It started with a dream. Charles E (Chuck) Williams learned to cook from his maternal grandmother, who owned a restaurant in Ohio. The hardworking son of an auto mechanic, who worked his way through high school on a date fruit farm in Southern California, after his father abandoned the family in the Great Depression, turns 100 this year. He is the founder of one of the country's classiest retail empires, Williams Sonoma and author of a plethora of books on culinary craft.
During World War II, Chuck experienced his first taste of the world outside of the U.S as an airplane mechanic for Lockheed International, employed over four years on the votal maintenance of aircraft in India and East Africa.
After the war, while golfing with friends in wine country, the avid home cook fell in love with the town of Sonoma and moved there from Los Angeles to start a business as a builder in 1947.
In October 2014, at the ripe old age of 99, Chuck Williams returned to Sonoma to the place where it all began. He had purchased a small Sonoma hardware shop on Broadway in 1956 and converted it into a store for passionate home cooks. His now international company was reprtedly thrilled to reopen (with Chuck himself) that original location as a landmark store and cooking school, last fall.
In a first visit to the Broadway store over in Sonoma this early new year, my impressions were that it is definitely more of a concept location than a threat to the handful of fine, family-owned kitchen stores in the area. It's a sort of a Julia Child-style museum moment in American culinary lore.
Passionate about food, Chuck introduced cooking and serving equipment that he had discovered during travels to France — according to the company line: "Tools that had never before been available to home cooks. The items caught on, and he became known for his passion for personal service, viewing his customers as friends".
The new location showcases many of the original design details, including floor tiles and signature shelving, that served as inspiration for the look of early Williams-Sonoma stores. Fixtures and materials were salvaged and incorporated to maintain the integrity of the architecture, all perfectly in keeping with today's design aesthetic.
Sonoma's store celebrates Chuck’s spirit of innovation by offering the company's newest discoveries and most popular products. An open-air edible garden behind the store features a communal table, as well as edible herbs and seasonal produce for an onsite culinary team to use in demonstrations and hands-on cooking classes. As Williams Sonoma increases its reach around the world, this new/old Sonoma center is bound to be an international destination for growing ranks of foodies. Chuck’s former residence, located adjacent to the store, has been transformed into a design center, outfitted with furnishings and decor from the Williams-Sonoma Home collection.
As home cooks continue to reach for more hands-on instruction, the store's in-store cooking school carries on Chuck’s commitment not just to equip but to educate. The school allows for hands-on instruction of up to 12 students — from complete beginners to advanced cooks — and classes teach students how to master techniques and re-create dishes in their own homes. In addition to classes, the school will also host a Junior Chef program, Cookbook Clubs, Artisan’s Markets and a Chef Series led by local chefs and culinary experts. Customized, private classes are in the works for a more personalized cooking experience.
The retailer has also opened brick and mortar sites in Australia and the UK in the past year.
Comments