Cooking
Williams-Sonoma Archives
Chuck Williams is the pioneer who brought European cookware, equipment and ingredients to America, everything from copper pans to Sabatier knives to Cuisinart food processors to balsamic vinegar. He is now in his early 90's so it was a treat to hear him along with Jacqueline Mallorca and Flo Braker in conversation this past week. The program was one in a series called "Stirring the Pot" put on by the San Francisco Professional Food Society.
When I think of the store he founded, Williams-Sonoma, a few things come to mind. The store epitomizes high quality, a high level of service and to be fair, high prices. So when store founder Chuck, along with friends Flo and Jacqueline shared their memories of "the early days", these three anecdotes most caught my attention.
On Quality:
During a photo shoot, a certain shot of a pie needed to be retaken to show off the pan in a better light. Chuck sliced into the pie, took a bite and exclaimed "We can't shoot this, it doesn't taste right!"
On Prices:
A woman came into the store and asked to see a souffle pan. Upon seeing the price she said, "That seems like a lot of money and besides I don't even know if I'll like souffle" to which Chuck replied "Well, you don't have to buy a souffle pan, a dog dish should do fine". Needless to say, she bought the pan.
On Service:
Back when the flagship store was just up the block from the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon on Sutter, Chuck used to bring his German Shepard in to the store and the dog would stay behind the front counter. When women going to the salon would realize they had no place to leave their pets, they would drop them off at the store to hang out with Chuck's dog. And you thought only Nordstrom was known for that kind of thing...!
FOOD
- Book Signing At Williams Sonoma
This Sunday, March 8th I will be signing books and offering samples of one of the recipes from New Flavors for Appetizers at the Stanford Shopping Center Williams Sonoma store in Palo Alto from 1 - 3 pm. Please stop by and say hello! Williams Sonoma...
- Meet Me At Union Square?
This Saturday, November 29th I'll be at the Union Square Williams-Sonoma store signing my brand new cookbook, New Flavors for Appetizers and doing a little demo of a super easy recipe--three ingredients and no cooking! The book features recipes...
- Williams-sonoma Tools & Techniques
The sense of joy and satisfaction that I get from cooking something wonderful and sharing it or eating it is almost indescribable. Not only do I feel pride, but it inspires me to take on more and more recipes and techniques. I learned to cook from watching...
- Favorite Things: Charles Chocolates
You probably think you know what this is, right? A box of chocolates, with some missing. Oh, but it's so much more than that. First of all, this box of chocolates is a box of Charles Chocolates. If you're lucky enough to have had Charles Chocolates...
- Rainy Days In Vermont
I spent a few days in June with Bob and Chuck in Vermont. The rain seemed unending, with the sun making only two very brief appearances toward the end of our stay. Bob and Chuck refused to let the soggy weather slow them down, and carried on with their...
Cooking
Culinary Legacies: Chuck Williams
Williams-Sonoma Archives
Chuck Williams is the pioneer who brought European cookware, equipment and ingredients to America, everything from copper pans to Sabatier knives to Cuisinart food processors to balsamic vinegar. He is now in his early 90's so it was a treat to hear him along with Jacqueline Mallorca and Flo Braker in conversation this past week. The program was one in a series called "Stirring the Pot" put on by the San Francisco Professional Food Society.
When I think of the store he founded, Williams-Sonoma, a few things come to mind. The store epitomizes high quality, a high level of service and to be fair, high prices. So when store founder Chuck, along with friends Flo and Jacqueline shared their memories of "the early days", these three anecdotes most caught my attention.
On Quality:
During a photo shoot, a certain shot of a pie needed to be retaken to show off the pan in a better light. Chuck sliced into the pie, took a bite and exclaimed "We can't shoot this, it doesn't taste right!"
On Prices:
A woman came into the store and asked to see a souffle pan. Upon seeing the price she said, "That seems like a lot of money and besides I don't even know if I'll like souffle" to which Chuck replied "Well, you don't have to buy a souffle pan, a dog dish should do fine". Needless to say, she bought the pan.
On Service:
Back when the flagship store was just up the block from the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon on Sutter, Chuck used to bring his German Shepard in to the store and the dog would stay behind the front counter. When women going to the salon would realize they had no place to leave their pets, they would drop them off at the store to hang out with Chuck's dog. And you thought only Nordstrom was known for that kind of thing...!
FOOD
- Book Signing At Williams Sonoma
This Sunday, March 8th I will be signing books and offering samples of one of the recipes from New Flavors for Appetizers at the Stanford Shopping Center Williams Sonoma store in Palo Alto from 1 - 3 pm. Please stop by and say hello! Williams Sonoma...
- Meet Me At Union Square?
This Saturday, November 29th I'll be at the Union Square Williams-Sonoma store signing my brand new cookbook, New Flavors for Appetizers and doing a little demo of a super easy recipe--three ingredients and no cooking! The book features recipes...
- Williams-sonoma Tools & Techniques
The sense of joy and satisfaction that I get from cooking something wonderful and sharing it or eating it is almost indescribable. Not only do I feel pride, but it inspires me to take on more and more recipes and techniques. I learned to cook from watching...
- Favorite Things: Charles Chocolates
You probably think you know what this is, right? A box of chocolates, with some missing. Oh, but it's so much more than that. First of all, this box of chocolates is a box of Charles Chocolates. If you're lucky enough to have had Charles Chocolates...
- Rainy Days In Vermont
I spent a few days in June with Bob and Chuck in Vermont. The rain seemed unending, with the sun making only two very brief appearances toward the end of our stay. Bob and Chuck refused to let the soggy weather slow them down, and carried on with their...