Kerri Warmus’ life seems full of meant-to-be moments. Her brother’s change of careers from being an accountant to owning the Candy Cellar in Calistoga, California, could be said to have started the whole thing off.
Kerri was an IT consultant, but her brother taught her how to make fudge, and she discovered how much she loved it. Then the next thing happened. “A total stranger gave us tickets to see the “Beach Blanket Babylon” stage show in San Francisco, and we walked around in North Beach after the show. We saw the perfect store front and opened Z. Cioccolato there in 2002, which I operated.” The first anniversary of the business was a Friday night, employees had called in sick, and Kerri was feeling a bit discouraged. Bars weren’t her scene, but she decided to walk across the street and have a drink at O’Riley’s. A friendly chat with some other customers led to a date with one of them, and a few months later, Kerri and Mark were married.
Another piece of serendipity: just before they met, Mark took a photograph that was published in Forbes magazine. The story was about an Urban Golf game that begins in North Beach’s Washington Square. The photo of one of the golfers showed the San Francisco landmark Transamerica Building in the background – and the Z. Cioccolato shop, that very soon would be part of his life.
Z. Cioccolato has thrived, becoming a popular stop for North Beach residents as well as out of town visitors. The delectable aromas of fudge and caramel corn being made waft out onto the sidewalk, luring people into a store filled with cases of 65 flavors of fudge, barrels of 60 varieties of salt water taffy, and gift items chosen for their ability to amuse. You can even sample the taffy and fudge.
In early 2009 Kerri and Mark decided to quit their other jobs and work together full time at Z. Cioccolato, living out the happy expression, “kids in a candy store.” In addition to their retail business they began selling their fudge wholesale under the brand “Masterpiece Fudge.”
The couple’s commitment to abundance, generosity, and just plain fun makes shopping at Z. Cioccolato a pleasurable experience. Kerri makes all the fudge herself, and she says, “I like creating things that are beautiful, delicious, decadent.”
She has developed original flavors, some of which are unique layered fudge. “It pleases me that the fudge flavors I have come up with are our best sellers, such as the number one in the store, a 5-layer fudge called Black Panther.” “This is like ‘trick or treat,’ but you get to choose what goes into your bag,” Kerri says. “When you make a purchase, we set off our ‘slingshot monkey,’ to celebrate with you. We want this to be your happy place to visit.”
