The True Story Behind Michelina’s Frozen Entrees

Have you ever seen those small, boxed Michelina dinners in the freezer section of your grocery? Or, better yet, have you ever bought them and tasted them? TV dinners get a bad rap for the most part, but these little boxes contain some real tasty chow. TV dinners are usually predictable. You know the classic menu – meatloaf, sliced turkey and gravy, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and fish sticks. Michelina’s has broken out of the mold by offering consumers a wide variety of dishes. In fact, the company makes five different brands of frozen entrees. These are Authentico, Lean Gourmet, Yu Sing, Signature and Zap Em’s. These brands offer up flavorsome pastas, meat, chicken, rice, seafood and vegetarian entrees. Some of their menu includes Chicken Lo Mein, Beef Pot Roast, Pepper Steak with Rice, Pizza Snack, Shrimp Fried Rice and Glazed Chicken. But this article isn’t a review of their foods, it’s the story behind Michelina’s frozen entrees.

Jeno Francesco Paulucci was born in the Great Depression to Italian immigrants. Father Ettore was a miner, and mother Michelina ran a small grocery store from their home in Minnesota. Jeno began working selling fruits and vegetables when he was just ten years old. This job started as a way for him to help his struggling family. But Jeno Paulucci combined hard work and business acumen to turn it into a successful career in the food industry.

Now in his eighties, Paulucci has racked up an impressive amount of achievements and honors. He brought the world “Jeno’s Pizza Rolls” and “Chun King Chinese Foods.” He also founded Luigino’s, Incorporated which is the company behind the Michelina’s and the Budget Gourmet brands of frozen entrees. He also has approximately 65 more brand names to his credit.

The “Michelina’s” name came from the entrepreneur’s mother. Because, just like Colonel Harland Sanders, who used his mother’s “finger lickin’ good” recipe to build an empire, Jeno Paulucci started out by using his mother’s delicious recipes to make his food entrees. He also placed his mother’s picture on every package as an honor to her.

Jeno Paulucci has been chosen as Ernst & Young’s “Greatest Entrepreneur” for many years. This entrepreneur is a patented inventor and civic activist who has advised seven different United States presidents in his lifetime, thus far, including George W. Bush.

Although he spends long hours running his businesses and interests, Paulucci is a committed family man. He has been married to his wife Lois for nearly 60 years. Their union created three children and two more generations of family.

If you want to read more about the true story behind Michelina’s frozen entrees, read “Jeno’s Story: Power of the Peddler”. It not only tells Paulucci’s story, but it also shares some of the secrets of his success. You can buy this 570-page book with photos from Bookmasters. All of the proceeds from this book go to the Jeno and Lois Paulucci Family Foundation.

Reference:

• “Jeno’s Story: Power of the Peddler”