 However, despite its name, this culinary creation has no roots in Hawaiian cuisine. It was the brainchild of Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-Canadian chef who, in 1962, experimented with canned pineapple as a pizza topping at his Ontario restaurant. Inspired by the sweet and sour flavors of Chinese cuisine, Panopoulos introduced this unconventional combination, creating this now iconic pizza. He called it Hawaiian after the brand of canned pineapple he used.