Prince Spaghetti Day How Wednesdays Got Delicious In Michigan

Prince Spaghetti Day was something we all waited for a night with family. Prince Spaghetti was a very important part of our culture in Roseville and Warren Michigan. Besides creating jobs, it helped many people in our community in the late 1970s and early '80s

Roseville had a very large Italian Community. Spaghetti is a very affordable dinner, therefore the term Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day.

Prince Macaroni Building was the largest spaghetti factory in the world. I remember it in Roseville located on Groesbeck Highway just south of I-696. Also a location in Warren, Michigan

Prince was founded in 1912 when 3 Sicilian immigrants opened a small pasta shop in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1941, Giuseppe Pellegrino, another Sicilian immigrant, joined the company and soon bought a controlling interest. The company remained in the hands of the Pellegrino family until 1987,

Prince is best known for its 1970s commercials featuring an Italian-American mother leaning out of a window in the North End of Boston yelling for her son Anthony to come to dinner. The tagline was "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day.

The original Prince Spaghetti commercial, and one of my all-time favorites

Wednesday is called Prince Spaghetti Day because of a 1969 marketing television commercial for Prince Pasta. The commercial featured a young boy named Anthony running home to eat Prince Spaghetti with his mother. 

The commercial's slogan "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day" became so well known that many restaurants began serving spaghetti on Wednesdays. 

The commercial starred Anthony Martignetti, a 12-year-old Italian immigrant. The commercial ran for 13 years and won a Clio Award. That's an award for TV commercial excellence.

In 2020 Anthony's brother announced on Facebook that Martignetti had died suddenly in his sleep. Martignetti was 63.

( Comments taken from the Roseville Michigan Historical Group )

Carl from Chesterfield Michigan -My Uncle Sam worked there. He used to trade spaghetti and Sauce for Strohs beer from his brother(my dad). It was quite an interesting childhood.

Elaine from Detroit Michigan said- "I worked there my last year or two of high school when it was Vivison Macaroni Co., owned by the Viviano family. About the time it was merged with Prince Macaroni Co., from out east. This wonderful family-owned company participated in Roseville High School's work study program, giving high school kids experience in the job market. It was my first job; I worked in the office, but sometimes did small jobs in the back. When I went off to college, I remember being given a present by the other workers. Everyone in that company were like family. It is a special memory."

Patrick from Roseville, Michigan, said, " My uncle worked at the Groesbeck location in Warren.

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