Chun King Chow Mein: First Canned Chinese Food Sold

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Chun King Chow Mein was the first canned Chinese food sold in the U.S. While Chinese immigrants were starting Chinese restaurants in the United States during the early part of the 20th century, the potential for mass distribution of ready-prepared Chinese dishes was not readily apparent. One of the first to see it was a man of Italian ancestry.

still image from 1979 Chun King commercial — Still from 1979 Chun King commericial

Chun King History

Luigino ‘Jeno’ Paulucchi started the Chun King corporation during the later 1940s. His first product was canned Chow Mein, using bean sprouts grown locally by Japanese immigrants, and leftover celery trimmings. He patented his unique product, which had the ‘chow mein’ or noodles, in a separate compartment from the vegetables.

By the middle of the 1950s, canned Chinese food was one of the most popular “international foods” sold in grocery stores. Paulucchi had grown up in the grocery business, and after serving in Asia during World War II, he came home thinking about how much his fellow soldiers like chop suey. Jeno started the company with a borrowed $2500. At first, his sales were to local Minnesotans, selling to, of all people, a Scandinavian market, but he soon went national. His first large supermarket account was Food Fair.

Related Cultural Question: Do Chinese People Actually Hate American Chinese Food? Chun King was the king of “Americanized” Chinese food. But how does the food in American Chinese restaurants compare to the culinary standards of the culture they represent?

The quality of Jeno’s canned innovations was, at first, questionable. As mentioned, he bought cast-off celery trimmings as a primary ingredient.

Author Joel Denker in The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America’s Ethnic Cuisine, recounts a story that Jeno himself told of a mishap that could have cost him the Food Fair account. In Philadelphia, Paulucchi was trying to demonstrate the quality of his chop suey. He opened the can for the store’s top buyer but luckily he was able to block the view of the can’s contents. Good thing. He was able to extract and eat the grasshopper floating at the top, saying, “This looks so delicious I think I’ll have the first bit myself.”

Also, according to Denker, Chun King was one of the first companies to use television spots to advertise ethnic food and had television hosts like Gary Moore and Arthur Godfrey push its products. One Chun King commercial developed by comedian Stan Freberg featured an announcer claiming “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Chun King chow mein” while the camera panned to show ten smiling doctors in white coats, nine of them Chinese.

Many Chun King commercials were developed by comedian Stan Freberg, such as the one below.

By the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Chun King had become the leading brand of canned Chinese food, controlling 80% of the market.

Other Innovations by Jeno Paluchi

Canned and frozen Chinese food was not the only innovation by Jeno Paluchi. He also developed that favorite microwave snack, pizza rolls, along with Jeno’s frozen pizza and Michelina’s brand of frozen Italian foods, sold by his food company, Luigino ‘s. Just after he invented pizza rolls, in 1966, Jeno sold the Chun King brand to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. RJR merged with Nabisco in 1985 to become RJR Nabisco and then, in 1989, sold off the Chun King brand, which was later sold to Hunt-Wesson in 1995, owner of Chinese food brand La Choy. ConAgra, the owner of Hunt-Wesson, eventually phased out the Chun King brand. Jeno’s was eventually acquired by pizza brand Totino’s, which continues to successfully market pizza rolls.

Where Did Jeno Get the Name Chun King?

Most likely, the name Chun King was meant to allude to the city of Chongqing, which was the war capital of China in the 1940’s. Jeno probably learned of the city during his military service.

Another Food First: What Was the First Brand of Frozen Pizza? It wasn’t Totinos. And, it also wasn’t Red Baron or Tombstone!

What Happened to Chun King Chow Mein?

Chun King was a highly successful food brand. By 1962, the company had an annual revenue of $30 million. In fact, half of all sales of canned or prepared Chinese food were Chunk King. Then, in 1966, the canned food line was sold to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for $63 million.

In 1985, Reynolds merged with Nabisco. Then in 1989, the new company sold the Chun King canned Chinese food brand to Yeo Hiap Seng or “Yeo’s,” a Singaporean beverage and food company (along with Fullerton Holdings) RJR Nabisco sold the brand because they needed to reduce debts following a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. Chun King’s frozen food line was sold to Del Monte in 1986.

Later, in 1995, Yeo Hip Seng sold Chun King to Hunt Wesson, a subsidiary of Con Agra. Hunt Wesson was already the owner of the La Choy line of Chinese foods and had already acquired Chun King’s frozen food line from Del Monte. Con Agra soon discontinued the Chun King brand and closed all manufacturing facilities. By 1996, Chun King Chow Mein and all other Chun King products had disappeared from shelves.