Enamored by a demonstration of a restaurant food preparation machine in France in 1971, Carl Sontheimer and his wife, Shirley, are convinced they can adapt this technology to a useful home appliance for Americans. Sontheimer, a retired MIT-trained physicist and accomplished cook, makes a daring decision to jump into the highly competitive housewares business with his own company called Cuisinart. The company would initially import an exclusive line of top-quality stainless steel cookware. In 1973, the Sontheimers unveil the “Food Processor” at the National Housewares Exposition in Chicago.

Under management from Conair Corporation since 1989, the legacy is alive and well. Today, Cuisinart is a universally recognized name, endorsed by culinary connoisseurs such as Jacques Pépin and Hubert Keller. The prestigious Cuisinart® brand is not limited to food processors. Plugged or unplugged, nobody covers the kitchen like Cuisinart. The company is a full-service culinary resource with a wide array of products, preferred by chefs and favored by consumers.