Who Was the Real Chef Boyardee?

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  • Опубликовано: 19 май 2024
  • Weird History Food is getting nostalgic with every kid's favorite chef - Chef Boyardee. Chef Hector Boyardee was born in 1897 in Piacenza, Italy, not surprisingly with a very Italian name: Ettore Boiardi. Weird History Food will follow Chef from his humble beginnings as an 11-year-old apprentice to the iconic figure he is today. Grab some Beef Ravioli and follow Chef Boyardee's journey.
    #chefboyardee #foodhistory #weirdhistoryfood
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Комментарии • 1,5 тыс.

  • @weirdhistoryfood
    @weirdhistoryfood  Год назад +229

    What is your favorite Chef Boyardee offering? Always loved making the Chef Boyardee pizzas as a kid

    • @amyrussell860
      @amyrussell860 Год назад +23

      The ravioli has always been my favorite.

    • @derek-64
      @derek-64 Год назад +8

      Good ol' mini ravioli

    • @ZombieLogic101
      @ZombieLogic101 Год назад +7

      Mini ravioli right out of the can with Tabasco classic and some shaken cheese ontop

    • @southerngirl8642
      @southerngirl8642 Год назад +10

      It's a toss up between ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs.

    • @EddyGurge
      @EddyGurge Год назад +6

      My father was born in in Milton. His brother worked at the plant back then when the Chef was still in charge!

  • @bradley163
    @bradley163 Год назад +2298

    As a kid, we were not a family of means as well as a single parent household, so my mom home cooked most of our meals with what she could afford. Every once in a while, when we had some extra money, she would bring home Chef Boyardee Ravioli and "make them fancy" for us by putting dried parsley on top, and baking stale hotdog buns in the oven with butter and garlic salt. I always thought to myself: "Man...this must be how rich people eat everyday!". Oh, to be a kid again.

    • @enochbird3862
      @enochbird3862 Год назад +310

      Your mom sounds like an angel

    • @bradley163
      @bradley163 Год назад +226

      @@enochbird3862 I may have a biased opinion here, but yes, she absolutely is.

    • @MindofUhuru
      @MindofUhuru Год назад +65

      God bless your Mom!

    • @the406seadonkey6
      @the406seadonkey6 Год назад +37

      Nice post.

    • @xXLiLJokerXx
      @xXLiLJokerXx Год назад +78

      Wasn't expecting to tear up today but damn that's so wholesome.

  • @dtdimeflicks6708
    @dtdimeflicks6708 Год назад +1531

    The fact that he sold his company to make sure that his employees got adequate pay shows what kind of an employer he was; a damn good one.

    • @RLee-we1fc
      @RLee-we1fc Год назад +57

      I'm sure that played a role but also I'm sure the one hundred million dollars he sold it for also played a role.

    • @armdaggerblade
      @armdaggerblade Год назад +61

      nothing wrong with that. win-win situation both for him and for his workers.
      i myself would take the hundred mil to give those workers celebration gifts and funnel the rest to prepare for my old days.

    • @sarafontanini7051
      @sarafontanini7051 Год назад +70

      on occassion among the dregs and assholes, you will find out about a corporate man who was actually decent, rspectable person.
      This man was one of them.Absolute legend

    • @RedRoseSeptember22
      @RedRoseSeptember22 Год назад +4

      Yes ♥

    • @weskirkland5850
      @weskirkland5850 Год назад +9

      Once he sold it the conglomerate was gonna pay people even less then ever.

  • @cxa340
    @cxa340 Год назад +588

    Anyone growing up in Cleveland knew that Chef Boyardee was a real person as Mr Boiardi used to visit elementary schools in the area all the time just to tell his story and discuss American exceptionalism during the Cold War. We also knew that the stuff in the cans wasn’t the real genius of Mr Boiardi, but the recipes he would make on the local morning shows that were much more involved and delicious that truly showed this man knew how to cook.

    • @Me-qp8vz
      @Me-qp8vz Год назад +6

      Did he bring any free food with him?

    • @christinebiada1292
      @christinebiada1292 Год назад +13

      I didn’t realize he was in Cleveland! I’m in NE Ohio! Love Cleveland references in history.

    • @ChristAliveForevermore
      @ChristAliveForevermore Год назад +8

      Yup! He's my great uncle! My family still lives around Cleveland to this day haha

    • @raze_
      @raze_ Год назад +3

      Wait he was a propagandist? 🤮

    • @MihaiRUdeRO
      @MihaiRUdeRO Год назад +27

      @@raze_ propagandist? How many Italians moved to the USSR for a better life compared to America?

  • @ryproar11
    @ryproar11 Год назад +240

    As a retail worker I can confirm the Chef sells extremely well. We go through cases everyday and the pizza kits? We cannot keep them on the shelves due to selling out so quickly. Plus I buy a can every once and a while for lunch for the nostalgia.

    • @vonamon316
      @vonamon316 Год назад +14

      The pizza kits are good but the dough is awesome so I just add more cheese & herbs to the sauce and it's s good as any homemade pie honestly

    • @7ab3tha
      @7ab3tha Год назад

      The pizza kits are everything 🤤

    • @sallyskellington3024
      @sallyskellington3024 Год назад +1

      After eating homemade pasta, sauce, and cheese, yes my mother made cheese, Boyardee sucked so bad I refused to ever subject my son to it. He thanks me for sparing him to this day.

