Monday, October 6, 2014

Home At Last: The Reopening of Chuck Williams' First Shop

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Home at last: A sign announcing the reopening of Chuck Williams' first shop in Sonoma, California, originally opened from 1956 to 1958
Photo: Chronica Domus


For any of my American and Canadian readers that have an interest in home cooking, they would have at some point in the past half century darkened the doors of America's premier culinary supply mecca, Williams-Sonoma. The company, whose stores are to be found in most metropolitan areas, stock a range of high-quality cookware and bakeware. One can find every conceivable piece of equipment required to build a batterie de cuisine to rival that of Antoine Carême.

The founder, Charles Williams, or Chuck as he likes to be called, was responsible for introducing American cooks to the finest, most practical and beautiful kitchen equipment, discovered on his travels as a young lad in Europe.

Mr. Williams opened his first shop in 1956 in the small wine country town of Sonoma, California. Initially, he sold only hardware but soon transformed the shop into a cook's paradise, stocking classic French kitchen equipment not found elsewhere. The emporium rapidly became a roaring success with a loyal following of enthusiastic home cooks and professional chefs alike. It soon became apparent that if the business was to further expand and continue showcasing the quality cookware Mr. Williams was introducing to the American market, he would have to relocate his shop to the big city. So, after two short years, the little shop in Sonoma was shuttered, reopening at its new location in the heart of San Francisco's shopping district. The rest, as they say, is history.

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The original Williams-Sonoma shopfront, seen above at left, as it appeared between 1956 and 1958

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The shopfront as photographed on Saturday, October 4, 2014 during the re-opening celebrations
Photo: Chronica Domus


This past Saturday, Mr. Williams came home again. In celebration of his ninety-ninth birthday, the original Sonoma outpost was reopened to great fanfare, fifty-six years since it closed its doors. The Broadway Street location has been remodeled almost exactly as it appeared in 1958, with its simple white open shelving and classic black and white checkered flooring. Even the original shop sign has been reinstated and hangs proudly outside under the smart striped awning.

I say "almost exactly as it appeared" because the store has now expanded to fill the entire building and is divided into two parts; the original small shop front in replica form to the original, and the new addition of a cooking school off to the side. Mr. Williams' house, situated directly behind his shop, and which he once shared with his mother, has also been incorporated into the retail experience. Today, one can walk freely between the shop floor and the house, which has been restored and showcases the company's home goods. Mr. Williams' bedroom and office have been recreated, as has his private kitchen downstairs.

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An interior view of the original shop showcasing the best of Mr. Williams' European culinary finds
Photo: Chronica Domus


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Vintage cake pans and unusual tin geometric food molds from the company's culinary archives are incorporated into the displays of new items and are available for sale
Photo: Chronica Domus


The small original shop space showcases the early items that first propelled Williams-Sonoma to success; Apilco and Pillivuyt porcelain, including the iconic cow creamer, heavy copper pots, pans and kettles, steel vegetable mandolines, and even British Dualit toasters.

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A table laden with classic French porcelain including the iconic cow creamer and vintage English ironstone and ceramic molds
Photo: Chronica Domus


Not only are new items to be found stacked on old wooden tables and lining the neat rows of white shelving, but antique and vintage items pulled from the company's culinary archives, and found by Mr. Williams in European antiques shops and markets, are also available for sale. I saw many covetable English copper jelly molds from the late 19th century, and several ironstone food molds that could have easily made their way home with me, but, alas, my cupboards are filled and my shelves are groaning, so one needs to be disciplined in such matters nowadays.

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An artful display of copper culinary objects graces the walls of the original shop
Photo: Chronica Domus


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Beautiful antique English copper molds that had me quivering like a jelly
Photo: Chronica Domus


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More vintage finds presented like a museum exhibit on the walls of the original shop
Photo: Chronica Domus


The newer area of the expanded premises is chock-full of other tools, gadgets, equipment, and ingredients required to whip up a feast fit for a king.  The impressive demonstration kitchen, where cooking lessons are taught to small groups, can also be found here.

