Pacific Macaroni
The Pacific Macaroni Company in Los Angeles, California was originally located on 815 South Alameda Street. The original founding of the company was lost to history, but in 1919, Laurence Faure and Salvatore Nunziato became the proprietors1. Pacific Macaroni produced Liberty and Gold Medal Egg Noodles, two brands made from 100% semolina.
The company advertised noodles made from, “Fresh California ranch eggs”, an appeal to shoppers interested in products using local, organic ingredients, qualities that would resonate well with many even today. The company also advertised their products were made in a, “Sanitary factory, untouched by human hands”.
Highlighting sanitary conditions at the point of production was in keeping with the current food trends of the time and how food was made was important in the mind of the consumer.
One of the first images many Italian-Americans saw as they came to America was Lady Liberty, the symbol of freedom in the New World. As they entered New York Harbor, ships full of eager immigrants sailed by the mighty colossus who greeted them on their way to the nearby immigration facilities at Ellis Island. During World War I, Liberty bonds were popular (and highly advertised) and Pacific Macaroni capitalized on the patriotic spirit of the day by using the name “Liberty” for their brand. In 1928, the Pacific Macaroni Company and the United States Macaroni Company merged with the Los Angeles Pacific Macaroni Company with Nunziato as its head5. In 1930, the Los Angeles Macaroni Company built a two story, 40,000 square foot (3,715 square meters) manufacturing facility in the Central Manufacturing District of Los Angeles, which included a distribution capability anda private switch track for rail service.
In 1941, the Golden Age Corporation acquired the Los Angeles Pacific Macaroni as a way to expand their markets in the West Coast. Golden Age continued selling the Gold Medal brand in the Los Angeles factory, as well as adding their flagship brand Golden Age.
Spaghetti eating contests were popular in the United States and in August 1930, the Los Angeles Pacific Macaroni Company awarded the first-place trophy to the winner of the “Newsboys’ Spaghetti-Eating Speed Contest”, which took place at the Angeleno Café on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The 15-year-old champ downed a pound (0,45 kilograms) of spaghetti, 250 yards (228,6 meters) in total, in 56 seconds flat. Hollywood actress and singer Jeanette Loff initiated the event with a starter pistol. There were other companies using the name Pacific Macaroni. Pacific Coast Macaroni in Seattle, Washington was initially formed by three cousins Joseph Merlino, Timbario Madonna and John Madonna, who went door-to-door to sell their pasta directly to customers in the Italian section of town. Guido Merlino soon joined the firm and they established the brand Three Monks in 1926. Through several mergers and acquisitions, it became part of the Golden Grain Macaroni Company in 1956. Additionally, there was the Pacific Macaroni Factory in Hilo, Hawaii.
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