    • @RAM-im1xf
      @RAM-im1xf Год назад +6

      @@sallyskellington3024 Different products serves different purposes.
      Same could be said for bread, you could learn to make'em, or go to specialty shop and pay 10 bucks for a loaf.
      But that will never replace 2 dollar breads that fed millions of people. Not everyone has the luxury or time to cook food from scratch.

    • @sallyskellington3024
      @sallyskellington3024 Год назад +4

      @@RAM-im1xf Not Everybody realizes, until COVID, that buying flour, yeast, etc. Is cheaper than buying a cheap loaf of bread that has so little food value. As for time, both myself and my mother worked full time jobs and still had time to do such things. Priorities.

  • @ChristAliveForevermore
    @ChristAliveForevermore Год назад +377

    Fun fact: Hector Boiardi is my great uncle. My father (who is now 80) grew up knowing him personally. Sometimes the family would get together and make Italian sausage (I recall a picture where the sausages were hanging in a basement and there is my dad in his early 20s alongside his brothers and the Chef himself).
    And no, we never got any money. His son Mario blew millions of his inheritance on B.S. real estate scams lol
    Another Fun Fact: my great uncle Hector is also the *only* American to have received the Order of Lenin for helping feed the WWII Soviet soldiers (who were allies at the time). Only recently did Russia redact that historical fact from public record, I suppose to rewrite history in any way possible to discount America's role in their nation's history or something, given Ukraine and all.
    Anyways, just thought I'd share these related tidbits about my family and the Chef. There's tons more stories my dad has told me over the years that I'm just forgetting at the moment, like how at Christmas time he would always bring the best cheesecake (I think it was cheesecake) and that his son, Mario, would do the same. Straight from Italy sorta cheesecakes. Real fancy stuff, I sometimes wish I had been alive to taste it.
    Also, had it not been for his factory, neither my great aunt Helen and he would have met, nor my grandma and grandpa. In other words, Chef Boyardee is the reason I'm alive today 😂 (boy I hope I'm remembering these stories correctly... would really suck to get thousands of upvotes and my dad find out I was wrong!)

    • @crimsondynamo615
      @crimsondynamo615 Год назад +26

      Putin really is a sad man if he’s petty over chef boyardee

    • @charlottesometimes1278
      @charlottesometimes1278 Год назад +16

      OH WOW!! That's so awesome! I am 43 years old, and STILL eat Chef Boyardee at least once a week!

    • @Death_Vail666
      @Death_Vail666 Год назад

      I'm sure Russia has a bootleg Chef Boyardee company to make the same stuff lol. They still have communism in the blood don't be fooled.

    • @tonyboiardi7729
      @tonyboiardi7729 Год назад

      Wow Michael your comment about my father blowing millions on real estate scams is pretty shitty really. The fact that he made millions in many ventures that you do not know about is quite remarkable. You might not have received money, but I did, I received millions and millions and stock in Con Agra and now Pfizer!
      None of that came from Hector, it came from Mario and his investments, you know in those real estate scams.
      I also have in my possession the letter from the Soviet Union Embassy discussing the Order of Lenin.
      As for Ukraine, my company still is one of the largest importers of grain from Ukraine and our relationship with Ukrainian growers goes back to Hector and his son Mario.
      There is obviously much that you are not aware of.
      But a pleasure to meet you. Don’t worry about the money, it’s being well looked after.

    • @tonyboiardi7729
      @tonyboiardi7729 Год назад +11

      @@crimsondynamo615 Putin had no knowledge of the order, it’s just an archival piece of history these days.

  • @mikehughes4969
    @mikehughes4969 Год назад +223

    I'm fairly certain that, without Chef Boyardee, I might have starved to death at some point.

    • @7ab3tha
      @7ab3tha Год назад +3

      Same

    • @snugglypichu6881
      @snugglypichu6881 Год назад +4

      Haha underrated comment 😂

    • @marlagarrason2005
      @marlagarrason2005 Год назад +3

      Me too

    • @colico14
      @colico14 Год назад +5

      I think many people would have!

    • @crimsondynamo615
      @crimsondynamo615 Год назад +6

      Gotta sing praises to the good chef for making it so many families had full bellies when they went to bed.

  • @LoconStratos
    @LoconStratos Год назад +107

    The Chef helped me and my little family get through very difficult and turbulent times. You don’t get sick of anything when it’s all you’ve got to eat. People these days hate it
    But the same people who criticize it, were never in a position in where that was their only option. Food is food.

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 Год назад +6

      My grandfather once said 'When I was growing up you didn't eat the foods you loved, you loved the foods you ate'.

    • @supermodestmouse
      @supermodestmouse Год назад +4

      I know it wasn't truly his company anymore by the time my family came around, but he helped my family a lot too. my little brother was a notoriously picky eater and would only eat the spaghetti and meatballs. My parents bought it by the case. I would help myself to a can every now and then and we didn't have to worry about the house burning down.
      and then when I joined the military, i loved that it traveled well, didn't need to be heated, and was just a nice little creature comfort from home. it really just is the little things sometimes

    • @bellaknightR597
      @bellaknightR597 Год назад +1

      I still love it, I don't care what other people think

    • @bellaknightR597
      @bellaknightR597 Год назад

      ​@@kirbyculp3449 wait if you loved the foods you ate wouldn't that mean you were still eating the foods you loved?

