Frank Liberto (1933–2017), the man who introduced nachos to ballparks

Texas entrepreneur developed pumpable cheese sauce.

Frank Liberto may not have invented nachos—that achievement, according to the Smithsonian, belongs to a Mexican maí®tre d’ named Ignacio Anaya—but he made them an American staple.

Liberto, who died Sunday, Nov. 5, gave birth to the iconic form of“ballparknachos,†a simple dish of tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapenos, fit for mass consumption atstadiumsand movie theaters across the country.

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Nachos had been aregionalTex-Mex snack for several decades before Liberto and his family’s company, Liberto SpecialtyCo., introduced their version to the public at a Texas Rangers baseball game in 1976. Liberto’s innovation was the cheese, a flavorful, viscous sauce that could quickly and easily be dispensed in a high-volume environment with little preparation.

Liberto creditedthe spicy snack’s boom in popularity toa Dallas Cowboysgame broadcast on “Monday Night Football†in 1977, when announcer Howard Cosell mentioned them several times.

WhenLiberto died Sunday in San Antonio, at 84,theSan Antonio Express-Newsnoted thatit wasthe day before National Nachos Day. You can read more about the life of this entrepreneur, veteran, and family man in hisfamily obituary.

The next time you dip a chip at the ballpark, remember the man who saw that the concession stand could use a little extra spice.

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