Jeno Paulucci

About

Founder of Chun King canned Chinese food products. He created a market for ready-made ethnic food.

Before Fame

He worked for his family's small grocery store during the Great Depression and noticed a rising demand for prepared Chinese dishes.

Trivia

He borrowed $2,500 and started canning chow mein, selling them one truckload at a time until he got a whole plant running.

Family Life

He was born in Aurora, Minnesota, the son of Italian immigrants, his father first working in the iron mines of the state and then starting his own grocery business. He was married to Lois Mae Paulucci and he had three children.

Associated With

He and George Hormel, the maker of SPAM canned meats, both changed what Americans ate out of a can.