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Chuck Williams Biography

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From the official web site:

Founder and Director Emeritus

In 1956, Chuck Williams opened a hardware store in downtown Sonoma, California with the intention of converting it into a store specializing in French cookware. Within two years the shovels and electrical tape had been replaced with copper pans and chef's knives, and the first Williams-Sonoma store was born. Chuck was introduced to classic, quality French cooking equipment, including unique items like omelet pans and soufflé molds, on his annual trip to France. Soon Williams-Sonoma became the country's first comprehensive French cooking and serving equipment center.

He moved his store to Sutter Street in San Francisco in 1958. With the continuing growth of the business, he put together the first catalog, which was mailed to 5,000 homes in 1971. In 1973, a second store was opened in Beverly Hills. Today the company operates over 250 Williams-Sonoma stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Chuck is an integral part of many aspects of the business, from finding unique kitchenware and food items, to providing advice for catalog production and photography. He has been involved with the publication of over 100 Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, acting as the General Editor for the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series, the New American Cooking series, the Savoring series and the newly released Mastering series. Chuck has always embraced the ideals of quality merchandise and outstanding customer service. This and his impeccable taste have set the tone of Williams-Sonoma since its inception.

In 1994, the James Beard Foundation named him to the "Who's Who of Food and Beverage". He served on the Board of the American Institute of Wine and Food, the Board of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and has contributed a personal collection of cooking artifacts to the West Coast branch of the CIA at Greystone in St. Helena. Chuck has always been interested in encouraging those who choose a vocation in the culinary arts and has made numerous scholarships available through the CIA and other organizations. In the fall of 2002, Chuck was inducted into the CIA's Hall of Fame. In May of 1995, Chuck was awarded the highest recognition given by the James Beard Foundation, "The Lifetime Achievement Award." Bon Appetit magazine named Chuck the "Tastemaker of the Year" for 1999, he was awarded the "2001 Lifetime Achievement Award" by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and in the January of 2003 he was recognized by the Housewares Foundation as "Humanitarian of the Year." On July 12, 2003, Chuck was the guest of honor at The James Beard Foundation's annual Chefs & Champagne benefit in Sagaponack, New York.

On May 11, 2006, Chuck was honored as a Visionary Retailer at the seventh annual Giants of Design Awards presented by House Beautiful in New York City. Standing alongside Chuck were Frank Gehry (Architecture), Vera Wang (Tastemaker), Julius Shulman (Photography) and Bunny Williams (Interior Design).

"I was surprised and very honored to have won this award," Chuck said after returning to the office. "It was an amazing night with about 700 people in the audience and quite a delightful meal. I had never met any of the people that were honored, but I know about the work that they've done and it was a pleasure to be included in their company."

In January, 2007 Chuck and Howard receive the Inc .Magazine Bernard A. Goldhirsh Lifetime Achievement Award an acknowledgement to those who honor the values and virtues of American entrepreneurship.

Can we please not screw around with CITATION NEEDED every sentence? This is all verifiable through the official web site.

BadMojoDE 01:32, 3 July 2007 (UTC)BadMojoDE[reply]

"Chuck and Howard..." Who's Howard?

Why isn't there anything about his personal life, i.e., husband on the main page?

Howard is Howard Lester, the CEO of Williams-Sonoma. Howard is not his lover. Howard bought the business from Chuck E. Williams in 1978 and is currently married to Mary Lester, and has 3 children. Ruth E (talk) 21:09, 19 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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