Rice-A-Roni facts for kids
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| Type | Flavored rice, pasta mixes |
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| Owner | Quaker Oats Company |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1958 |
| Markets | U.S. |
| Previous owners | Golden Grain Macaroni Company |
| Tagline | "The San Francisco Treat" |
Rice-A-Roni is a popular boxed food mix. It contains rice, thin pasta called vermicelli, and special seasonings. To make it, you first brown the rice and pasta in butter. Then, you add water and the seasonings. You let it cook gently until all the water is soaked up. Rice-A-Roni is made by the Quaker Oats Company, which is part of a bigger company called PepsiCo.
Contents
History of Rice-A-Roni
The story of Rice-A-Roni began with an immigrant from Italy named Domenico DeDomenico. In 1890, he moved to California and opened a store selling fresh fruits and vegetables. Domenico was a successful businessman. He married Maria Ferrigno, who came from Salerno, Italy.
Starting a Pasta Business
Maria's family owned a pasta factory back in Italy. In 1912, she convinced Domenico to start a similar business. They opened "Gragnano Products, Inc." in the Mission District of San Francisco. This company sold fresh pasta to Italian stores and restaurants nearby.
Domenico's sons, Paskey, Vince, Tom, and Anthony, all worked with him. In 1934, Paskey changed the company's name. It became the "Golden Grain Macaroni Company."
How Rice-A-Roni Was Invented
Tom's wife, Lois, was inspired by a pilaf recipe. She got the recipe from an Armenian immigrant named Pailadzo Captanian. Lois used this idea to create a new dish with rice and macaroni. She served it to her family for dinner.
In 1958, Vince DeDomenico had a brilliant idea. He added a dry chicken soup mix to the rice and macaroni dish. This new product was named Rice-A-Roni! It was first sold in the Northwestern United States in 1958. Three years later, you could buy it all across the country. Because it started in San Francisco, its famous slogan became "The San Francisco Treat!" The dish is similar to a Middle Eastern pilaf called rizz bi-sha'riyya.
Expanding the Product Line
After a trip to Italy in 1964, Vince got another idea. He wanted to make "Noodle Roni Parmesano." This product was based on the classic Noodles Alfredo dish. As the company made more pasta products with different shapes and sauces, they changed the name. In 1995, Noodle Roni became Pasta Roni.
In 1986, the Quaker Oats Company bought the Golden Grain Company. Later, in 2001, PepsiCo bought the Quaker Oats Company. This meant Rice-A-Roni became part of PepsiCo.
See also
- Reissa roni, an insect named after the product
