In 1984, Eric and Carole Sartenaer, ex-Cheese Board Collective members, opened shop in a 450-square-foot "hole in the wall" bakery in Kensington, California.

In order to save money, Tom, Barbara, and Michael, lived together in a small flat in Berkeley, California.

[5] Tom, who holds an MBA from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, left an upper management position at Clorox to join his sister and brother in law, both UC Berkeley alumni, in the bread and pastry-making business.

[5] After Frainier took the helm as President, CEO, and self-proclaimed, "Chief Boot Licker", Semifreddi's rapidly expanded throughout the San Francisco Bay, while maintaining its emphasis on baking high-quality, European-style artisan bread and pastries.

[7] Sold in 2024 Semifreddi's has become one of the largest artisan wholesale bread and pastry bakeries in the Bay Area.