Caesar Cardini
Italian chef and restaurateur, creator of the Caesar salad
Biography
Cesare Cardini, known as Caesar Cardini, was an Italian-born chef and hotel owner credited with creating the Caesar salad in Tijuana during the 1920s. His name is closely tied to the dish, although the exact circumstances of its invention are still debated among food historians.
Born in Baveno, on the shore of Lake Maggiore, he emigrated to the United States in 1913. After working in California, he opened several restaurants in Tijuana, where Prohibition-era visitors crossed the border in search of alcohol. His restaurant Caesar's drew a steady crowd and, later, Hollywood celebrities. According to family accounts, the salad was improvised one busy night in July 1924; this version comes mainly from a 1987 interview with his daughter.
After tourism to Tijuana declined, he moved to San Diego and then Los Angeles, where he focused on selling a bottled dressing under his name. He died in 1956. His legacy lives on in the commercial brand and in the Caesar's restaurant in Tijuana, where the salad is still assembled at the table.
Key contributions
- The Caesar salad, made with romaine lettuce, dressing, cheese and croutons, assembled tableside.
- A commercial dressing bearing his name, trademarked in 1948.
- The popularisation of the dish among Hollywood clientele in Tijuana during the 1920s.