Ettore Hector Boiardi (1897 - 1985)

Born 22 Oct 1897 in Borgonovo Val Tidone, Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Husband of Helen Jane (Wroblewski) Boiardi — married 7 Apr 1923 in Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States

Died 21 Jun 1985 at age 87 in Parma City, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Hector Boiardi has Italian Roots.

Hector Boiardi is Notable.

Ettore "Hector" Boiardi (October 22, 1897–June 21, 1985) was the Italian-born chef famous for his eponymous brand of food products, named Chef Boyardee.

Boiardi was born to Giuseppe Boiardi and Mary Maffi 22 Oct 1897 in Borgonovo Val Tidone, Piacenza, Italy.^[1] His father was 41 years old at the time of his birth.^[1]

On May 9, 1914, at the age of 16, he arrived at Ellis Island aboard the La Lorraine, a ship of French registration.^[2]

Boiardi followed his brother to the kitchen of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, working his way up to head chef. In 1917, he supervised the catering for the reception of President Woodrow Wilson's second wedding at the Greenbrier, in West Virginia.

He married Helen Wroblewski 7 Apr 1923 in Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States.^[3][4][5] Also in 1923 he became a naturalized American citizen.^[6]

His entrepreneurial skill became polished and well known when he opened his first restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia, whose name translated as “The Garden of Italy,” at East 9th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, in 1926. The patrons of Il Giardino d'Italia frequently asked for samples and recipes of his spaghetti sauce, which he often gave to customers in old milk bottles.

Boiardi began to use a factory in 1928 to keep up with orders, setting his sights on selling his product nationally. Touting the low cost of spaghetti products as a good choice to serve to the entire family, Boiardi introduced his product to the public in 1929. In 1938, production was moved to Milton, Pennsylvania, where Boiardi was able to maintain greater quality control over his products. He even grew his own tomatoes and mushrooms in the factory basement for use in his creations. Proud of his Italian heritage, Boiardi sold his products under the brand name “Chef Boy-Ar-Dee” so that his American customers could pronounce his name properly.

Boiardi's company made and prepared millions of rations for American and Allied troops during World War II, and for his efforts he was awarded a gold star order of excellence from the United States War Department. After struggling with cashflow and managing rapid internal growth, he sold his brand to American Home Foods, later International Home Foods, for approximately $6 million. Boiardi then invested in steel mills, which helped produce goods needed for the Korean War.

Boiardi appeared in many print advertisements and television commercials for his brand in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. His last television commercial promoting the brand aired in 1979. Boiardi continued developing new Italian food products for the American market until his death, at which time the Chef Boyardee line was grossing $500 million per year for International Home Foods. He died of a heart attack on June 21, 1985 at his home in Parma, Ohio, United States. He was 87.^[7] He was buried in All Souls Cemetery Section Number 23 ElevationOrAisle SACRED HEART CryptNumber 121 Level C Mausoleum Crucifixion Latitude 41.593119168183800 Longitude -81.270239355255500.

ConAgra Foods acquired International, and the company continues to use his likeness on Chef Boyardee-brand products.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Birth: FamilySearch Film # 008076580, image 2860, record 248.
2. ↑ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJ38-MTT : 16 August 2019), Ettore Boiardi, 1914.
3. ↑ "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2Q7H-G8B : 26 August 2019), Hector Boiardi and Helen Wroblewski, 07 Apr 1923; citing Marriage, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States, , Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus; FHL microfilm.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X431-YS1 : accessed 10 March 2020), Hector Boiardi, Cleveland (Districts 501-533), Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 509, sheet 16B, line 78, family 52, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1780; FHL microfilm 2,341,514.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQN8-MZ4 : 10 December 2019), Hector Boiarde, Ward 3, Milton, Milton Borough, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 49-35, sheet 2B, line 54, family 41, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3596.
6. ↑ "Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8HQ-S12 : 13 February 2020), Ettore Boiardi, 1923.
7. ↑ "Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKKH-QLC : 12 November 2019), Hector J Boiardi, 1985.

See also:

• "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6FC-W3S : 24 August 2019), Hector Boiardi, 1917-1918.

• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDY6-T32 : accessed 10 March 2020), Hector Boiardi in household of Annie Simonetti, Cleveland Ward 11, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing ED 199, sheet 13B, line 57, family 169, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1365; FHL microfilm 1,821,365.

• "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJG-GWYN : 16 March 2018), Ettore Boiardi, 1924; citing Passport Application, Ohio, United States, source certificate #435096, Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925, 2555, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNH3-238 : 20 August 2019), Ettore Boiardi, 1924.

• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HDQ-CX8 : 16 March 2018), Ettore Boiardi, 1956; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KR8W-LZW : 3 December 2019), Hector Boiardi, 1983.

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JP27-RJX : 20 May 2014), Hector Boiardi, Jun 1985; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Wikipedia contributors, "Ettore Boiardi," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ettore_Boiardi&oldid=942333747 (accessed March 10, 2020).

• https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/boiardi-hector

• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 30 March 2020), memorial page for Hector Boiardi (22 Oct 1897–21 Jun 1985), Find A Grave: Memorial #11860910, citing All Souls Cemetery, Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .