1942. The shots of World War 2
ring throughout Europe. Tired and exhausted, soldiers find what
peace they can in a pre-packaged meal. And find the comforting flavors of a tin
of spaghetti ready and waiting for them. A meal cooked by a 16-year-old who
had moved to America from one of the very countries they were fighting,
and who would soon collect millions of dollars from his canned spaghetti. Ettore Boiardi, the man who would
become Chef Boyardee, was a born chef. Born in the northern Italian town
of Piacenza on October 22, 1897, Ettore loved cooking at a young age. So young, that his family says
that he used a wire whisk as a baby rattle, and had become a chef’s
apprentice at the young age of 11. Only five years later, Ettore
would be moving a world away. By 16, Ettore struck out on his own. He left Italy and set out for
New York City, where his brother Paul lived and worked as a
waiter at the famous Plaza Hotel. There, Paul managed to get
Ettore a job in the kitchen. And the staff quickly learned what
Ettore’s family knew since he was a baby. Ettore was a cooking prodigy. A year later, Ettore was made head chef. But Ettore wasn’t done. What would have been the culmination
of a life’s work for most was only a stepping stone in Ettore’s career. Over the next decade, Ettore built a
name for himself in the food industry. He began working as the head chef
at many hotels before supervising at a Presidential wedding. Ettore ended up settling in Cleveland
as a head chef, but not for long. He knew it was time. Time to move on to his own ventures. Ettore opened his first
restaurant with his new wife. He named it Giardino d'
Italia: The Garden of Italy. But while we now see Italian food as
luxurious, at the time it had nowhere close to the prestige it now carries. Instead, at the time, all the
fine food restaurants were French. But Ettore was such a skilled chef that
not only was his restaurant an instant success, his customers begged him to
teach them how to cook Italian meals. And then, Ettore had an idea. "What if we started jarring
our sauce and selling it? Would it sell?" Ettore asked his family. Immediately, Ettore began collecting milk
bottles and filling them with his pasta sauces, which he sold to his customers. Before long, he began offering
take out orders of cheese, uncooked pasta, and his famous sauce. Before long, his sauce became
so famous that sales surpassed his restaurant business. Ettore was drowning in his own success. He could no longer handle
all the orders himself. He needed to expand. Little did he realize that once he did,
his company would be called to serve in the largest conflict of the century. Thanks to this video’s sponsor, Scentbird! Scentbird is a fragrance subscription
service that lets you test out colognes and perfumes from
over 600 brands in one click! Go through a simple questionnaire on
Scentbird’s website to find new fragrances that fit your personal style, and get to
try out luxury scents that speak to you. This month, we received Eros by Versace,
a classic fragrance that embodies a strong, passionate man with hints of
mint, lemon zest, and green apple. We got Burberry Brit; an intriguing
combination that blends florals and citrus notes with bright cedar and
nutmeg; perfect for a sophisticated aura.. Lastly, we received Mercedes-Benz
Select; a refined, luxurious scent with a bergamot aroma that gives
a fresh, self-assured energy. With Scentbird, you get a 30-day
supply for only 17 dollars to test out fragrances; it’s amazing to
get to try something new without committing to a full sized bottle
that could cost hundreds of dollars. With our Scentbird discount, you
can try out designer fragrances for just a little over 7 dollars! Use HOOK55 to get 55% off
your first month at Scentbird Ettore had a problem. Customers were clamoring for his sauce. The demand outweighed how
fast he could bottle it. He needed to increase
production, and fast. So, he did. Ettore set up a small canning and
processing plant in Cleveland. He brought his brothers Paul and
Mario in, and together they launched the Chef Boiardi Food Company. This new business brought three different
spaghetti sauces to market: traditional, mushroom, and spicy Naples-style. Business was booming, but Ettore
had an embarrassing problem… American customers and salesmen
couldn’t pronounce Boiardi. So Ettore changed the spelling to one that
customers could sound out: Boy-ar-dee. "Everyone is proud of his own family
name, but sacrifices are necessary for progress.” Ettore later explained. It would be another eight years before
the product that made Chef Boyardee famous hit the market: pre-packaged meals. Their first was simple: a jar of
spaghetti sauce, a container of grated parmesan cheese, and a box of spaghetti. A full spaghetti dinner,
ready to make at home. The company began selling its canned
sauces in A&P grocery stores, opening the brand to a national market. And just at the perfect time. An easy to use can opener had just
hit the market, and Americans now saw canned products as trusted,
nutritious, and labor-saving. Every day, larger quantities of canned
sauces and pre-packaged meals flowed out of the Chef Boyardee factory. There was no arguing that
Chef Boyardee was successful. Too successful. Within two years, the company
had grown so large that its plant just couldn’t keep up. So, Ettore packed up and moved
operations from the plant in Cleveland to a factory in MIlton Pennsylvania. This new location had another advantage
in addition to its larger size: It was closer to their tomato supply. In fact, the family needed so many
tomatoes that they had to convince local farmers to change crops to get enough. Chef Boyardee had become
a commodity in the market. And soon, the United States would need
that commodity when America went to war. With a war raging, the United States
military needed foods with a long shelf life that could be transported to the
frontlines in Europe and the Pacific. Something Chef Boyardee
was already skilled at. The United States commissioned
the company to churn out can after can of rations for the soldiers. To keep up with increased demand,
the factory kept its lights on and its production lines running 24
hours a day, seven days a week. And their efforts did not go unnoticed. A year after the war was won, Ettore
Boiardi, was awarded the Gold Star: one of the highest awards a civilian can
receive, and his workers gathered in Milton to celebrate the Allied victory. It was a great honor, and it
would be the last one he received as the head of his own company. While his company was being
praised for their service in the war, he was also dealing with a
looming threat to his employees. Simply put, without the demand
created by the war, he couldn’t afford to keep on all of the employees
he hired to increase production. There was only one choice to
be made: sell the company. It was a difficult decision, but
Ettore knew that only a larger company could keep his staff employed. He decided to sell Chef Boyardee
to American Home for $6 million. After the sale, Ettore continued
to work with the company as both a consultant and spokesperson. And then, tragedy struck. At the age of 87, Ettore
passed away from an illness. By this time, he was widely
recognized as one of the top culinary talents in all of America. In the following years, Chef Boyardee
launched more products that were canned and microwaveable, including
ravioli, beefaroni, and lasagna. Despite the expansion, American
Home eventually decided to sell its food businesses and focus on health
care and pharmaceuticals instead. As the years went on Chef
Boyardee sales remained steady, even as Americans continued to
prefer fresh food over canned. But when the COVID-19 pandemic began,
sales surged as people were stuck at home and Americans searched for cheap,
easy to make, comforting meals.. Today, Chef Boyardee is owned
by Conagra Brands and has contributed to that conglomerate’s
recent 35% increase in growth. And Americans still seek out Chef
Boyardee products like beefaroni, ravioli, and spaghetti and
meatballs as a go-to comfort food. This is the story of how a
16-year-old left Italy for the U.S. and worked his way up from a waiter to
one of the top culinary talents — building a famous food brand along the way. For more stories of the world’s biggest
brands, subscribe to Hook and ring that bell so that you never miss an episode. Remember, use our code HOOK55 to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird, and try out amazing new fragrances today!
