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Half Moon Bay Independent Kitchen Retailer Recieves Two Top Industry Awards Toque Blanche & Chefworks have been selected by The Gourmet Retailer as Kitchenware Retailer of the Year and the U.S. Global Innovator Award (gia) winner. Both stores are owned by Charles Nelson. Nelson opened Toque Blanche in Half Moon Bay in 2006 and purchased Chefworks in Santa Cruz in 2013. Under his leadership, both stores have flourished and are destinations for quality kitchenware. The Gourmet Retailer, a co-sponsor of the U.S. gia for independent kitchenware retailers, selected Toque Blanche & Chefworks as the U.S. winner after soliciting and reviewing nominations from the industry. "The Gourmet Retailer was not only impressed with Charles Nelson and his team's ability to create a memorable shopping experience with compelling merchandise displays that inform and inspire, but also with the stores' joint online presence and site's mobile functionality," says Anna Wolfe, editor-in-chief of The Gourmet Retailer. In addition to its stellar stores that are staffed with knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees, Toque Blanche & Chefworks stores are active in their communities and support fundraisers that support public education. Other community outreach includes sponsoring the Half Moon Bay Farmers Market and HEAL, a school gardening program that promotes healthy eating in schools. While other retailers are looking to establish an online storefront, Toque Blanche has sold online since its inception in 2006. Earlier this year, mytoque.com, which is the site for both stores, was redesigned so that it is easier to view and navigate on mobile devices. The International Home + Housewares Show (IH+HS) and International Housewares Association (IHA), primary sponsors of gia, will recognize Toque Blanche/Chefworks and housewares retailers from more than 20 countries at the 17th annual gia awards in Chicago on March 18. Toque Blanche & Chefworks will be profiled in the February/March 2017 issue of The Gourmet Retailer magazine. The International Home + Housewares Show (IH+HS) and International Housewares Association (IHA), primary sponsors of gia, will recognize Toque Blanche and housewares retailers from more than 20 countries at the 17th annual gia awards in Chicago on March 18. About the gia competition: Honoring excellence in housewares retailing, the gia program was created by the International Housewares Association in 1999 to showcase housewares retailing innovation and merchandising distinction worldwide. The gia competition is structured both on a national and global level to honor independent and multiple location housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories including mission, layout and design, visual merchandising, marketing, customer service, staff training and innovation. Each national winner will travel to the IH+HS where the global gia jury - consisting of four experts representing Asia, Europe and the Americas, plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors - will select five global gia honorees. From March 18-21 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IH+HS show attendees will be able to see photo displays of the gia winners from more than 20 countries. The gia Showcase in the Grand Concourse Lobby will feature visual displays of each store's award-winning efforts. Banners for the 20+ winning retailers will be hung in the walkway that connects the Grand Concourse and the Lakeside Center. More information about gia is online. About The Gourmet Retailer: Since 1979, The Gourmet Retailer, has been the go-to trade magazine for specialty food and kitchenware retailers. Through its magazine, website and newsletters, The Gourmet Retailer provides specialty food and kitchenware retailers with information to run their businesses smarter. This includes merchandising, store operations/education, best practices, new product news, product category knowledge and trends that helps them meet the needs of their customers while increasing store sales and profits. The Gourmet Retailer is part of EnsembleIQ, a premier business intelligence resource that exists to help people and their organizations succeed. It is structured to serve the business-to-business needs of retailers, consumer goods manufacturers, technology vendors, marketing agencies and retail service providers by using its integrated network of media and information resources designed to inform, connect and provide actionable marketplace intelligence. About Toque Blanche / Chefworks: Founded in Half Moon Bay in 2006 and recently voted #1 for homegoods in the Bay Area for 2016, Toque Blanche has become a Bay Area destination for professional and home chefs seeking the finest cookware and accessories. Visitors to Toque Blanche will find a highly-curated selection of over 3,000 items including cookware, bakeware, tools, cutlery and everything for the table. Well represented are premier brands such as Le Creuset and Vitamix as well as unique specialty items not likely to be found elsewhere like Chamba clay cookware imported from Colombia (featured in the New York Times Front Burner column in February, 2016), Provence pottery and Furtif cutlery imported from France and eye-catching handcrafted items sourced from domestic craftsmen. Food lovers will delight in the selection of local and imported jams, condiments, spices and other food items, plus Italian wines and local craft beers. Toque Blanche (the name often used for the white pleated chef's hat) inspires its customers with a selection of cookbooks, a monthly newsletter with recipes, book reviews and tips as well as quarterly cooking classes and weekly food demos and tastings. Toque Blanche, featured in numerous print and online food and cookware articles, was the first retail store to be inducted into the Half Moon Bay Business Hall of Fame and was previously named the Bay Area's Best Kitchenware Store in a regional reader's poll. Founder Charles Nelson, has been importing fine products from around the globe for more than 15 years. For 20 years Chefworks has functioned as the premier kitchenware store in Santa Cruz County. Nelson purchased the store from the original owner in 2013. Larger than Toque Blanche, Chefworks prides itself in its wide selection of kitchen and dining room products and is a destination for both professional and home chefs. For a brief informative video on both locations, please visit: www.mytoque.com/pages/toque-blanche-and-chefworks. Products from both Toque Blanche and Chefworks are available online at http://https//www.mytoque.com/.