Clockwise from top left: French copper pate mold circa 1870, potato steamer c. 1950, poacher for turbot fish c. 1960, Earthenware tripiere pot c. 1920, terracotta toupin for simmering stews and soups from c. 1940.
Courtesy of The Culinary Institute of America
When Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, died in December at the age of 100, he left behind a vast collection of culinary artifacts.
It included everything from a copper pig mold (for serving suckling pig), terrines adorned with rabbit heads and pastry equipment from the early 1900s.
Some of the items filled his San Francisco residence. Others were in storage. Now, Williams’ estate has gifted the nearly 4,000 piece collection to the Culinary Institute of America. Many of the pieces …