Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns!

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Lauri8433)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:02:57 GMT

God bless you for rediscovering and producing Bonomo's Turkish Taffy!

I like the website as well.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Twinwillow)

Wed, 11 May 2011 09:49:24 GMT

I ordered an assortment about a year ago when it first became available again. The vanilla flavor is just about as I remember it however, the bars seem a tiny bit softer than I remember. The chocolate and strawberry were both good but, my favorite will always be vanilla because growing up, vanilla was the only flavor available.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Kenny Joe)

Wed, 11 May 2011 08:20:28 GMT

And now available at the upper station of the Johnstown Inclined Plane! Just the thing after a visit to Johnstown's Coney Island.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Yankeesfan)

Wed, 11 May 2011 02:19:39 GMT

It's now at Vermont Country Store:

http://www.vermontcountry...omo-turkish-taffy.html

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Foodbme)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:22:11 GMT

Bonomo's are available at:
Sweeties Candy
1050 W. Chandler Blvd
Chandler AZ 85224
602-899-4245
Hello,

Yes we do stock Bonomo's Turkish Taffy. They are sold individually for .99c a bar or $17.75 for a 24ct box.
They come in Vanilla, Banana, Chocolate, and Strawberry.
Thank you,
Sweeties Candy
They also carry a bunch of other old time candies.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Foodbme)

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:07:18 GMT

I love food history!
Here's the story of Bonomo's Turkish Taffy:
Bonomo's Turkish Taffy

New York Times
4 July 1999
Written by Michael Kaufmann
The candy, which first appeared as a nickel bar after World War II, became a favorite with the economy-minded. Unlike some of its competitors, which melted in your mouth, Turkish Taffy eroded slowly, and it was so chewy that a single bar could last through most of a double feature at the movies.

Mr. Bonomo (pronounced BAHN-uh-moh) was born into the candy business and actually had Turkish roots. His father, Albert J., was a Sephardic Jew who had emigrated from Turkey. In 1897, the year before Victor Bonomo was born, his father started making candy in Coney Island to supply concessions at the amusement park. After World War I, Victor joined his father in running the candy factory on Eighth Street in Coney Island, where saltwater taffy and hard candies were produced.
As World War II ended, sugar rationing gave way and the entire country was eager to indulge its sweet tooth. Bonomo's joined the race to satisfy the surging demand, promoting three candy bars, "Thanks," "Hats Off" and "Call Again," which Tico Bonomo, Victor's son, described as "poor man's Milky Ways."
Then the candy cooks at the Coney Island factory came up with a batter of corn syrup and egg whites that was cooked and then baked.
"It was not really a taffy but what is technically known as a short nougat," explained Tico Bonomo. Nor was it Turkish. "It was not a family recipe and the name we chose, 'Turkish Taffy,' just reflected clever marketing," he said.
It cooled into sheets the size of school desks, which were distributed through Woolworth stores around the country. Clerks at the candy counters used ball-peen hammers to whack the sheets, breaking off shards that were sold by the pound.
Apparently this method of distribution merely whetted appetites for the candy, then available only in vanilla. Mr. Bonomo had the slabs cut into panels the size of 1945 nickel Hershey bars, which were larger that 1999 65-cent Hershey bars. The bars were packaged in wrappers that showed smiling men in fezzes pouring batter into a huge vat. Of course, in Turkey, the fez had been outlawed by Kemal Ataturk in the 1920's, but back in the 50's the design drew no complaints.
The candy grew popular, eventually being distributed far beyond the metropolitan region into much of the rest of the country. Before the widespread use of air-conditioning, Turkish Taffy had some problems penetrating Southern markets, where warm temperatures turned the bars from hard to gooey. The problem was eventually overcome with new wrappers.
In the 1950's, Bonomo's Turkish Taffy advertised on children's television programs, among them "The Magic Clown" and "Wonderama." The ads featured puppets named Bo, No and Mo. It also sponsored joint promotions with the Duncan yo-yo company.
In time, three new flavors appeared: chocolate, strawberry and banana. According to Tico Bonomo, the company sold 80 million to 100 million bars a year in the 50's and 60's and employed as many as 350 workers at the Coney Island plant, where it also produced hard candy.
Victor Bonomo retired in 1970 and moved to Florida with his wife, Zephra, who survives, as do Tico Bonomo and nine grandchildren and great- grandchildren.
Bonomo's Turkish Taffy changed hands a few times, in 1980 becoming part of Tootsie Roll Industries of Chicago, which stopped making the candy in 1989. Ellen Gordon, president of Tootsie Roll Industries, said that the company phased out the product when demand declined as tastes changed.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Caterino)

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:32:12 GMT

BO-NO-MO ITs BONOMO, Its Bonomo, Its Turkish taffffeeeeeee

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (appycamper)

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 16:11:48 GMT

woo hoo!! happy dance... okay i'm done now just had to get that out of the way.

ready to get the strawberry and smack it on the porch floor. might even share some. that and good n plenty and i'm set.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Twinwillow)

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:07:15 GMT

Y'all have made my day! Thank you!
Thanks to joclyn's reminder, I've just place my Bonomo's order with oldtimecandy.com

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (dasl_4)

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 13:54:25 GMT

Cracker Barrel sells it

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (leethebard)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:29:50 GMT

Thanks so much for the report. I'm going to be on the lookout for it!!