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A view of the demonstration kitchen being used to concoct culinary goodies that were handed out to those attending the reopening celebration event
Photo: Chronica Domus


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The newer side of the shop displays fine cooking oils, vinegars and condiments that elevate one's home cooking to chef status - Mr. Williams is credited with introducing American cooks to Balsamic vinegar and Maldon salt
Photo: Chronica Domus


Mr. Williams was a true visionary when he started his little business back in the 1950's and was instrumental in changing the way Americans cook at home. He was able to convince companies like KitchenAid, who supplied restaurateurs with their powerful mixer, to develop a version befitting the home cook, and also talk Le Creuset into producing their classic flaming orange colored cookware in a rainbow of colors that would appeal to a greater audience.

Hundreds of enthusiastic cooks and foodies made the pilgrimage to the reopening celebration this past Saturday in the sweltering heat of the Bay Area's Indian summer. Watching everyone buzzing about, examining the wares on offer and touring the shop, kitchen garden, and house in the back, one felt a sense of hope that perhaps the simple and grounding act of preparing home-cooked meals is still alive and well in a world where convenience foods abound, and when many of us eat out more and more frequently. Personally, Mr. Williams has made the preparation of my meals much more pleasurable and convenient by way of the many items he has deftly sourced for my kitchen over the years. Whenever my English relatives come to visit, they always ask to be taken to the flagship store on Union Square to shop for gifts and unusual tools to use in their own kitchens. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, Williams-Sonoma will consider crossing the pond to introduce legions of British cooks to the delights of the many American culinary gadgets Mr. Williams has unearthed.

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A framed photograph of Chuck Williams hangs on a wall in the back of the house along with many other portraits of him, newspaper clippings and company memorabilia
Photo: Chronica Domus


If you find yourself in the pleasant environs of California's wine country, I do urge you to add this marvelous little shop to your travel itinerary, especially if you, like me, enjoy dabbling in the kitchen.

Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget that you discovered on your travels, was passed down from a family member, or picked up at one of Mr. Williams' stores?


Nota bene: I am neither paid nor do I receive recompense in exchange for applauding products or services within my blog.  I do so because I enjoy them.  If you are a kindred spirit, you too enjoy recommending nice things to fellow good eggs.

14 comments:

  1. Most of my kitchen has, slowly over the years, come from Williams Sonoma! Such a great shop and must be a real treat to see the 'original'.

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    1. Hello AD,

      Yes, it was a real treat to step inside the original. The fixtures and fittings are simple yet classic and allow the merchandise to shine.

      I also love the fact that the company chose to stock vintage and antique pieces, both for display purposes and for sale, which is how I've stocked my own kitchen actually. I enjoy using antique tools and equipment whenever possible.

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  2. Williams-Sonoma has become such a fixture that it is fascinating to learn some of the history and personalities behind it. I love all that antique copperware, but am forbidding myself to get started in that direction.

    I am an easy mark for any kitchen gadget, although at the end of the day, I mostly depend on my favorite paring knives. I once wrote about a very odd Chinese gadget, designed to prevent the pilfering of flour or grains:
    http://roadtoparnassus.blogspot.com/2012/12/weird-chinese-antiques-anti-pilfering.html

    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jim,

      I just read your very informative post on the anti-pilfering device used in flour barrels, so I thank you for including the link to it. What a fascinating little conversation piece to be sure.

      I've always been intrigued by what influences people such as Mr. Williams to build a successful business around everyday objects that the consumer doesn't even know they desire. He truly is a man with an artistic eye and a creative mind that values both practicality and beauty in objects that could otherwise be quite mundane.

