curiously, there was a real Chef Boyardee.. and he actually was a good cook -- (not to say the canned stuff is any good..
But Chef Boyardee was indeed a real person, born Hector Boiardi in northern Italy in 1898... more at
http://www.snopes2.com/business/names/boyardee.htm

the plain canned sause (not macaroni and sause in a can) used to be pretty good, (it was a very mild, bland sause) i remember having it as a kid (till teen years) but the canned macaroni and sause was crummy even when i was a kid--the sause was too sweet, and had an "off flavor".