Arend was born in Luxembourg and graduated at the top of his class from the College Technique de Strasbourg in 1952.[7] He began his culinary career at the Continental Hotel in Luxembourg before immigrating to the United States in 1956. He subsequently worked at the luxury Drake Hotel in Chicago, and in 1959, won a gourmet contest with his dish, "supreme de poularde Amphitryon".[3][4][7] He later worked as the executive chef at Chicago's Whitehall Club for 14 years.[4]
Career at McDonald's
In 1976, Arend joined McDonald's as its first executive chef, recruited by founder Ray Kroc and CEO Fred L. Turner to expand the menu. Initially, Arend declined Kroc's offer, stating, "I'm a chef, I don't believe in hamburgers."[4][7] Arend eventually relented and chose to work for McDonald's, stating he was influenced by Kroc's persistence, better hours and benefits, and the opportunity to reach a broader culinary audience.[2][3][4]
One of Arend's significant contributions to McDonald's was the development of the Chicken McNugget. Prior to this success, Arend experimented other chicken-based menu items, including a deep-fried chicken potpie and bone-in fried chicken, neither of which proved commercially viable.[8] Ray Kroc then tasked Arend with developing "onion nuggets", a bite-sized onion ring-like dish. However, he pivoted to chicken at the request of Fred Turner in 1979.[8][9][10][11] Arend worked on developing the new Chicken McNugget product over 14–16 months[4] and was responsible for determining the composition of the new item, along with developing the accompanying sauces, which originally included barbecue, sweet and sour, and hot mustard.[2] After an extremely successful launch in test markets in circa 1980–1981, McDonald's launched the Chicken McNugget nationwide in 1983 after overcoming initial chicken supply shortages.[5][10][11][12]
Arend also collaborated with animal science professor Roger Mandigo to create the McRib, which debuted in Kansas City-area McDonald's in 1981, before a nationwide release in 1982.[3][13] Inspired by pulled pork barbecue he tried in South Carolina, Arend designed the McRib to resemble a rack of ribs, despite being a boneless pork patty.[3] Its creation was, in part, a response to the popularity of the Chicken McNugget and a resulting chicken shortage, along with McDonald's desire for additional menu options.[5][12]
Retirement and death
Arend retired from full-time work at McDonald's in 1990,[9] and died in August 2016 at age 88.[5]
