Caesar Cardini

Caesar Cardini (February 24, 1896 – November 3, 1956) was an Italian American restaurateur, chef, and hotel owner who, along with his brother Alex Cardini (c1899 – December 22, 1974), is credited with creating the Caesar salad.

Biography

He was born as Cesare Cardini in Baveno, a comune on the shore of Lago Maggiore, and had seven siblings: Bonifacio, Aldo, Nereo, Alessandro, Carlotta, Caudencio and Maria. While the sisters, Bonifacio and Aldo, stayed in Italy, the other three brothers emigrated to America; Nereo opened a small hotel near the casino in Santa Cruz, California; Alessandro and Caudencio eventually were in the restaurant business in Mexico City. Alessandro, who was called Alex in the USA, is reported to have been Caesar's partner in Tijuana, Mexico. Cesare sailed as a steerage passenger on board the RMS Olympic which arrived at the Port of New York on May 1, 1913. After inspection at Ellis Island, he boarded a train bound for Montreal.

He eventually returned to Italy but, after having worked in European gastronomy, Caesar went again to the United States in 1919. With partner William Brown, he ran Brown's Restaurant in Sacramento, then he moved to San Diego where he was in the restaurant business. At the same time he engaged in the same business in Tijuana, where he could avoid the restrictions of prohibition. He married Camille Stump, and had a daughter, Rosa Maria Cardini (1928-2003).