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (umbada)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:55:21 GMT

I went into the local classic candy shop last night and, not knowing about it's planned return, was SHOCKED to see Bonomo's. I bought all the flavors but have only tried vanilla and chocolate. Vanilla was my favorite and it is still very good. Has it slipped a notch? I can't quite tell. The chocolate is the same, to me, if not better. The taffy cracks beautifully so they could not have changed things too much, if at all. I haven't yet tried the taffy pull where you take it between your teeth and stretch it and it gets all over your chin and your Brooklyn Dodgers t-shirt. I better try it before summer's gone.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (joclyn)

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:17:55 GMT

this is the package i remember from the 70's/80's:

here's a few commercials showing the packaging being used now - these look like they're from late 50's or early 60's possibly.

old commercials

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (sizz)

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:54:06 GMT

sizz

this does not look like the same old time wrapper..................... is it?

Here is the wrapper I remember from the 50's and I think is also the original.............

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (RoyHarv)

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:17:44 GMT

This article in the Candy & Snack Today trade publication is dated April 2010, and says "Ready for shipments in July, the taffy will be available in bar format and in individually wrapped bite-size pieces..." Unfortunately the full report promised in this brief item does not appear to be on the magazine's site.
http://www.candyandsnacktoday.com/archives/2010/04/bonomo-taffy-returns-to-retail.shtml

I wonder if the vanilla will taste the same. The original vanilla did not taste like anything else called vanilla.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (leethebard)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:20:54 GMT

wow...this is great news.....small victories when an old product returns!

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Treetop Tom)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:09:07 GMT

Mars Supermarket is a local chain here in the metro Baltimore region. They always have oddball stuff that you don't find in other supermarkets here in the region (Popeye Spinach, Williams Chili Seasoning, Almond Smash Soda, for example). Several times a year they have a huge display of hard-to-find (around here, anyway) "retro" candy and this time the Turkish Taffy was there along with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Nut Goodies, Goldenbergs Peanut Chews, Nik-L-Nips Wax Bottles, Clark Bars etc. No HFCS, straight corn syrup.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (joclyn)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:14:59 GMT

just found this: turkish taffy press release

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (joclyn)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:05:41 GMT

they're duplicates of the original wrapper from the 1940's.

i don't care what's on the wrapper; i just can't wait until i've got some in my mouth again! ;)

i'm not much of a candy eater - even as a kid i wasn't; when i did get a yammering for something, turkish taffy (preferably vanilla or banana) would be what i'd get.

when i got a promotion to 'manager' at the convenience store, i tried to order it in...can't sell what ya don't have, right? well, the company had a 'formula' and that item wasn't on the list so i couldn't get it in. i could still buy it at other places though. sometimes. it got harder and harder to locate the older i got. years later (mid 90's at that point) i was looking for it again and asked someone at one of the 'bulk' places at the mall about it and was told that it was no longer being made. that was a real let-down.

i'm so excited at the moment :) gee, i hope they really have followed the original formula - it'll really be a blow if they do something stupid like use high fructose corn syrup instead of regular corn syrup!

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (sizz)

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 01:21:06 GMT

this does not look like the same old time wrapper..................... is it?

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (joclyn)

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:39:14 GMT

omg.

it REALLY IS BACK!!!

i just ordered some from oldtimecandy.com

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (joclyn)

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:25:36 GMT

omg, is it REALLY back???? i always loved that stuff!! was always my go-to choice when i didn't feel like chocolate (which is my normal first choice when it comes to candy).

treetoptom, who owns the mars supermarkets?? is it a national/regional chain or just a local chain in your area?

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (sk bob)

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:19:03 GMT

yeah. send it down south.
like Treetop Tom said. hope my teeth are up to the task.

Re:Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (David_NYC)

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:26:04 GMT

Bossman Ken Wiesen of Bonomo posted about the revival here back in 2006:
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=242519

Hope he gets widespread distribution for the taffy.

Bonomo Turkish Taffy Returns! (Treetop Tom)

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:19:40 GMT

My local Mars Supermarket has the classic Bonomo Turkish Taffy in the flat rectangular 1.5 oz. packaging. Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla and Banana. Big enough to freeze and "crack it up" unlike the small bite-size pieces I saw last year. Truly a taste of my youth. Hope my teeth are up to the task!