Well Done Chuck Williams!

You may not recognize the person in this photo, but if you cook at all, or know someone who does, you have no doubt visited one of his shops.  The man is the photo is Chuck Williams, founder of the very well known store, Williams-Sonoma.  Mr. Williams died this past weekend at the age of 100.  This piece written by Catherine Garcia appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Born on Oct. 2, 1915, in Florida, Williams learned how to cook at his grandmother’s restaurant in Ohio. A French food lover, Williams took a trip to France in the 1950s, and found items for sale that weren’t available to home cooks in the U.S., like sauté pans and large stockpots”, the Los Angeles Times reports. He decided then that he wanted to open a shop, and in the 1960s purchased a hardware store in Sonoma, California, that was transformed into Williams-Sonoma, selling specialized kitchen tools and equipment for novice and advanced home chefs.

After two years, he moved the store to Union Square in San Francisco, and started selling tart pans, terrines, juicers, garlic presses, and special pots and pans; what he couldn’t find, he had created especially for his store, including a wire basket used to hold eggs while they are boiled. Williams started his catalog business in the early 1970s, and today, there are more than 250 Williams-Sonoma stores in the U.S. and Canada. “When I started the store I didn’t envision anything but a small shop,” the former contractor and carpenter told The Washington Post in 1993. “I just did it because I liked doing it and liked doing things for other people.” ‘

Food Network star and well know chef, Tyler Florence had this to say about Mr. Williams:

“Chuck William was a true visionary and an idol of mine.  The last time we spoke, I asked him what it took to start such a dynamic company and he said  ‘I walked the whole way.  I got up everyday and put one foot in front of the other.’ Our generation has some big shoes to fill.  Thank you Chuck Williams for an amazing life. We look forward to walking in your footsteps.”

Thomas Keller, world renown chef and restauranteur made this post on Instagram:
“Chuck Williams once said, ‘ If you love what you do, then the world will fall in love with you.’  We fell for you, Chuck, and we thank you for touching our lives.”

As a country who has a love affair with food and enjoys cooking or hosting guests and family for meals, you would be hard pressed to find a home that doesn’t have something in the kitchen that came from Williams-Sonoma.  Starting in the 1960’s Julia Child’s taught us how to cook on her popular TV show, The French Chef.  She made cooking enjoyable and took away the fear of trying new and different foods.  She gave us the desire to cook and believe that we could.  Chuck Williams was her partner in that he gave us the access to the tools we needed to cook and serve with style, that, up until that time, weren’t available to American home cooks.  In so many ways he wasn’t just a shopkeeper selling kitchen gadgets.  He was opening new avenues for anyone who wanted to expand their knowledge of food and hospitality.  His gadgets inspired us to open our homes, try new things with our family and friends, and to share love, joy and abundant living.

When asked what his advice was for living a long and happy life, he responded , “Love what you do – and always eat well!”  Thank you Mr. Williams.  Well Done!