Biography
Doris K. Christopher is the founder and chairman of The Pampered Chef ®, Ltd. a Berkshire Hathaway company and the premier direct seller of high-quality kitchen tools sold through in-home demonstrations called Cooking Shows.
Christopher started her career as a home economist and educator. She recognized the need for quality kitchen tools designed to make cooking quicker, easier and more efficient so families could spend less time in the kitchen and more time gathered around the table enjoying conversation and the meal. In 1980, with a $3000 loan from an insurance policy, she founded The Pampered Chef® in the basement of her suburban-Chicago home. Today, The Pampered Chef® has grown into a multimillion-dollar international corporation serving 12 million customers annually.
Devoted to nurturing family bonds by bringing families to the table, Christopher continues to oversee the development of kitchen tools and recipes that have made The Pampered Chef® a name synonymous with quality, convenience and service. An advocate of the importance of shared mealtimes, she authored the book, Come To The Table: A Celebration of Family Life published by Warner Books in 1999. Christopher is also the author of The Pampered Chef: The Story of One of America's Most Beloved Companies, a top-selling book about the founding of her business, published by Currency/Doubleday in 2005.
In 2006, Christopher was honored to be inducted as a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. Horatio Alger Association member are recognized as individuals who have come from humble beginnings to achieve extraordinary success.
An active member of the Direct Selling Association since 1986, Christopher currently serves on several committees including the Board of Directors. Additionally, she has received the prestigious Direct Selling Educational Foundation's "Circle of Honor" award (2006) and the Direct Selling Association’s "Hall of Fame" award (2003).
Christopher is an active member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She serves on numerous boards, including The Direct Selling Association, The Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, Dominican University School of Business Advisory Council, University of Illinois Foundation and America’s Second Harvest.
A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Christopher is certified in Family and Consumer Sciences. In 1999, she received an honorary doctorate of law degree from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.
Doris has been married to Jay Christopher since 1967. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.
