Bonnie Lynn Tempesta
Image:Bonnie Tempesta.jpgBonnie Lynn Tempesta (née Bonnie Lynn Marcheschi; January 5, 1953 – September 25, 2014) was an American baker and businesswoman who helped pioneer the gourmet food movement in the United States. Called "the Queen of Biscotti."Wood, Jim. "Epicure." San Francisco Examiner{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=2012-10-30 |title=Biscotti With a Changed Personality |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/dining/from-a-queen-of-biscotti-a-newer-denser-version.html |access-date=2023-04-12 |issn=0362-4331}} Tempesta "effectively started the national biscotti craze."Fletcher, Janet. "Playing the Market." Oakland Tribune 30 Oct 1991{{Cite web |date=2014-10-03 |title=BiteClub: Farewell to a biscotti pioneer |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/biteclub-farewell-to-a-biscotti-pioneer/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}
Biography
With her mother Aurora Marcheschi, Tempesta founded La Tempesta Bakery Confections in 1983.Simonds, Shelly. "Recipe for Success." San Francisco Business Times 28 Oct 1994 The bakery grew to become the largest biscotti maker in America,Simonds, Shelly. "Recipe for Success." San Francisco Business Times 28 Oct 1994 producing 300,000 biscotti cookies daily and generated annual revenues approaching $9 million by 1995.Adler, Jerry. "The Rise of the Overclass; The Overclass 100." Newsweek 31 July 1995: 32–46
In 1982, Tempesta used her Florentine aunt Isa Romoli's recipe to produce biscotti — the flat, crunchy, twice-baked cookies traditionally used by Italians to dunk in wine or espresso.Scicolone, Michele. "Sweets to Lower Into a Drink Without Raising Eyebrows." The New York Times 8 Jan 1992 Baking them from home, she began selling them to her employer at Confetti, a downtown San Francisco chocolate shop.Rotenier, Nancy. "La Tempesta." Forbes 18 Dec 1995 With a $15,000 loan from her brother,Shurluff, Lawrence. "Blood and Money." Working Woman Magazine Dec 1992 Cork Marcheschi, "a noted neon light sculptor,"Schreibman, Jack. "She Found Road to Riches Lathered with Chocolate." The Modesto Bee 28 Dec 1989 Tempesta rented a {{convert|200|sqft|m2|adj=on}} commercial kitchen in South San Francisco."Rotenier, Nancy. "La Tempesta." Forbes 18 Dec 1995 She began producing a long, thin biscotti known as "biscotti di Prato"Jordan, Sheryl. "When Our Fancy Turns to Food." The Boston Globe 30 July 1986 and sold them door-to-door to San Francisco’s specialty food shops.Kummer, Corby. The Atlantic June 1987
By 1984, La Tempesta biscotti were available at Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor, followed by Bloomingdales, Macy’s and Dean & Deluca.Rotenier, Nancy. "La Tempesta." Forbes 18 Dec 1995 In 1985, La Tempesta developed Cioccolotti, the first commercially sold chocolate-dipped biscotti.
In 1992, La Tempesta’s Biscotti di San Francisco made the Washington Times 10 Best New Products list,Olney, Judith and McCall, Celeste. "New Twists in Life." The Washington Times 5 Aug 1992. and The Washington Post rated it the number one domestic brand.Heater, Maida. "An Expert’s Urge to Bake the Best." The Washington Post 16 Dec 1992 Collaborations with renowned San Francisco chocolatier Joseph Schmidt followed.King, Sarah Belk and Frazier, Ann. "What’s New. What’s Hot. What’s Good." Bon Appetit Magazine Oct 1995Kaufman, Pamela. "Selects." Food & Wine Magazine Oct 1995Fletcher, Janet. "Million Dollar Discards." San Francisco Chronicle 9 Aug 1995Nangle, Hilary. "La Tempesta Teams with Joseph Schmidt." Gourmet News Vol. 60, # 4, April 1995 In 1994, Tempesta created the non-profit Teen Inspiration Foundation.Giuca, Linda. "Biscotti Bakery Has A Cause." Hartford Courant 23 Nov 1994 In December 1997, La Tempesta was sold to Horizon Food Groups.
In 2012, Bonnie started a small, philanthropic baking company in Kenwood, California, called Boncora (the name Boncora is derived from Bonnie's name, “Bon,” and “ancora,” which means encore in Italian). Her handmade Tuscan-style almond cookies are twice-baked in the regional style of the famous Biscotti di Prato of Prato, Italy. Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons called Boncora Biscotti "dynamite" in his Daily Dish column on September 14, 2012.{{Cite news |date=September 13, 2012 |title=Daily Dish |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/lat-dd-bonnies-biscotti-are-back-20120913-001,0,2646298.photo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423095027/http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/lat-dd-bonnies-biscotti-are-back-20120913-001,0,2646298.photo |archive-date=2014-04-23}} She donated a portion of every sale to a favorite cause: Pets Lifeline of Sonoma County, a local nonprofit animal rescue organization.
Tempesta died on September 25, 2014, at her home in Sonoma, after a brief battle with cancer. She was age 61.San Francisco Chronicle, Obituaries, Sept 2014 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?pid=172677065 Boncora baking company in Kenwood remained open until April 2016, with her daughter Daniela A. Tempesta leading the business.{{Cite web |date=2016-04-21 |title=Popular Kenwood cookie company closing |url=https://www.sonomanews.com/article/business/kenwoods-boncora-biscotti-to-close-this-month/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Sonoma Index-Tribune |language=en-US}}