    • @oxidedamage8837
      @oxidedamage8837 8 месяцев назад

      @@bellaknightR597 no you troglodyte.

  • @DoomFinger511
    @DoomFinger511 Год назад +37

    One key thing left out of the story is that Chef Boyardee didn't have to sell the company. They scaled up and hired more employees to help with the war effort, but once the war ended the demand went down. Instead of firing the extra employees, Chef Boyardee cared so much about keeping them employed he sold the company.

  • @CeliniaGava
    @CeliniaGava Год назад +131

    The brand has been part of my entire life, so 60+ years. It was never gourmet food, but as a kid it was pure nectar! Great video, I knew absolutely NOTHING about this!

    • @mikepellerin4611
      @mikepellerin4611 Год назад +4

      I too am in my 60's, and I keep some stocked in my pantry. I've always leaned towards Beefaroni.

    • @catskram
      @catskram Год назад

      Also 60+. Loved it as a kid. Our children loved it! Still keep a few cans in the pantry for when the grand kids come spend the weekend ( they love it). Of course grandpa has to taste test it before putting lunch on the table.

  • @tonyboiardi7729
    @tonyboiardi7729 Год назад +343

    My father was the only child of Hector Boiardi, growing up I was able to to eat the most delicious food freshly prepared. It has been a privilege to be part of this well loved family

    • @robro0308
      @robro0308 Год назад +4

      Damn

    • @charlesaferg
      @charlesaferg Год назад +35

      there are two family members in this comment thread lol jeez

    • @rayvega3163
      @rayvega3163 Год назад +12

      I thank your grandfather for making really fantastic food. The world would be entirely different without him.
      Also it sounds a bit of stretch 😅 but did you get to meet Hector Boiardi?

    • @maxswagcaster5315
      @maxswagcaster5315 Год назад +2

      Some of those recipies I found online do look pretty good, is there a particular favorite that you have?

    • @kramalerav
      @kramalerav Год назад +2

      @@charlesaferg mama mía!

  • @trashpanda2312
    @trashpanda2312 Год назад +21

    coming home for lunch as a kid in the 70's and having beefaroni on the table always made my day.

    • @dspsblyuth
      @dspsblyuth Год назад +1

      That would be considered child abuse today

  • @KP-vr6ft
    @KP-vr6ft Год назад +25

    Much respect. I ate Boyardee as a child, and then came back as an adult, eating these occasionally while working away. I love old Ma and Pa stories like this.

  • @tookitogo
    @tookitogo Год назад +31

    Everything said in this video agrees with my own family history: my grandmother, who was born and raised in central Pennsylvania, told me as a kid about how she knew Hector personally, as her farm was one of the ones that supplied tomatoes to him. (In fact, my mom was born just a few miles away from Milton.) Granny was always proud that her tomatoes had helped the war effort. Not long after WW2 ended, they sold the farm and moved to south Florida to help my grandfather’s ailing health. But Granny always remained a farm girl at heart, growing stuff in her garden and saying hello to the occasional wayward cow that would make its way into her yard from the nearby pasture.

    • @naturalnashuan
      @naturalnashuan Год назад +2

      Thank you for adding that, it's cool :)

    • @570NER37
      @570NER37 7 месяцев назад

      I'm from Milton, PA

  • @tindal38
    @tindal38 Год назад +58

    I have raviolis, spaghettios & a pizza kit in my pantry right now! Long Live Chef Boyardee!!! 🍝🍝🍝 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

  • @MarkMeadows90
    @MarkMeadows90 Год назад +93

    Chef Boyardee came out with retro cans of beefaroni and other pasta meals a few years ago. I actually liked the Beefaroni. It was supposed to have the old school ingredients, but it didn't really make much of a difference in taste. It was good though.

    • @Iamonepercent
      @Iamonepercent Год назад +1

      Those retro cans were disgusting

    • @MarkMeadows90
      @MarkMeadows90 Год назад +1

      @@Iamonepercent I actually liked them

  • @Hollows1997
    @Hollows1997 Год назад +42

    The epitome of the American dream. Rest In Peace, Hector.

    • @funkrobot9762
      @funkrobot9762 Год назад +2

      Indeed. Also RIP The American Dream

  • @adcamper92
    @adcamper92 Год назад +70

    I will say this, my childhood consisted of mostly ravioli from the chef. I love these kinds of videos!

    • @naturalnashuan
      @naturalnashuan Год назад

      When I whined at my grandmother, "I'm hungry," she would just ask me which can of Chef Boyardee I wanted to heat up for myself.

  • @GCJACK83
    @GCJACK83 Год назад +26

    Mr. Boiardi was a legitimate Michelin-starred chef, and very proud of his family name. When he was approached to be the face of a canned food brand featuring his recipes, he insisted on using the phonetic spelling of his name so people would be saying it right. And yes, that is his face smiling at you from the label on the can even now.

