Petition calls for statue of Christopher Columbus in Ohio city to be replaced with Chef Boyardee

A petition is circulating online to replace a statue of Christopher Columbus in Cleveland's Little Italy with a statue of Ettore Boiardi, otherwise known as Chef Boyardee.

The petition can be found on change.org and as of Friday at 6:45 p.m., it had 536 signatures.

The petition states: "Columbus is not someone we should celebrate. He was a racist monster who initiated the genocide against indigenous Americans."

"If Italian-Americans in Cleveland want to celebrate one of their own, they need look no further than the iconic Ettore (Hector) Boiardi, AKA Chef Boyardee," the petition goes on to say.

Chef Boyardee has a rich history in Cleveland. According to Case Western Reserve University, Boiardi began cooking in Italy at 10 years old. He left for New York in 1914 and then came to Cleveland three years later, where he worked as a chef at Hotel Winton. This is where his spaghetti dinners took off in the Midwest.

In 1924, Boiardi and his wife opened their first Italian restaurant. Their dine-in and carry-out operation expanded into factory production in 1928, which is when Chef Boyardee took off.

"It's time for Cleveland to tear down its statue to a genocidal sociopath with a bowl cut and erect a statue to an immigrant success story who enriched our community with his food and iconic mustache," the petition states.

It's unclear who created the petition, as the organizer's name is listed as "Ettore Boiardi."

To petition will go to the Cleveland City Council and Mayor Frank Jackson.