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Happy Holidays! A Photo Recap of Williams Sonoma Holiday Party

Dec 22 by Anita 27 Comments

20141220 WSTwasTheNight12 

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is all the visual eye candy; although most of my photography revolves around food, in December I wish I could just hang out in department stores and people’s homes, capturing all the glitter and lights. 

I’m happy to share some shots from the Williams-Sonoma holiday party I attended last week at their test kitchen in San Francisco. It was an amazing chance to check out their kitchen space, make merry with some fellow bloggers, and indulge in the holiday spirit. Hope you enjoy!

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Surprisingly, Williams Sonoma has not hosted many outside events in their space, so it was super exciting to be at this party. It was hard to imagine this as an everyday staff break space as it was completely made over for the party with Christmas trees, tinsel, and lots of holiday red.

williams sonoma croquemboche tower
 

The centerpiece of the party was this absolutely gorgeous croquemboche made by the elves in the test kitchen. Love the spun sugar garland!

williams sonoma hot chocolate
 

Lots of Williams Sonoma holiday goodies on display, including this hot chocolate setup.

williams sonoma snowman cake
 

Have you seen their snowman cake mold? Frosty made an appearance at the party.

williams sonoma cookie making
 

The baking display was also 

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There was a cookie decorating station for everyone to get creative.

williams sonoma christmas bundt
 

I think I wanted this bundt cake pan the most. 

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I ran into Steph of Lick My Spoon – so lovely to see other blogger friends there!

williams sonoma peppermint

Williams Sonoma seriously upped their peppermint game this year.

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The highlight of the party – we got to see the new Williams-Sonoma test kitchen. Can you believe before these new digs, the staff were working in a tiny cramped space smaller than most home kitchens? The new space is a chef’s dream. 

williams sonoma amanda haas
 

The head of the test kitchen, Amanda Haas, and her talented staff turned out a beautiful spread of appetizers and desserts. Here she is demonstrating a tuna tartare.

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A better wide shot of the test kitchen space.

williams sonoma test kitchen
 

I seriously want to live in this kitchen.

williams sonoma croquemboche plated
 

Here’s the croquemboche broken down and plated. So good  - serious kudos to the test kitchen team!

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Fleur de sel caramels by the test kitchen – so much holiday sweetness.

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I also got to meet Jenn, a fellow Tante Marie grad who now works for Williams Sonoma and whose Instagram I’ve been following. She is super sweet in person, fellow pastry fellow, and much taller than I realized! I’ve got height envy!

Merry Christmas to you all, hope your holidays are bright! I’ll be back next week for my last post of 2014!

20141220 WSTwasTheNight4
 

Filed Under: Events, San Francisco, SF Events Tagged With: christmas, holiday, party, williams sonoma

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Comments

  1. 1

    Findia Group says

    Dec 22 at 2:40 am

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Michelle Webber says

    Dec 22 at 3:41 pm

    Leave it to William Sonoma to throw a gorgeous Christmas party!

    Reply
  3. 3

    Chelsea says

    Dec 22 at 3:43 pm

    What a gorgeous holiday party! I bet it was a great time 🙂

    Reply
  4. 4

    Andi says

    Dec 22 at 3:54 pm

    What a fun event! I wanted to go but had a conflict, would have been lovely to see you. The kitchen looks like a dream!

    Reply
  5. 5

    Stephanie says

    Dec 22 at 6:29 pm

    My girlfriend and I used to take classes at Williams Sonoma. It was the best way to learn new tricks and tips.

    Reply
  6. 6

    Natalie says

    Dec 22 at 6:54 pm

    Ooooh, so fun! Williams-Sonoma is great during the regular hours, so I cannot imagine the awesomeness that happened at a holiday party there!

    Reply
  7. 7

    Megan @ All That Glitters says

    Dec 22 at 6:59 pm

    Beautiful photos! I love William Sonoma! It always smells delightful!

    Reply
  8. 8

    Heather says

    Dec 22 at 8:33 pm

    Wow! I imagine a Williams Sonoma holiday party is just heavenly! 😉 Everything looks amazing!

    Reply
  9. 9

    Myrabev says

    Dec 23 at 12:17 am

    Merry christmas to you too, It sounds like a great party. I feel like going around my friends house just to see what they cooking up for christmas

    Reply
  10. 10

    Alyssa says

    Dec 23 at 12:49 am

    all those sweets look amazing!!

    Reply
  11. 11

    Alex Chambers says

    Dec 23 at 5:48 am

    Lovely and interesting photos! William Sonoma seems to be and very exciting place for a celebration.

    Reply
  12. 12

    Rachel @ Bakerita says

    Dec 23 at 6:23 am

    Oh my goodness. I’m so jealous you got to go to this – it looks amazing! That croquemboche is stunning, and that kitchen looks dreamy.

    Reply
  13. 13

    Nancy says

    Dec 23 at 9:21 am

    Man my mouth is just watering looking at all these treats you got to stare at/decorate/be around! LOL

    Reply
  14. 14

    Katie Matthews says

    Dec 23 at 9:41 am

    I tried to make a croquembouche for my Dad one year and it was a complete fail! Your photos are so beautiful by the way!

    Katie <3

    Reply
  15. 15

    Cara (@StylishGeek) says

    Dec 23 at 10:02 am

    THAT is food and festivity at its best! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
  16. 16

    Rebekah says

    Dec 23 at 11:17 am

    Oh my gosh that snowman cake mold is so cute!! Beautiful photos, I want to eat it all!

    Reply
  17. 17

    Sarah says

    Dec 23 at 2:41 pm

    I love W&S. I am envious of you – looks like so much fun!!

    Reply
  18. 18

    Karissa says

    Dec 23 at 3:40 pm

    Great photos, everything looks so tasty. I love the snowman.

    Reply
  19. 19

    Ruthy T. says

    Dec 26 at 1:57 pm

    omg…how awesome…i absolutely love everything about WS!!!

    Reply
  20. 20

    Becky says

    Dec 28 at 10:03 pm

    Oh those plates on display… I bet they are still around at a discount. Looks like you scored with that invitation. Congratulations and thank you for sharing

    Reply
  21. 21

    Candace says

    Dec 29 at 10:45 am

    This looks incredible! Their hot chocolate is my absolute favorite!

    Reply
  22. 22

    Caitlin Cheevers says

    Dec 30 at 1:24 pm

    What a fun experience! Sounds like an awesome party! And that bundt cake is beautiful.
    xo Caitlin

    Reply
  23. 23

    annelies says

    Dec 31 at 12:53 pm

    This looks like you had a marvelously festive time, Anita. Have a wonderful New Year’s!

    Reply
  24. 24

    Regina says

    Jan 3 at 1:16 am

    I love all things Williams S0noma! xo

    Reply
  25. 25

    Jess says

    Jan 5 at 2:23 pm

    Looks like a ton of fun! I love Williams Sonoma!

    Reply
  26. 26

    izo-matr.byethost12.com says

    Jan 1 at 8:46 am

    Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?
    There’s a lot of folks that I think would really
    enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thanks

    Reply
    • 27

      Anita says

      Jan 4 at 3:24 pm

      Hi there,

      Thanks for visiting my blog! You are free to share links to your Facebook group, as long as you don’t repost content. Thanks so much!

      Reply

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. More about pastrygirl

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