    • @calvinsbnb76
      @calvinsbnb76 4 месяца назад

      The official story is that he started selling the sauce out of his own restaurant, and it did so well that eventually he closed the restaurant in order to focus on selling the sauce. As more products were added his company grew. And yet you are saying that he was approached by an existing company that wanted to license his name and image. Is that actually correct? Can you say more about this company and its history?

  • @jessicamatiuk4738
    @jessicamatiuk4738 Год назад +3

    I'm 36 make a comfortable living and I always have Chef Boyarde in my pantry. I find it comforting after a really bad day and you want some nostalgic cozy feelings.

  • @OGSontar
    @OGSontar Год назад +2

    I'm in my 60's now, and I still love me some Chef Boyardee ravioli. Regular, mini, overstuffed, you name it, I love it. It's been a favorite since I was only knee-high.

  • @kyleshiflet9952
    @kyleshiflet9952 Год назад +63

    I always found the story of Hector Boiardi very interesting and inspiring

    • @tonyboiardi7729
      @tonyboiardi7729 Год назад +3

      He’s my grandfather and I never get bored with the story.

    • @kyleshiflet9952
      @kyleshiflet9952 Год назад +2

      @@tonyboiardi7729 to be honest I wouldn't either

    • @gokaury
      @gokaury Год назад +4

      @@tonyboiardi7729 Must be pretty cool to be in a family with that great a legacy. An American success story for a great man.

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 Год назад +1

      And the food engineers.

  • @IRLTheGreatZarquon
    @IRLTheGreatZarquon Год назад +38

    Two new Weird History videos in one day? We're spoiled.

    • @bunduru
      @bunduru Год назад

      I feel like a kid waking up on Christmas! 🤣

    • @presmasterflash7555
      @presmasterflash7555 Год назад +1

      @@bunduru Christmas in July?

    • @bunduru
      @bunduru Год назад

      @@presmasterflash7555 I can't believe it either!! 🤣🥳 hahaha, have a good day! 🙏

  • @corneliussnow8215
    @corneliussnow8215 Год назад +12

    Chef Boyardee, one of my personal favorite things to get for lunch at work, cheap and filling. Always easy to pop open a can or two of the Ravioli and dig in

  • @SomeOrangeCat
    @SomeOrangeCat Год назад +17

    This guy was all of our childhoods.

  • @PresidentFunnyValentine
    @PresidentFunnyValentine Год назад +14

    I really like his story. Very humble.

  • @mikewebster8262
    @mikewebster8262 Год назад +10

    I love this canned deliciousness!! Since i was a child and im 53 now and still love it. Fast delicious lunch is what it will always be too me. There's always a few cans in my pantry at all times lol.

    • @bama1978
      @bama1978 Год назад +2

      I am almost 44 and I agree with you.

  • @RobotMonkeytron
    @RobotMonkeytron Год назад +7

    I'm in my 40's, and recently bought a few cans of the ravioli for my daughter to mix up her repetitive summer lunches. She wasn't interested in giving it a chance, so I ended up eating them, and while it may be the nostalgia talking, I still dig it.

  • @Valkonnen
    @Valkonnen Год назад +11

    Like Campbell's Soup was for Andy Warhol, Chef Boyardee brings back childhood memories and feels like home.

  • @theheckwithit
    @theheckwithit Год назад +40

    Should do a compilations of the history of cereal/children mascots. Or mascots that have been forgotten to time

    • @Kidlopo1974
      @Kidlopo1974 Год назад +5

      Forgotten mascots would be interesting

    • @cloudbloom
      @cloudbloom Год назад

      Just the other day I was looking up old toys from cereal boxes I had as a kid in the 80s and I came across "The Soggies", which were the villains of the Cap'N Crunch extended universe🤣 I had those glow in the dark toys back in the day

    • @thegreenbird795
      @thegreenbird795 Год назад

      I WANT MY MAYPO!..GOT IT AND IT WAS AWFUL...LOL

  • @TheElusiveReality
    @TheElusiveReality Год назад +27

    i love that he was fr just a guy who loved to cook, no fancy culinary school, just years and years of effort and passion

  • @Ren08520
    @Ren08520 Год назад +148

    I think it would be cool have a video about how Chinese takeout became popular. I love me some takeout! Also, this was a great video! The beef raviolis was a staple in my college days. Thanks, Chef!! ☺️

    • @StanHowse
      @StanHowse Год назад

      LOL! "Chinese Take-out" became popular because it was one of the first "take-out" menus on the Planet. (Pizza probably being the first). But somewhere like NYC or LA, "Take-Out" anything, only makes sense. Not to mention, NYC has a HUGE Asian population, and they were some of the first, why? Cause they already had stuff like delivery and street-foods in their own country(s).

    • @millsykooksy4863
      @millsykooksy4863 Год назад +2

      There’s actually a really good documentary film on American Chinese food in the US but I don’t remember the title it’s super good though

    • @SweetePixxluv
      @SweetePixxluv Год назад +3

      Jazz musicians played a big part in popularizing Chinese food in the states. Jazz men were night owls…and since they were almost exclusively black men, in the early days of jazz, they had issues finding restaurants open in the late evenings and early mornings willing to serve them…so they began frequenting Chop Suey Houses! These restaurants kept later hours, to cater to immigrate labors who worked graveyard shifts…and the Chinese owners didn’t take issue with the race of the their patrons.

