Free Republic

Vincent DeDomenico, a pasta maker who paid homage to his hometown when he invented the Rice-A-Roni side dish, has died at age 92, his family said. Along with his brothers, DeDomenico, the son of Italian immigrants, created the packaged blend of rice and pasta during the early 1960s. It became known as "the San Francisco treat" through television advertisements that featured a catchy jingle and cable cars. After the brothers sold the Golden Grain Macaroni Co. to Quaker Oats in 1986, DeDomenico bought 21 miles of railroad track in Napa Valley and several vintage passenger cars that he put to...