The Udderly Charming History of Cow Creamers

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, located at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, CA, houses more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection. The exhibit includes a variety of porcelain cow creamers dating from the 1870s through the 1970s.
The collection’s early examples of cow creamers are quite realistic, depicting lifelike cows with intricate, hand-painted features. During the Victorian era, cow creamers took on a more quirky aesthetic, with exaggerated expressions or humorous poses. In the 1900s, a more modern aesthetic took hold, as we can see in the museum’s simple white Apilco cow creamer. Chuck Williams discovered this cow creamer during a trip to France in 1960, and began selling them in his Williams Sonoma store to great success. In fact, he is credited with starting a white cow creamer fad across the United States.
Learn more about the museum and visiting hours: www.ciaatcopia.com/chuck-will...
Watch videos about a selection of museum artifacts: • Chuck Williams Culinar...
Special thanks to Williams Sonoma Inc. Corporate Archives for sharing photography for use in this video series.
-----------------------------------------------------
CIA: www.ciachef.edu
CIA for Enthusiasts: www.ciafoodies.com
CIA at Copia: www.ciaatcopia.com
CIA ProChef: www.ciaprochef.com
Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of more than 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.