    • @lsrx101
      @lsrx101 Год назад +1

      @@millsykooksy4863 "In Search of General Tso", maybe? It's about finding the origin of Gen. Tso Chicken but also gives a lot of insight into Chinese immigrant history and Chinese restaurants. I thought it was pretty cool.

    • @millsykooksy4863
      @millsykooksy4863 Год назад

      @@lsrx101 I think you're probably right

  • @ahotdj07
    @ahotdj07 Год назад +7

    What a wonderful story. I loved how he brought all those jobs to Milton, Penn. I never had any of his products, but heard of them before.

  • @angelahamon6730
    @angelahamon6730 Год назад +9

    I love it. Nobody could pronounce "Boiardi" and he is a real hero. Everyone else being gangsters when he arrived and he makes awesome food instead. So many kids love him!

    • @josephpetrino1741
      @josephpetrino1741 Год назад +5

      "Everyone else being gangsters". ???
      What an odd view of American immigration you have.

  • @Midlife_Manical_Mayhem
    @Midlife_Manical_Mayhem Год назад +43

    its a shame that the company did not keep the quality that the chef originally put into the recipes. my kids ate it when they were little, but none of us eat it now.

    • @michaelnance8319
      @michaelnance8319 Год назад +4

      It’s not the same. You’re better off going to a real Mom and Pop restaurant to get the same stuff with more favor. Making tomato sauce is not really hard tho, it takes some time and You have to cook the sauce for about a hour before making the noodles. I normally make my sauce from scratch from blended tomato’s with seasons in a blender and cook it afterwards. Most real Italians only used salt and tomatoes to make sauce. But that’s their style.

    • @thomasburke7995
      @thomasburke7995 Год назад

      Tell me when any canned food is a better then scratch cooking..which typically will cost 5 times as much per serving..

    • @jimmybalzac6021
      @jimmybalzac6021 Год назад +3

      The recipe didn't change, you're just trying to cancel chef Boiardi... Shame on you, wokeist

    • @Xyler94
      @Xyler94 Год назад +2

      I can make a Mac and Cheese that'll blow away Kraft Mac and Cheese. I still make the KD stuff because it's cheap and quick.

    • @lyndas2767
      @lyndas2767 Год назад

      I used to love it; it was better than other canned pastas. Now the sauce is syrupy sweet to appeal to kids, which is not even good for the kids.

  • @crimsondynamo615
    @crimsondynamo615 Год назад +5

    I would have loved to have had a plate cooked by him personally. He really is a man who cared for his craft.

  • @blueyedbeau
    @blueyedbeau Год назад +80

    One thing I can say about Chef Boyardee is consistency. The only difference between all of his tomato-based canned pasta are the optics...same taste....same texture....everything from the beefaroni to the ravioli and everything in between. They all have the same flavor. One thing is for sure though! There is a marked difference between the Chef Boyardee brand and other name bands, as well as store bought brands. The proof is in the pasta! The quality is definitely there!

    • @nickd3157
      @nickd3157 Год назад +13

      The quality has dropped across the board on the products though, they changed it awhile ago and it just hasn’t been the same. Huge spaghettio fan, also like the spaghetti and meatballs, recently had the ravioli, theve all dropped in quality sadly

    • @planescaped
      @planescaped Год назад +14

      It's great food for kids who haven't developed a palette yet in that Kraft macaroni kind of way.

    • @thetreeofwoe2304
      @thetreeofwoe2304 Год назад +13

      I couldn't disagree more. Never in my life have I ever met anyone who didn't agree that Boyardee stuff has a literal vomit taste. That sour, acid-y taste that lingers in your mouth after you vomit...that is their sauce.

    • @melissanichilo8176
      @melissanichilo8176 Год назад +5

      Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Kraft macaroni and cheese. Tastes like a box of crap. Sigh

    • @derekmason1881
      @derekmason1881 Год назад +1

      @@thetreeofwoe2304 FACTS

  • @maxdanielj
    @maxdanielj Год назад +5

    I've almost never heated their products, just opened the can, grabbed a fork, and started eating

  • @yasminemobley7858
    @yasminemobley7858 Год назад +2

    I loved Chef Boyardee growing up. I still eat it from time to time, and I'm 26!

  • @Vivalarosa45
    @Vivalarosa45 Год назад +17

    I still eat Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs in the can. It has a lot of preservatives but hey, it tastes great with Fritos.

  • @funnylittlecactus4672
    @funnylittlecactus4672 Год назад +13

    I used to make Chef Boyardee pizza at home all the time, we all loved it. Pepperoni was always my favorite, with the little pepperoni's in the sauce, but I eventually could only find the cheese and then it was gone for good. I don't know why they don't sell it here anymore, but I miss it.

    • @swy334
      @swy334 Год назад

      Would love to try that

    • @funnylittlecactus4672
      @funnylittlecactus4672 Год назад +1

      @@swy334 It's so good! Many years ago, almost 20, when I was pregnant with my first son I would take full size pepperoni's, a banana pepper and the pizza sauce and make little sandwiches while I made the pizza lol.

