Rice-A-Roni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rice-A-Roni is a product of The Quaker Oats Company. It is a boxed food mix that consists of rice, vermicelli, seasonings, and sometimes other ingredients.
[edit] Brief history
In 1895 Italian-born immigrant Domenico DeDomenico moved to California, where he set up a fresh produce store. A successful businessman, he married Maria Ferrigno from Salerno, Italy. Back home her family had owned a pasta factory, so in 1912 she persuaded him to set up a similar business in the mission district of San Francisco. The enterprise became known as "Gragnano Products Inc.". It delivered pasta to Italian stores and restaurants in the area.
Along with Domenico worked his sons Paskey, Vince, Tom and Anthony. In 1934 Paskey changed the name to "Golden Grain Macaroni Company". Inspired by the pilaf recipe of a neighbour, Tom's wife Lois created a dish made up of rice and macaroni, which she served at a family dinner, creating an instant favorite. In 1958 Vince created Rice-A-Roni by adding a dry chicken soup mix to rice and macaroni. It was first introduced in 1958 in the Northwestern United States, and went nationwide four years later. With reference to the point of origin, either family-wise or factory-wise, it was called "The San Francisco Treat!", which is a registered trademark.
After a trip to Italy in 1964 Vince returned with the idea for "Noodle Roni Parmesano", based on the classic "Noodles Alfredo". As the product line extended with various shapes and different sauces it was renamed from Noodle-Roni to Pasta-Roni in 1995. Meanwhile the "Golden Grain Company" had been purchased by "The Quaker Oats Company" in 1986.
