To prepare, the rice and pasta are browned in butter, then water and seasonings are added and simmered until absorbed.

Back home, her family owned a pasta factory, so in 1912 she persuaded him to establish a similar business in the Mission District of San Francisco.

Tom's wife, Lois, was inspired by the pilaf recipe she received from Armenian immigrant Pailadzo Captanian, to create a dish of rice and macaroni, which she served at a family dinner.

In 1958, Vince invented Rice-A-Roni by adding a dry chicken soup mix to rice and macaroni.

American Italian Pasta Company bought the Golden Grain brand in 2003, but the sale did not include Rice-a-Roni, which remained with the Quaker Oats division of PepsiCo.