The story
The Cobb salad is named after Robert Cobb, owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby in Los Angeles, a favourite haunt of film stars. The best-known story says that one night in 1937 Cobb, hungry near midnight, raided the kitchen fridge for lettuce, avocado, tomato, chicken, hard-boiled egg, blue cheese and some bacon from the line cook, chopped it all finely and dressed it, possibly to feed his friend, the theatre owner Sid Grauman, who had just had dental work. Other accounts credit chefs Paul Posti or Robert Kreis. Either way it went on the menu and became a classic of American lunches.
Rival claims
Accounts differ on who made it (owner Robert Cobb, or chefs Paul Posti or Robert Kreis), but all place it at the Hollywood Brown Derby.
Also known as Cobb, Brown Derby Cobb salad.
On the Meridish menu
Cobb salad was the starter course on menu No. 8 on October 8, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Chopped lettuce, chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato and blue cheese in neat rows. It's said to come from a late-night kitchen raid at a film stars' restaurant here in 1937.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