  • @leaschivins9038
    @leaschivins9038 Год назад +4

    OMG. I love Chef Boyardee! I love the spaghetti and lasagna kits. Every Sunday we would have one or the other for lunch. They still have pizza kits around but I cannot find spaghetti or lasagna kits anywhere. Bring back some of the old stuff!!!!!

  • @billmcdonald4335
    @billmcdonald4335 Год назад +44

    I ate my share of Hector's grub. None of it sucked, either. I still enjoy a can of his ravioli from time to time. It's a convenience/comfort food for me these days. Not unlike fast food burgers - a rare treat.

  • @svenllr
    @svenllr Год назад +2

    I grew up on Beefaroni and love it to this day. I was so happy when they brought the Throwback Series as there was a noticeable difference in taste and it reminded me of my days as a boy eating straight out of the can! Thanks for a great documentary.

    • @naturalnashuan
      @naturalnashuan Год назад

      Why stop eating straight from cans now?😊 I still do it with almost everything, might be lazy.

  • @mihirlavande
    @mihirlavande Год назад +4

    Eating ravioli straight out of the can when I was piss drunk or just tired from cooking food all day will always be a part of my most cherished memories of my early 20s.

    • @screechingweasel34
      @screechingweasel34 Год назад

      I don't know why but now I want to do that... Did it make you sick?

  • @kimmer6
    @kimmer6 Год назад +6

    One of my first taste memories in the early 1950's was Chef Boyardee spaghetti. In the 1960's we assembled their pizza kits every Friday night. 7 decades later, I have cases of Chef Boyardee as survival food. I see no problem at all eating their raviolis straight out of the can cold. I often create some pretty good dishes myself like a short order cook. A few years ago I started calling my home dishes Chef Boy-Am-I.

    • @embracedchimera5886
      @embracedchimera5886 Год назад +1

      Thank goodness for pull top lids! For eating out of can cold at work:)

    • @kimmer6
      @kimmer6 Год назад

      @@embracedchimera5886 Well, I will build a fire in my chingadera and happily eat cold Chef Boyardee out of a pull top can with you!

  • @ScumbagHorse
    @ScumbagHorse Год назад +4

    Quite literally the American dream in action. An amazing story to be told, and a heck of a backstory for something as simple as a canned good!

  • @deusvitae69
    @deusvitae69 Год назад +4

    oh I really liked this one! :) hits close to home and my 20's LOL!

  • @kerrbear1980
    @kerrbear1980 Год назад +4

    Their pizza wasa staple in my home. We were poor and as a cost efficient treat, my mom would have living room picnics with me snd my sis, with the pizza and we would watch the newlywed show (mid 80s). Good times....My mom was the best, made me appreciate the small things.

  • @jeffnaslund
    @jeffnaslund Год назад +3

    I always keep a couple of cans in my desk drawer for an inexpensive, quick lunch

  • @davidholguin2532
    @davidholguin2532 Год назад +1

    I'm 30 years old, and I still love this stuff. LoL.

  • @richardadams4928
    @richardadams4928 Год назад +14

    Is Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Ravioli actually objectively GOOD? No, not really. Do I unashamedly love it all the same? Yes, please, can I have some more?
    A great American success story.

    • @POOPGOD999
      @POOPGOD999 Год назад +2

      I cant help but feel the mass production somewhere along the lines changed the quality and authenticity just a little. Im betting the original cans were amazing

    • @richardadams4928
      @richardadams4928 Год назад +2

      @@POOPGOD999 Yeah, that thought had occurred to me, too. I bet it's true. But I still do like the modern version as a guilty pleasure.

  • @loufancelli1330
    @loufancelli1330 Год назад +5

    Growing up in a partially Italian family we never had canned or jarred sauce, but we would occasionally have Chef Boyardee cans in the pantry. The only ones I remember were ravioli and the pizza kits. And since microwaves weren't invented until I was nearing my teens, we had to wait MINUTES (can you belie it?!) for that stuff to heat up in a pan on the stove, so I would usually eat it right out of the can.

    • @truth4004
      @truth4004 Год назад

      Same here it was practically a sin to have a jar of Ragu. lol

  • @larrybass370
    @larrybass370 Год назад +19

    Can you do a Weird History Food on the rise and fall of Chi Chi’s franchise? I love the content on both channels.

    • @melissanichilo8176
      @melissanichilo8176 Год назад +2

      Nothing compares to their fried ice cream

    • @dawn8542
      @dawn8542 Год назад +1

      That's funny. I was just thinking about them. Bough ttheir salsa at Walmart. And remembering the restaurant that was here.

    • @giovannisakai4456
      @giovannisakai4456 Год назад

      it's a shame how tainted onions brought the downfall of chi chis

    • @giovannisakai4456
      @giovannisakai4456 Год назад

      i believe o charleys is there now

  • @brisket9158
    @brisket9158 10 месяцев назад

    At 32 I still get cravings when I see those cans and have to pick some up. Lunch for work a lot of the time. Still good and stayed the same since I was a kid. Always feel a bit of nostalgia

  • @lsrx101
    @lsrx101 Год назад +1

    I learned about Chef Boiardi as a young child in the 70s from the lady who did my mothers hair. She was older then and had grown up in Cleveland. Her family had some connection to the Chef and she spoke highly of him. I thought it was so cool that he was a real person and a famous Chef. I always enjoyed her stories about him, and Cleveland in general.

