About Bellapizzelle — The Beautiful Cookie Company

Denise DiNorscia Williams, President and CPO (Chief Pizzelle Officer), is a 30-year marketing veteran and entrepreneur who conceptualized Bellapizzelle LLC in the heart of Silicon Valley during the height of the .com boom. Relocated from the East Coast by her marketing agency to support a new technology client in San Jose, CA, Denise found inspiration amid the innovation around her — and organically grew a self-funded start-up into a formidable artisanal cookie company. A true advocate of the authentic Italian specialty cookie, she quickly distinguished the pizzelle from its cracker "look-alike."

Denise launched Bellapizzelle in 2002 in her mother's kitchen, then built a custom pizzelle kitchen in her home in 2004. Over the past 24 years, she has refined recipes and processes, acquired retail customers via the web, partnered with a French Chocolatier for a S'mores package, supported wineries and venues with taste-testing, and now supplies a variety of gourmet stores, eateries, and cafes across the region.

Denise and her family learned American Sign Language (ASL) to support Bible education for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. She proudly hires local deaf employees, offering a safe, fair, and inclusive environment where she communicates with them in their own language.

The pizzelle itself — also known as Neole or Ferratelle — originated in Abruzzo, Italy. The DiNorscia family immigrated to Maine from the Abruzzo region of central Italy, bringing their treasured pizzelle recipe with them. They hailed from Penne, a town in the province of Pescara, nestled in the hills between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. As an Au Pair couple, the late Sopino and Frances Gale DiNorscia settled in Madison, Maine, before the family's agricultural interests led them to Kennett Square, PA — known as the Mushroom Capital of the World.

Denise's father worked alongside his father in the mushroom growing business, eventually inheriting it and building it into a success until his retirement in 1978. That entrepreneurial spirit lives on in Denise — affectionately known as "Dede" — who continues to bring innovation and superior customer service to every customer she serves.

Bellapizzelle has created an emotional bond with its customers — an irresistible connection and an indestructible brand.