On his 99th birthday last Thursday, Chuck Williams personally cut the ribbon and opened the new/old Williams-Sonoma store on Broadway, in the exact spot where he began what is now an international kitchenware chain.
But more visibly, on Saturday morning Williams-Sonoma pulled off its offer to serve breakfast to the whole town – and that they did to all comers, somewhere between 800 and 1,000 Sonoma guests, estimated by the number of plates they started with and had to augment.
St. Helena CIA students crossed the county line to flip the pancakes made from Williams-Sonoma’s Flappin’ Jack Pancake Mix, and to grill Bruce Aidell’s Cajun Chicken sausage, served with milk and coffee.
After the breakfast, hundreds of Sonomans headed south a block-and-a-half to the first real opening of the shop, located next to the post office at 605 Broadway. There they were greeted by Genevieve Lahda, former proprietor of Sonoma Homecare, who invited visitors to sign Williams’ birthday book.
To demonstrate their intention to get involved in Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma presented checks to the Sonoma Community Center and the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley for $25,000 each.
Once the location of John Brians’ frame shop, Broadway Catering and 599 Thai Cafe, 605 Broadway is now officially Williams-Sonoma Historic Store, Design Center and Cooking School.
The frame shop was in the actual original hardware store where Chuck Williams got his start, and which now shows some of his own kitchen utensil collection, including plates from his first importations, inexpensive glassware, original olive oils and vinegars, and loads of Le Creuset and copper pots and pans all displayed with their handles facing right, just as Williams preferred to display them.
[caption id="attachment_16827" align="alignnone" width="300"] After the pancake breakfast on the Plaza, the Williams-Sonoma store open and was quickly jammed as customers were elbow-to-elbow. Robbi Pengelly/Index-Tribune[/caption]
The spaces formerly occupied by Broadway Catering and 599 Thai have morphed into a modern Williams-Sonoma store and cooking school with spaces for 12 learners for hands-on classes.
Up a few stairs, a mezzanine is home to the interior design center in the made-over house where Williams once lived. The deck in back overlooks a stone patio with planter boxes where lots of herbs and veggies are growing, ostensibly to be used in the cooking school.
An advertised cafe hasn’t arrived yet, but shoppers can buy a bottle of wine or ask for an edible and consume them at the outdoor tables in front of the building or at the large community table in the garden.
Sondra Bernstein and John Toulze of the girl & the fig catered Chuck Williams’ birthday luncheon as well as the media and company party Thursday evening, which featured the entire teaching kitchen counter laden with charcuterie and salumi created by Toulze, along with other appetizers and enormous artful bowls of fresh vegetables just picked at the girl & the fig’s biodynamic garden at Imagery Winery.
Their four-cheese margarita, garlic and sausage pizzas were baked in the Williams-Sonoma pizza oven just fired up for the first time that day.
To honor Chuck Williams, Gloria Ferrer executive Eva Bertran created a special Happy 99th Birthday label, with 99 bottles of Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine.
Big name chefs showed up to celebrate, including Ceclia Chang (at 94), Michael Chiarello, Thomas Keller, Tyler Florence, Penny Wisner and “Foodie Chap” Liam Mayclem.
Friday evening included two sets of media tours, and a “Cochon BBQ” that featured three varieties of roasted pig by Michael Sullivan of Cochon555, a sort of traveling roasted pig show and contest. Many side dishes were served as well.
This month the new Williams-Sonoma in Sonoma launches cooking classes for $75 by local chefs Nick and Jen Demarest of Harvest Moon, Billy Reid of HopMonk Tavern, Todd Thompson of The Red Grape, Duskie Estes of Zazu, Jason Kupper of Urban Heritage, and Dustin Valette of Dry Creek Kitchen.
Starting in January 2015, Williams-Sonoma will feature a monthly Saturday Artisans’ Market where local artisanal producers and makers can sell their products at the Sonoma store. Those interested in participating can contact Kristin Perrakis at 415-616-8612 or kperrakis@wsgc.com.
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