Kurt Eberling, Sr.

Kurt Eberling Sr. (17 June 1930 – 6 March 2008) was a German-American chef and the inventor of SpaghettiOs.

Born in Aachen, Germany, Eberling immigrated to the United States in 1951, first working at a tavern in Philadelphia where he learned to cook. Eberling served with the army in Germany and Austria during the Korean War, and met his wife during this time. After the war Eberling went to work in the kitchens of the research and development department at Campbell Soup Company, where he developed products for the US and international markets. Eberling created the idea of canned "spaghetti and meatballs" when he saw a strand of spaghetti curled up in the sink. He took the idea to his supervisor, Heinz Fisher, and Ralph Miller.