Hot Pockets History

From Saveur -

THE FORGOTTEN IMMIGRANT ORIGINS OF AMERICA’S MOST ICONIC MICROWAVABLE SNACK
How two Iranian brothers invented the beloved Hot Pocket
BY MATTHEW SEDACCA

The short version of the story goes like this: In the late ‘60s, the Merages were attending universities in California. After earning an MBA in business, Paul Merage worked entry-level marketing positions at Maxwell House coffee. But both wanted to start their own company, a dream ingrained by their father, and according to a 2015 profile in Family Business, David believed success would happen in California. (The Merage family did not respond to requests for an interview.)

After a business trip to Europe in the mid-70s, the brothers saw potential demand in the American market for frozen Belgian waffles, according to a 2016 Tedium article, working for months to perfect a reipce. For months, the two worked on a recipe for easy-to-prepare Belgian waffles. In 1977, despite minimal experience in the industry, they founded the food manufacturing company Chef America Inc. in Chatsworth, California. Then, after earning millions marketing their waffles to restaurants and coffee shops, the brothers decided to compete with lunch and dinner-time offerings. The Hot Pocket came soon after.

http://www.saveur.com/hot-pockets-merage-brothers-history#page-2