over, the number of workers at the company's plant had swelled to 5,000. In an effort to avoid post-war layoffs and recognizing that the operation had reached a scale beyond what he and his brothers could manage on their own, Boiardi sold the company to American Home Foods but remained a consultant for over three decades. ConAgra Foods, which ultimately bought American Home Foods, erected a statue of Boiardi in his honor.

Boiardi was also dedicated to keeping the food that the company made wholesome and natural. In fact, the plant was relocated to Milton, Pennsylvania, for the express purpose of growing enough tomatoes to meet the company's demands. Boiardi grew the mushrooms there as well. Today, the label on the can still shows that the brand is committed to producing canned foods without preservatives or artificial colors and flavors. While you may not ever see a can of Chef Boyardee's Spider-Man Pasta again, the brand still produces its classics along with a few newer options, too.