Meet Thomas and Rosemarie Cannell | Thomas | Woodworker/Owner and Rosemarie | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomas and Rosemarie Cannell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomas and Rosemarie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Block and Bowl was something that had been lingering in our minds for a while, long before the pandemic. After I finished school in the UK, I did a carpentry apprenticeship and then trained and worked under a cabinet maker for years before going into the culinary arts industry.

Over the years, even while working as a chef I continued to work on renovating houses, building furniture, and making various pieces for our home or for family and friends. I had built up a collection of tools and woodworking pieces.

Though I had a passion for cooking, the restaurant industry had grueling hours and it was difficult to maintain a work-life balance. The pandemic put things into perspective, and after encouragement from my wife and family to start a business we decided to go for it and created Block and Bowl.

Block and Bowl was the perfect way to combine my passion for the culinary arts and carpentry. We decided to launch and produce high-quality custom woodworks like chopping boards, cheese and charcuterie boards, mortar and pestles, tables, cabinets, and more. We wanted to bring out the best in the wood, show the beauty of the grains, and present smooth craftmanship.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Block and Bowl was created out of the love of cooking and woodworking. Having this background in both gave us inspiration to create high quality wooden pieces like cutting boards, cheese and charcuterie boards, and other home and restaurant goods and furniture. It wasn’t easy, since it was our first time opening our own business and doing all the accounting, marketing, production and everything else that goes along with starting a company. We have learned so much with every business deal and collaboration. Since we started the business, we continued to see price hikes in lumber and other materials, and have had to adjust for those changes yet create a balance of sustaining the business and creating affordable prices for our clients. We wanted to create a brand that serves both practicality and luxury, and provide variety in the wood materials that we use. From edge-grain to end-grain cutting boards, and Maple, Walnut, to White Oak woods.

Our customers can choose to shop from our ready made items, or send us their ideas or plans so that we can create bespoke pieces.

We’ve been grateful to grow as much as we did in such a short time frame. Within our first year and a half, we were lucky to feature in various magazines and also work on some projects with Kele and Christina from Colossus Mfg, on their show called Mash-Up Our Home which aired on HGTV. As of today, we continue to work with them on various residential and commercial projects in the region and maintain our kitchen/home goods and furniture line.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When we have visitors coming to the capital, we love taking them to Hawks Provisions and Public House or Camden Spit & Larder for a nice meal, followed by a nice walk through Old Sacramento or the California State Capitol.

We’re just a 1-2 hour drive away from Napa, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would love to give a shoutout to our family and friends that have supported us from the start, and helped us grow our business. My granddad who introduced me to woodworking and taught me a lot of what I know today, and Kevin Stewart who took a chance on me when I was 17 and showed me the skills necessary to excel in the trade. I was fortunate enough to work alongside Kevin as we expanded his cabinet shop from a smaller store front to a larger warehouse space as the business grew and we took on bigger projects. Our customers who continue to support and spread the word. Our collaborators that have allowed us to turn ideas into beautiful woodworking pieces

Website: www.blockandbowl.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockandbowl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blockandbowl

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@blockandbowl

Image Credits
Rosemarie Cannell