Charles E. “Chuck” Williams (October 2, 1915 – December 5, 2015) was the founder of the Williams-Sonoma company and author and editor of dozens of books on the subject of cooking. He turned 100 in October 2015 and two months later died on December 5.
Williams bought the Ralph Morse Hardware Store in Sonoma, California in 1953. Over the next few years, he gradually converted its stock from hardware to French cookware, filling a niche in the market as European cookware was difficult to find for purchase in America at the time. The concept was successful, and he moved his operations to San Francisco in 1958. More than a decade later, in 1971, Williams-Sonoma introduced its first cookware catalog. Soon after, the business began expanding to more locations and now includes over 200 stores nationwide. In addition, in recent years, Williams-Sonoma has begun expanding into Canada, with four stores as of 2005. Chuck Williams sold Williams-Sonoma to Howard Lester in the early 1980’s.
Chuck Williams cause of death
Chuck Williams died of natural causes at his home in San Francisco.