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 415 Jackson Street. Detail |
Ghirardelli,
Anchor, and Boudin are three brands forever connected to their
roots in San Francisco. Though collected here as original San Francisco
food items, each has its unique story. The Boudin
Bakery - and the legend of San Francisco sourdough bread - began in
1849 when Isidore Boudin invented the "mother dough," the alpha recipe
still used today. The company has a mixed history of private and corporate
ownership. The Boudin family owned the business until 1945, when they sold
it to the company's master baker, Steven Giraudo. The Giraudo family sold
the bakery to Specialty Foods of Illinois in 1993 but bought it back after
nearly a decade. Anchor Steam Beer is
San Francisco's beer. Founded in 1896 and rejuvenated in the 1960s when
the brewery was purchased by appliance guy Fritz Maytag, the Anchor Brewing
Company revived the American tradition of craft beer. For many, a tour
of the brewery at 1705 Mariposa Street is equal to a beer lover's pilgrimage
to Amsterdam's renowned Heineken. Ghirardelli
Chocolate Company was founded in 1852 by an Italian immigrant, Domingo,
aka Domenico, Ghirardelli. The Ghirardelli chocolate factory along Fisherman's
Wharf first illuminated its famous sign
in 1923. The factory was converted into a marketplace in the early 1960s
and designated as a landmark shortly thereafter. Apart from this legacy,
there is little that remains of Ghirardelli in San Francisco. The chocolate
operation relocated to San Leandro around the time Ghirardelli Square became
a market. Today, the company is owned by Sprungli Chocolate of Switzerland.
A non-commercial location where a visitor can honor the Ghirardelli legacy is 415 Jackson Street,
the site of Domingo's original chocolate factory.
More
about Ghirardelli Chocolate
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Copyright 2002 Hank Donat |