Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma, dead at 100

Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma and the man responsible for introducing French cookware and high-end ingredients into American kitchens, died peacefully in his sleep early Saturday. He had recently turned 100. Mr. Williams, who bought an old hardware store in Sonoma in 1953 and began filling it with the copper and enamel wares he’d seen traveling through Europe, quickly turned his passion into a highly successful retail and mail-order business. The first Williams-Sonoma store opened in San Francisco in 1958 and shortly thereafter, based on the advice of his society women friends, Mr. Williams launched a wedding registry. Though he sold Williams-Sonoma in 1979, Mr. Williams remained with the company and worked in a variety of capacities until just a few years ago. Amanda Gold is a Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: agold@sfchronicle.com