[1] It was founded in 1939, by Leopold Oldani, and is credited with the invention of toasted ravioli, which is considered a key example of the Cuisine of St. Louis.

It was reopened in 2006 by Lance and Andrea Ervin and it eventually became the center of an episode of Restaurant: Impossible.

[2] It was also featured on an episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, hosted by Casey Webb, in December 2017.

It was supposedly tasted by baseball legend Joe Garagiola's brother Mickey, and pronounced worthy of becoming a permanent item.

It is now considered iconic of St. Louis cuisine, as well as having spread throughout the United States in general.