  • @jett8193
    @jett8193 Год назад +3

    Is that Bryan Cranston, in the Prep H commercial clip at 8:29? 😎 I've never liked Chef Boyardee products but was still super curious, so thanks for the video, WHF🙂

  • @dickhurts2616
    @dickhurts2616 Год назад +3

    Maybe a video on origins of ramen noodles? It’s been in so many homes and helped so many 😄

  • @billnelson5870
    @billnelson5870 4 месяца назад +1

    Back in the mid 1900’s I met that man. He was a good man. He told me I would go on to do big things. I never did. I feel like I let him down. RIP Big BRDee

  • @frankwaldeck2359
    @frankwaldeck2359 Год назад +2

    I’m not a fan of any of it anymore, but my kids love it.
    What a legacy!👍👍❤️🇨🇦

  • @rushnerd
    @rushnerd Год назад +47

    I knew he was a real chef before, but good god I didn't know he was a top level chef who owned an empire and had presidential honors.
    I bet you anything the original canned product back then was pretty really good, especially with fresh mushrooms.

  • @davidnotonstinnett
    @davidnotonstinnett Год назад +2

    Yooooo
    I’ve discovered I have a deep interest and love for old marketing. Nothing takes me back to childhood like old commercials, in a way that not even those old shows can.
    So…been binging these food videos lately :)

  • @eviegill942
    @eviegill942 Год назад +1

    Love the history of CBAD... So much fun!! Delicious too!! Thank you for the story..🍝

  • @DarkFire1536
    @DarkFire1536 Год назад +2

    I would love to go back in time and taste the original Boyardee pasta sauce.

  • @greypolar2720
    @greypolar2720 Год назад +6

    When I first moved out on my own, this was a large part of my diet. Now that I'm older, I still use it for dirty bulking. It's cheap and loaded with, well, everything. Love it.

    • @jo5678
      @jo5678 Год назад +4

      In college, this saved me :)

    • @greypolar2720
      @greypolar2720 Год назад +3

      @@jo5678 I'm all about those ABC's and 123's with meatballs.

  • @ScottyMania313
    @ScottyMania313 Год назад +4

    It's crazy that the spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, and beefaroni all have different tastes, but one bite and you feel good inside. You know it's Chef Boyardee's

  • @winterwraith1934
    @winterwraith1934 Год назад +2

    Not having grown up eating Chef Boyardee I nearly gagged when out of curiosity I tried a can of beefaroni many years ago. The mushy, overcooked “pasta” and putrid sauce turned me off the brand forever. The real chef however was certainly fascinating and I’m sure his actual food must’ve been pretty darn amazing. He probably wasn’t a fan of the canned interpretation of his culinary skills, but it sounds like it helped a lot of people out and did much for the local economy, so kudos to him. Thanks for the very interesting video, I’ll never look at those cans of food-like substance the same way again!

  • @armymedic_bnw
    @armymedic_bnw Год назад +1

    Canned Chef Boyardee singles of beefaroni, Vienna sausages, Campbell's Soup-at-Hand, pouches of tuna/chicken, black coffee, MREs & Reese's Pieces got me through my deployment. I rarely got an ACTUAL hot meal, but honestly the nostaligia is something else for something so simple. 🥰🥰

  • @Down_the_Wind
    @Down_the_Wind Год назад +34

    For people who think that Chef Boyardee canned products taste alike (they do lol) try the sauce that comes with the spaghetti kits. It’s worlds better than the sauce in the more well-known Chef products.
    Good stuff. I’ll even eat a box of it nowadays if I’m feeling emotional or lazy lol.

    • @lantron123
      @lantron123 3 месяца назад

      Didn't they discontinue the spaghetti kits? I don't see them anymore. They still have pizza kits.

  • @dmelvinable
    @dmelvinable Год назад +4

    After 52 years, I finally learned his first name. Also, one of my favorite things as a child was beef ravioli.

  • @alexandercampbell7903
    @alexandercampbell7903 Год назад +1

    One of my favorite sitcom lines ever is from the Golden Girls:
    Rose: Sofia, this is so delcious that it tastes like Chef Boyardee.
    Sofia starts to smile thinking she is being complimented; but then stops and stares, and then huffs off with the pot.

  • @amethyst5538
    @amethyst5538 Год назад +2

    These are so much fun to watch and listen to. Thankyou for making these!

  • @MrAwsomenoob
    @MrAwsomenoob Год назад +4

    Growing up mom and grandma called me their chef boyardi because I always helped cook.

  • @VintageCarHistory
    @VintageCarHistory Год назад +4

    When I saw your intro, it reminded me of something- What do Frosted Flakes and The Grinch have in common? Thurl Ravenscroft. He was both the voice of Tony the Tiger and sang the original song, 'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch'.

  • @GGiblet
    @GGiblet Год назад

    The Chef is so sweet and cheerful, just seeing him makes me feel happier☀

  • @sareinhart
    @sareinhart Год назад +1

    What a great American success story! It’s a testament to what vision and hard work can do.

