Cobb salad

 Cobb salad

Originally made with leftovers, Cobb salad now one of America's favorite appetizers.

Courtesy Jodimichelle/Creative Commons/Flickr

The chef's salad originated back East, but American food innovators working with lettuce out West weren't going to be outdone.

In 1937, Bob Cobb, the owner of The Brown Derby, was scrounging around at the restaurant's North Vine location for a meal for Sid Grauman of Grauman's Theater when he put together a salad with what he found in the fridge: a head of lettuce, an avocado, some romaine, watercress, tomatoes, some cold chicken breast, a hard-boiled egg, chives, cheese, and some old-fashioned French dressing.

Brown Derby lore says, "He started chopping. Added some crisp bacon, swiped from a busy chef." The salad went onto the menu and straight into the heart of Hollywood.