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  3. My favorite kitchen store is Williams Sonoma and we are blessed with 2 beautiful locations near our home. The Costa Mesa store is reopening in a newer, larger location here at South Coast Plaza and we're all thrilled with the idea that the store can somehow be larger and better...the former location was pretty terrific.
    I will definitely visit the Sonoma store on our next trip to the wine country, I think it's wonderful that Chuck is still vibrant and able to see his original store reopen.
    Wonderful post, CD.
    Karen

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  4. Hello Karen,

    I'm delighted you enjoyed the post on this great little shop. You will see for yourself when you visit how things have naturally evolved from the sparse uncomplicated layout of the original shop space to what it has become today.

    If you ever get the opportunity to step foot inside the San Francisco flagship store, you may never want to leave. The space, or what WS has done with it, is quite remarkable.

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  5. How lovely that you were able to attend the re-opening. I would have loved to have been there...and...yes...those copper molds! I have several items from WS, including a Kitchenaid mixer that still works beautifully after 25 years.

    Yes, I do have a favorite kitchen gadget from my travels and I use it often. It is a cheap, flimsy aluminum stovetop toaster for bruschetta that I bought for about $3.50 at a hardware store in Florence several years ago.

    Thank you for another lovely post - J.W.

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    Replies
    1. Hello J.W.,

      I love that you've unearthed a favorite kitchen item from your travels, both a useful one and very inexpensive too!

      I remember buying what I thought was a shiny tin madeleine mold from Vienna only to discover after using it several times that it was actually a chocolate mold. Yes, I did get the shell-shaped cakes I wanted from it, but cleaning the darn thing was quite an ordeal. I'm happy to report that the real deal was procured several years later from, where else, yes, Williams-Sonoma.

      Aren't those copper molds just terrific? I have admired such molds for years but fear starting a collection would be my ruin. I did break down and buy one beautiful one from England, but it looks so very lonely on its own. I may just have to buy another.

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  6. CD,
    I've never been in a W-S store although I believe we have one in Chicago. I have purchased many a gift via their online wedding registration portal. I'm told their quality is first rate.
    My favorite kitchen gadget was a turkey baster with the rubber reservoir a sunflower yellow. As a little boy every Thanksgiving my contribution to the meal prep was giving hourly bastings which I performed with a diamond-cutter's focus.

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    Replies
    1. GSL, why am I not surprised to read that you were such an attentive turkey baster as a young laddy. That is quite the responsibility on such an important day on the culinary calendar. I would be such a nervous Nellie if I were to turn over the task to my young daughter. Your mother must have surely been an unflappable woman.

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  7. How very enlightening. I have been to a WS store in San Francisco many years ago, and would certainly not mind visiting this one. The jelly moulds are very sculptural. I disposed of a glass one in the recent clear out, but now rather wish I'd kept it, (and many other things), which will sell for no money. But we had to be ruthless - there just isn't room for these things and it seems silly to store them...for the next generation to dispose of.

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    1. Funny you should mention the glass jelly mold. I love their sculptural designs too and have several of them in my own kitchen. I even saw one for sale at the store opening (picked up in England, no doubt, where they were made). The asking price may have caused you to weep.

      I'm not sure if you visited WS in SF at its newer location on Union Square, or if you went to the older one on Post Street. If you've not been to the new one, you may be quite overwhelmed at the space. It is stunning and I don't use that word lightly.

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  8. How fortunate you are to be near the "mothership" of WS. Although we have WS stores here in Boston, visiting the Union Square store earlier this year felt like a pilgrimage.
    I have too many wonderful kitchen gadgets but probably reach for the my whisks, spatulas and rasp/graters most frequently. Did my eyes deceive me or did I spy a blanc mange mold on the wall in your photo? I've never had blanc mange, but love the name and occasionally read about it in British novels of a certain vintage.
    Best, KL Gaylin

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    Replies
    1. Hello KL,

      Yes indeed, you are correct about the blancmange mold. If you look carefully in the photograph with the cow creamers, you will see two English vintage ceramic molds for just this purpose. Thank you for reminding me of this delicious childhood dessert, or "pudding" as I once called it.

      I'm glad you made it to the WS flagship store in San Francisco. I cannot think of a more elegant kitchen equipment store anywhere else in the world.

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