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Featured Chef Chuck Williams
Bio
In 1956, Chuck Williams opened Williams-Sonoma, a hardware store in the small town of Sonoma, California. After two successful years there, he moved his store to San Francisco and began what was to become the preeminent chain of cookware stores worldwide. In 1971 Chuck put together the first catalogue,(hand-drawn) which was mailed to 5,000 of his customer's homes. This year the company also introduced Williams-Sonoma Food, a catalogue that offers specialty foods from around the world.
The Williams-Sonoma/Time-Life WILLIAMS-SONOMA KITCHEN LIBRARY series is an ongoing project in which Chuck Williams serves as Editor. Forty-three books have been published thus far and at present over 9,000,000 copies have been sold. Chuck has also served as contributor to the highly successful FESTIVE OCCASIONS, CASUAL OCCASIONS and the WILLIAMS-SONOMA BRIDAL BOOK.
He has completed a set of three volumes, which are his work entirely: SIMPLE AMERICAN COOKING, SIMPLE ITALIAN COOKING and SIMPLE FRENCH COOKING. He has also collaborated on four four-volume sets: CULINARY ESSENTIALS, HEALTHY BASICS, THE PASTA COLLECTION and THE FOUR SEASONS. Work has been completed this year on a new series called LIFESTYLES - again with Weldon Owen Publishing and the Time-Life Company.
During the past several years he has traveled extensively throughout the country to do book-signings, interviews and special appearances on television and radio. In 1994 he was named to the "Who's Who of Food and Beverage" by the James Beard Foundation. He served on the Board of the American Institute of Wine and Food and has contributed to events offered by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). He is also on the Board of The Culinary Institute of America and has contributed a personal collection of cooking artifacts to the west coast branch of the CIA at Greystone in St. Helena. Mr. Williams is interested in encouraging new chefs and has made scholarships available through many organizations.
In May of 1995, in New York City, Mr. Williams was awarded the highest recognition given by the James Beard Foundation - "The Lifetime Achievement Award".
Interview
How did you get interested in cooking?
I have always been interested in cooking. As a child growing up in the 20s, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. In fact, for a couple of years when I was in grammar school, we lived with my grandparents. My grandmother had had a restaurant in Ohio when she was young and loved to cook. She cooked three meals every day and I helped her in every way I could. I soon learned how to prepare and bake cakes and pies, to cook beans or make a stew, and how to fry, sauté or simmer.
Has your cooking style changed over the years, and if so, how?
My cooking style has changed many times over the years. During the 2nd World War I was overseas for 4 years, first in Iran and then India where I gained a knowledge of both middle east and Indian cooking. After the war I moved to northern California where cooking trends were being established. I took advantage of all the fresh vegetables and fruit. In 1953 I took my first trip to France where I discovered French Cuisine as well as the wonderful array of cooking and baking equipment available to the home cook. Within a couple of years I had opened Williams-Sonoma, which for the first ten years was devoted totally to French cookware and knowledge. At that time I was cooking the haute cuisine of France.
What cooking trends do you see today?
Over the years I have seen cooking go from solid American meat & potato dinners to soufflé and quiche, to pasta and salad, North African couscous dinners, to Asian noodle dinners and vegetarian dinners. Cooking is still changing all over the world. Chefs around the world are borrowing from each other to create new dishes and flavors. As travel increases the exchange of foods, seasonings and cooking knowledge increases. What could be the next trend? Perhaps the flavors of South America will be brought north.
When did you first use a pressure cooker?
I have known about pressure cookers all of my life. As a child I remember my grandmother getting a pressure cooker when they first became available. The idea of being able to cut down on the time it took to cook beans or a stew was intriguing. At that time a pressure cooker needed to be treated with care and great respect. In other words it was thought advisable to put the ingredients in the cooker, put the lid on, tighten the fasteners, put it over the heat and watch from a distance as it hissed and belched steam. It did work and it was a great learning period, both in technology and use.
What do you like best about pressure cooking?
Pressure cookers are especially helpful to those who have limited time to spend in the kitchen, yet want well cooked, delicious food. Today pressure cookers come in many sizes for different cooking needs.
What tips do you have for someone new to pressure cookers?
I would advise anyone beginning to use a pressure cooker to try the various cooking tips suggested by the manufacturer in books included with their purchase. This is one case where reading the operating instructions and following suggested recipes will pay off by decreasing the time it takes to learn. Many books contain charts to make it easy to cook various foods perfectly.
You have some exciting new cookbooks coming out. Can you let us in on a preview?
Having completed the copy editing of 36 titles in the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series of single subject cookbooks, a new series has been created. I am now editing a series titled "Williams-Sonoma Lifestyle," with titles such as - Soup for Supper - Everyday Roasting - Fresh and Light - Holiday Celebrations. These titles reflect some of the busy lifestyles adopted by young people today. The Lifestyle series is geared to help the legions of busy people who have little time to cook and entertain. People want to know what will work as a dessert with pasta, or what salad to serve with a soup. These total menu books are designed to help the cook who doesn't have a lot of experience or time get a perfect result for her family and friends to enjoy.
What is your goal for this year?
One goal is to continue to encourage people to cook, even if it is only oatmeal for breakfast!
