The glorious frozen creations known as Hot Pockets were created by two Jewish-Iranian brothers named Paul and David Merage, who immigrated from Tehran to the U.S. for college, according to Saveur. After earning an MBA, Paul worked in marketing at Maxwell Coffee House, but a trip to Europe inspired him to start a frozen waffle business alongside his brother, and thus, former frozen food giant Chef America Inc. was born.

After their frozen breakfast items sold successfully, David and Paul noticed a market desire for on-the-go lunch and dinner items. And although times were tough for both brothers, they were able to create and sell a portable sandwich-like product that was crispy on the outside, while concealing the inside fillings. This eventually debuted as the "Tastywich" in 1980, before it was renamed the Hot Pocket.