Rice-A-Roni
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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.
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[edit] History
In 1895, Italian-born immigrant, Domenico (aka Charlie) DeDomenico [1] , 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 (1915-2007), Tom and Anthony. In 1934, Paskey changed the name to "Golden Grain Macaroni Company". Inspired by the pilaf recipe of an Armenian 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 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 Quaker Oats Company purchased the Golden Grain Company from the DeDomenico family in 1986.
Rice-a-Roni is currently marketing low sodium versions of its primary products. The company has also marketed a line of marginally healthier products featuring brown rice.
Currently, Rice-A-Roni is being sent to NBC in an effort to bring back Journeyman for the 2008 season - the show is set in San Francisco.
[edit] Private Labels
Rice-a-Roni is a fairly unique product, as few national brands have marketed a similar rice and pasta product. However, it is one of the most heavily copied products by private label companies. Almost any grocery chain will have at least one private label version (usually the store's "house brand") and its not uncommon for today's stores to carry multiple private label versions. Generally, they are marketed as "Vermicelli and Rice" dishes, avoiding any version of the trademarked Rice-a-Roni name. Typically, private labels offer only the basic chicken and beef flavoring.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of Rice-A-Roni
- Explanation of the name and the slogan "The San Francisco Treat" at The Straight Dope
