Chef Boyardee - Omaha, NE
N 41° 15.436 W 095° 55.737
15T E 254617 N 4571454
A statue of Chef Boyardee is located at the ConAgra Foods plaza at 10th and Farnam Streets in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Waymark Code: WMD7PW
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2011
Views: 14
This is a life-size six-foot bronze sculpture of the famous chef. In the sculpture, Chef Boyardee is wearing a chef's hat and tailored chef's jacket. On the left breast of his jacket are the words "Chef Boyardee."
The following information is from an Omaha World-Herald story about the unveiling of the statue:
"The task of bringing Chef Boyardee to life fell to Omaha sculptor John Lajba. Lajba, whose “Road to Omaha” sculpture has become the symbol of the College World Series, took the responsibility very seriously.
Chef Boyardee isn't a cartoon or a corporate creation, Lajba said. “He was a human being.”
Parents and grandparents might remember when the man himself appeared in most of the brand's television commercials.
Hector Boiardi — he went by “Boy-ar-dee” because it was easier for Americans to pronounce — was a hotel chef and restaurateur before he opened a packaged Italian foods company in the 1920s. Boiardi died in 1985 at 87. ConAgra Foods acquired the company in 2000.
Lajba used many photos of Boiardi for reference. “He was a man who had a lot of class and a lot of charm.”
The sculptor tried to capture that elegance, giving the figure “really classy shoes,” a more tailored chef's jacket and the hint of a dress shirt underneath.
Because the figure on the Chef Boyardee logo doesn't look exactly like Hector Boiardi, Lajba had to blend the real man with the brand icon to make sure the sculpture would be recognizable.
He chose a dignified pose — no fingertip kissing or plates of spaghetti — with Boiardi standing casually.
“I really want it to feel like his whole demeanor is that he's relaxed, he's at home, and he's eager to meet the citizens of Omaha.”"
-- Source