About Us

Welcome to ChefShop.com - Where Exceptional Food Begins with a Story

ChefShop.com is a specialty food retailer based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1999, ChefShop.com was one of the first content-driven e-commerce sites, blending storytelling with carefully curated selections of high-quality, hard-to-find ingredients from around the world. Since its founding, we’ve been on a mission to bring rare, artisan-crafted ingredients and confections to cooks and food-lovers who care about quality and authenticity. We travel the world (and sometimes just down the road) to find producers who grow, ferment, mill, and make with purpose. At ChefShop, every product has a reason for being here—it’s been tasted, tested, and chosen with care.

We’re more than a marketplace; we’re a curated pantry. We’re here for home cooks, chefs, and anyone curious about what great food can be. Whether you’re baking with Sicilian stone-ground flour or drizzling single-estate olive oil from Tuscany, you’ll know exactly where it came from—and why it matters.

Our values are grounded in:

Curation with Integrity – Every product we carry is carefully selected for its quality, origin, and authenticity.

Connection Through Sharing – We share not just ingredients, but the stories, traditions, and recipes behind them, fostering deeper culinary understanding.

Care in Every Detail – From sustainable sourcing to personalized customer service, we approach everything we do with a genuine commitment to people, planet, and taste.

The People

Eliza Ward is a founder of ChefShop.com. As chief curator for ChefShop.com, her passion for flavorful and functional foods is reflected in her commitment to sourcing exceptional products and educating consumers about their origins and uses. Her dedication to quality ingredients and sustainable, artisan practices has made ChefShop.com a trusted destination for food enthusiasts seeking unique pantry staples.

Before launching ChefShop.com, Eliza received her MBA from Stanford and worked at Microsoft as a Senior Marketing Manager, before bringing her business and marketing expertise into the culinary world. Today, Eliza manages the Seattle retail store and warehouse, and oversees the company’s day-to-day operations, strategic business development and partnerships, online and social media marketing, sales channel development (both wholesale and retail), product purchasing, and overall financial and risk strategies.

Tim is a founder of ChefShop.com. Before launching the site in 1999, Tim created a food content site for MSN, which laid the foundation for ChefShop.com. With a background in photography and film production, he previously produced children’s educational videos, including "Earth to Table" in 1995, focused on local production and healthy eating. This project inspired his mission to connect consumers with artisan food producers, farmers and food experts.

Today, Tim is the driving force behind the ChefShop newsletter and website, crafting engaging written content and sharing insights and stories about ingredients like honey and olive oil. He manages website development and is responsible for the principal photography that visually showcases ChefShop’s unique products and recipes. Tim’s work ensures the brand’s voice remains consistent, authentic, and engaging.

We deliver hand-curated, artisan ingredients from around the world—carefully sourced, rich in story, and rooted in tradition

At the end of the week, after all the news has been digested, I look to ChefShop’s newsletter as my respite to life. -Marie

I had a sample here one day and I’m hooked on it now. It’s my comfort food. - Shirley

On Sunday, I curl up in bed with my newsletter to forget about the weeks news, and think about romance. The romance of food… -Lisa

I just discovered your site and am smitten. -Jill

I really enjoy the ChefShop Newsletter. I find myself usually un-subscribing to most company e-mails but I always find something interesting and appealing with the ChefShop nice layout, interesting visuals & most importantly is the obvious creativity that goes into each feature, thanks for caring. -William

"I get a zillion email newsletters a week, somehow I always find time to read ChefShop’s. Packed with info & fun! It’s easy to digest .... " -Joanna Cassidy, actress Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Blade Runner, Six Feet Under.

I'm so glad I found you guys! G'day from down undah -John

Hi! Thank you so much! I am very excited to make some magic with this koji! -Lisa

hi. thank you. whomever writes your emails, WOW drooling through EVERY ONE... -Shawna

I just wanted to say I love making dark chocolate with your cocoa powder. It works so well. Thank you! -Angela

Love this cocoa powder. Thanks - in Hawaiian: Mahalo! -Kate

Hi! Such fun to learn more about what you carry. I am enjoying being your customer. -JMH

I’ll never be a cook, but I look forward to your newsletter every Saturday and dream. Thank you! -Loraine

Deep chocolate experience: This cocoa takes anything chocolate to a whole new level. The depth and smoothness is beyond any brand I have used, and I have used many. Intense chocolate experience, but not bitter or harsh. Be prepared to be asked for repeat performances! -Seth

It’s my Sunday morning read, I look forward to it every weekend -Dave

I love the newsletter - Marsha

After a long week, I settle in on the weekend and look forward to reading the news -June

The best part is the little bit of history -John

The description of the food is so descriptive -Risha

The marshmallow story is why I love chefshop. That, and Fallot mustard. -Erin

For the breadth and quality of its offerings, nothing equals ChefShop.com. In addition to well-chosen examples of an Italian kitchen's staples...there are excellent products from other parts of the world and, in season, fresh salmon from the Northwest, plus an item that has all but disappeared from neighborhood markets, genuinely tree-ripened, sugary fruits." -Marcella & Victor Hazan

We at ChefShop are committed to finding and offering the best rare ingredients in the world. Our small batch products are made by personally selected local and international artisans, dedicated to preserving and sometimes reinventing food traditions!

I love receiving these emails! So thoughtfully crafted and filled with advice and tips. Thanks so much for taking the time to write them up. -Diane

When my daughter bakes something with this delicious cocoa – I will take a bite for you too! -Kat

Hello! This Italian pizza flour is so amazing! I have been making sourdough pizza dough for a few years now and it’s never been as delicious as when I make the dough with the Caputo 00 flour from your shop. Grazie mille! -Scotty

I love the newsletters. Mouthwatering descriptions. -Julio

Thank you for everything, we love your company!:) -Gordy

Your selection of products is really interesting. I look forward to stocking my friend with more items in the future. -Susan

Thank you for having these products available and for offering at-store pick-up. So appreciated! -Loraine

Best Cocoa Ever If you care about using the best cocoa on the face of the planet, buy this. -Angela

Thank you so very much! I really appreciate it. Also your shop is awesome and it’s always a joy getting packages from y’all in the mail. -Peter

Our favourite cocoa I have 8 varieties of cocoa at home -- red cocoa, black cocoa, natural cocoa, and several high-end specialty cocoas (Barry Extra Brut, Valrhona, Guittard, Ghirardelli...). My family goes through enormous quantities of cocoa powder -- for hot cocoa, brownies, chocolate cakes, cookies... and this is by far our favourite. It has depth, complexity, and richness. While the specialty cocoas are excellent, I find they can sometimes be quite bitter, lack richness or body. This one is always perfect for whatever we are making. And being in Canada, I go to great lengths to buy this cocoa -- that should tell you how much we love it! - Monika

At the end of the week, after all the news has been digested, I look to ChefShop’s newsletter as my respite to life. On Sunday, I curl up in bed with my newsletter to forget about the weeks news, and think about romance. The romance of food!

Country/region

About Us

We deliver hand-curated, artisan ingredients from around the world—carefully sourced, rich in story, and rooted in tradition

Sign Up for our Newsletter