The Emperor Norton Trust

TO HONOR THE LIFE + ADVANCE THE LEGACY OF JOSHUA ABRAHAM NORTON

RESEARCH • EDUCATION • ADVOCACY

Filtering by Tag: 2012

Bankrolling the Baker of the Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks

July 10, 2022  /  John Lumea

Many crunchy-snack lovers who bought and enjoyed the Emperor Norton Original San Francisco Sourdough Snacks between 1982 and 2012 will have known little of the Emperor Norton story.

But, Norton initiates and non-initiates alike will know even less about who really made the Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks possible — specifically: Who was the lead venture-capital investor in the product?

As it happens, the partners in the VC firm that led on the Emperor Norton snacks were fresh from having created and developed one of the best–known consumer products and brands in the United States.

Read on for a glimpse into the origin story of the Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks.

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categories / Research, Legacy, Tributes
tags / Emperor Norton Original San Francisco Sourdough Snacks, Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks, Michael G. Berzolheimer, Bill Lanphear, Early Stages Co., Homestead Provisions, Colombo Baking Company, San Francisco French Bread Company, California Cedar Products Company, Cal Cedar, Duraflame, Inc. magazine, 1982, 1984, 2012, Oakland

The "Emperor Norton" Disappeared from the Ghirardelli Menu a Decade Earlier Than Believed

February 16, 2021  /  John Lumea

In the 17 years since the San Francisco Chronicle noted in 2004 that the Emperor Norton Sundae no longer was on the menu at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, the conventional wisdom has held that 2004 was when the “Emperor Norton” was removed.

But, I always have pointed out that 2004 is when the absence was noticed and reported as news — the removal itself could have happened earlier.

Turns out I was right. But, the cherry on top may be that the Emperor Norton Sundae has been hiding in plain sight at Ghirardelli — under a different name — for 20-plus years.

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categories / Research, Tributes, Original sources
tags / Emperor Norton Sundae, Ghirardelli, Domingo Ghirardelli Sundae, Cammy Blackstone, San Francisco Chronicle, Leah Garchik, San Francisco Examiner, Rachel Gordon, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019

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