Chuck makes his first trip to Europe, where he observes what the French, German, and Swedish cooks use in their kitchens.
1956
Purchases a hardware store in downtown Sonoma and converts it into a specialty French cookware store.
1958
Williams-Sonoma Store opens at 576 Sutter Street in San Francisco.
1959
Travels to Europe to import cookware from France, beginning the company’s long tradition of introducing the world’s most enduring brands to American home cooks.
1971
First Williams-Sonoma catalogue is released.
1983
Williams-Sonoma goes public.
1986
Chuck publishes his first cookbook, The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook and Guide to Kitchenware.
1994
The James Beard Foundation names Williams the “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage” and awards him the foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award a year later.
2001
Williams-Sonoma goes global by launching its first store in Canada.
2002
Chuck Williams is inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame.
2013
Williams-Sonoma Cooking Schools open, carrying on Chuck’s mission to teach home cooks how to master culinary techniques.
2015
Chuck dies at the age of 100.
2017
The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum is expected to open in late summer at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa.
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