CLAP ALONG if you like … “The Williams Family Kitchen” project will be spelling out plenty of “Happy” moments when it is launched at Dean & Deluca next year.
The kitchen is the brainchild of producer, singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams who was in town with his parents earlier this week to announce the family’s collaboration with Dean & Deluca on a new product line set to be in the shop in time for spring.
“It’s a dream come true,” Williams Junior says.
Setting his sights, albeit briefly, on the food world, the hip-hop star flew in from Los Angeles to tell news-hungry reporters that while he doesn’t cook, he is “super proud” to be able to support his parents in this project.
“I don’t have the ingredients, cooking is not what I do but today I’m over here to punctuate and to be an exclamation mark. It’s an honour to help my dad turn his cooking pastime into a business through this Dean & Deluca collaboration. His recipes are so good – my whole family is addicted to his cooking. Our father-son agreement was that he would make food with healthier ingredients that were a better choice for his lifestyle and would essentially help add years to his life. The kitchen is where everyone hangs out to talk and eat, hence the name,” told the press.
“It’s cool. It’s awesome to be here in Thailand.”
Not much information has been unveiled about what “The Willams Family Kitchen” will feature though it is expected that the line of speciality products will be based on authentic Williams’ family recipes.
“We’ll start with something that everybody enjoys on a sunny day outside on the terrace and everything that could go around that,” added Charles Finch, Dean & Deluca’s vice chairman. Sitting with Finch and the guests in a well-appointed room at the luxury Mahanakorn Cube building on Narathiwas Road, was Sorapoj Techakrisri, chief executive of Thai property developers of Pace Development, which acquired Dean & Deluca in 2014.
Finch says that the idea was first kicked around a couple of years back and collaboration between the Williams family and Dean & Deluca started in earnest nine months ago.
“By partnering with a powerhouse like Pharrell, Sorapoj and I are building on Dean and Deluca’s history of excellence as a curator of some of the world’s most premium products,” he told the press conference.
“We are honoured that Pharrell and his family have entrusted us with their beloved personal recipes,” Sorapoj added. “Given Charles’ expertise in both the luxury and entertainment arena and my passion for food, our vision for the brand is clearly reflected in this collaboration.”
Dean & Deluca currently has 12 branches in the US and six in Thailand and there are plans to expand this number to between 300-400 branches around the world by 2019, with a particular focus on Thailand, the USA and Japan.
The Grammy award-winning artist says he loves everything his father cooks but isn’t keen on onions.
“I’ve always had a thing about onions. Onions are onions, you know,” he says with a laugh. “If I were food, I would like to be something with anti-oxidants in it. A blueberry maybe! Seriously, my father’s speciality is his ribs.”
Asked if the project will distract him from his music, the producer says that the food is not about him and reiterates his pride in his parents.
“As for a song …. I never known what song I’m gonna do but I’ll certainly let you know.”