Ray Seger, chef, and wife Eunice, package green lima beans with ham at the new Magic Foods, Inc. frozen food plant in Tacoma. Seger's recipes are incorporated into chicken a la king, chili con carne, beef hash, and baked beans which are cooked, packaged and frozen as ready-to-serve items for restaurants and markets. Magic Foods' slogan is: "Just heat 'em..n' eat 'em." (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11 and TNT 7/29/1943, p. 24)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma); Seger, Ray; Seger, Eunice;

In 1943, Magic Foods Inc. opened a plant in Tacoma at 617 E. 25th St. to prepare quick-frozen, ready-to-serve dishes. This photograph shows Chef Ray Seger and his wife, Eunice, preparing one of his carefully tested recipes. Ready cooked dishes were aimed at busy housewives and war workers who did not have enough time to prepare more traditional meals. The five ready cooked meals available in July of 1943 were baked beans, green lima beans and ham, beef hash, chili con carne, and chicken a la king. Before becoming the chef for Magic Foods, Mr. Seger had been a chef at several of Tacoma's better restaurants. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11; TNT, 7/29/1943, p.24)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma); Seger, Ray; Seger, Eunice;

Magic Foods Store. Chef Ray Seger and another employee at work in the commercial kitchen both wearing white uniforms. The woman is cutting meat from a large roast and the man is cutting potatoes. Large electric ovens are seen behind them. This is a new plant preparing frozen, ready cooked dishes. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma);

Magic Foods Store. Employees at work in the commercial kitchen. Three stations are shown. One man is checking on a large cooker, two are stirring large pots, another is moving beans down a slanted tray, one is cutting potatoes, a woman cuts meat and another man is moving a tray. Large windows line one wall of the kitchen. (T.Times, 7/30/1943, p.11)

Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Magic Foods, Inc. (Tacoma);