Quantcast
| Dec 16, 2015 |
Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams dies at 100
Boh staff
By Staff

Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma, passed away last week at age 100. Williams, a gourmet and carpenter, opened a French cookware store in Sonoma, California, back in 1956; in doing so, he filled a growing void on the market for kitchen tools and other products for the home, reports The New York Times. That store grew into Williams-Sonoma, which now operates 600 stores and tops $4.7 billion in revenue.

Though Williams sold the company in 1978, he continued to serve as the face of the company. He ran a test kitchen, traveled on behalf of the brand, and produced catalogs and cookbooks. “He built a powerful brand that inspired a cultural revolution around food and had immeasurable impact on home and family life around the world,” reported Williams-Sonoma in a statement.

Williams’s friends and contemporaries included James Beard and Julia Child, and he served on the boards of The Culinary Institute of America and the The American Institute of Wine & Food. He died in his sleep on December 5, leaving no immediate survivors.

    MORE:
Want to stay informed? Sign up for our newsletter, which recaps the week’s stories, and get in-depth industry news and analysis each quarter by subscribing to our print magazine. Join BOH Insider for discounts, workshops and access to special events such as the Future of Home conference.
Jobs
Jobs