  • @aleenr4425
    @aleenr4425 Год назад +9

    I wonder what his original sauce tasted like! 😋

  • @saitojharry
    @saitojharry Год назад +3

    7:26 "Plus cans of Chef Boyardee could make formidable projectiles..."
    Agent 47 agrees. 😂

  • @Loveofmisery
    @Loveofmisery 3 месяца назад +1

    that beef ravioli was my go-to when I had strep throat… never was allowed to have it before then, so it was extra special to me at the time. The beefaroni was my work wife’s go-to during strip season in a corporate grooming salon. We both kept cans in our work lockers, in the event one of us managed to get a lunch break.

  • @Karensagainstkarens
    @Karensagainstkarens Год назад

    Soooo nice.As a 70's kid, I loved the ravioli and pizza kit was super fun. I should get some to put in my emergency pantry.

  • @shawna620
    @shawna620 Год назад +6

    How about a video on the brand Van Camp? I remember way back in the day, they were Van de Camp -- I loved their pork 'n beans.

  • @fumenicalblack1245
    @fumenicalblack1245 Год назад +4

    I ate a pizza kit mix every day after school from grade 4 to end of high school.
    I was level 9 picky child.
    If the family wanted to go eat at a restaurant that I didn't like I would sit in the car.
    I'm eating a red baron pizza right now so I guess I still have issues.

  • @btetschner
    @btetschner 11 месяцев назад

    A+ video!
    Had no idea that he was so important to the history of the food we eat today!
    What a legend and a helpful person!

  • @jhoch5
    @jhoch5 Год назад +1

    Great video! I still enjoy the odd can of Chef Boyardee today, as I expect most people who grew up on the lower end of the class system do.

  • @dtdimeflicks6708
    @dtdimeflicks6708 Год назад +4

    I've been eating Chef Boyardee since I could eat solid food. I just had some last night 🤣.

  • @NickJThibault
    @NickJThibault Год назад +3

    i’ll say it, i still enjoy it at 21 years old!

  • @ashleycrowe6649
    @ashleycrowe6649 Год назад +2

    I absolutely love love these videos! Thank you! ♥️

  • @macewindu9100
    @macewindu9100 6 месяцев назад

    Bless Hector Boiardi! He's did a lot of good things for a lot of people.

  • @smittykins
    @smittykins Год назад +5

    I miss the boxed spaghetti dinner. Much better than the canned stuff.

    • @Down_the_Wind
      @Down_the_Wind Год назад +1

      I agree. You can still find it btw, in certain places.

  • @Bennythejet915
    @Bennythejet915 Год назад +3

    5:28 Savage af! 🤣🎯

  • @FG-bn3qq
    @FG-bn3qq Год назад +1

    I remember that commercial of the can who follows the girl home playing almost every day.
    "But I love chef"

  • @sgt_slobber.7628
    @sgt_slobber.7628 Год назад

    My childhood would not be the same without Chef Boyardee!!!!! The Ravioli was and still is My favorite!!!!!!🤗🤗🤗

  • @minuteman4199
    @minuteman4199 Год назад +3

    I loved the canned ravioli as a kid and I remember mum making pizza from a kit, but I don't know what brand it was.

  • @dunhune
    @dunhune Год назад +3

    Back when I worked a different job and I didn't have time to make lunch, I'd grab a can of ravioli and a fork and just eat it room temp. Not a bad meal.

  • @addictedtothewrittenword3451
    @addictedtothewrittenword3451 Год назад +1

    I'm no Chef, but Boyardees weird history food videos fascinating.

  • @sierra565
    @sierra565 Год назад +1

    Wanna know how much this food is a staple? I remember going to the store to stock up right before they officially announced lockdowns and the Chef Boyardees were CLEANED out. It took months before you could walk into the store and find more than two or three cans.

  • @baerv3753
    @baerv3753 Год назад +5

    I took a variety of his canned food to my friends in Italy a couple of months ago and they all refused even taste it…a dozen people, not one!

    • @proconsumersafety
      @proconsumersafety Год назад +1

      I understand. I love the history behind it and happy it has been so successful. I am full Italian, born in California, but have most of my family in Italy as well. My family never really liked it, including myself. But this was based on us making homemade Italian foods from scratch and growing most of our ingredients. For many who have never grown up with homemade Italian food or have had the opportunity to eat in Italy, this would not compare. But I love the passion and the story and for those who love it, is fine.

    • @baerv3753
      @baerv3753 Год назад +2

      @@proconsumersafety trust me when I tell you I understand. I’ve been living in Italy six month out of the year.

  • @jtstacey83
    @jtstacey83 Год назад +4

    would love to see an episode concerning jello or pudding pops

    • @melissanichilo8176
      @melissanichilo8176 Год назад

      I miss pudding pops 😢

    • @ArcherSuh4721
      @ArcherSuh4721 Год назад +3

      That video might take a bit of a dark turn considering who their spokesperson was during the 80s...

  • @blackleague212
    @blackleague212 Год назад +1

    still tasty after all these years. glad to watch this. ate plenty of raviolis as a kid.

  • @geoffguillette2340
    @geoffguillette2340 4 месяца назад

    I work in the kitchen at this plant in Milton. I’ve cooked every type of sauce in the Chef Boyardee line. I love my job and am very proud of this product.