🏛️ The History of the Health Craft Cookware Company

Celebrating 55 Years of Exceptional Craftsmanship – 1970 – 2025

A Vision is Born – Rahway, New Jersey (1970–1974)

Founded: July 7, 1970
Founder: Charles Knight, U.S. Navy Veteran
First Office: Above Forum Tuxedo, St. George Avenue, Rahway, NJ
Across From: Stewart’s Root Beer & the Galaxy Diner

After four years of honorable naval service, Charles Knight returned home determined to build a future through integrity and effort.
Two failed job attempts only strengthened his resolve to chart his own path. From a modest office above a tuxedo shop, Knight began selling EKCO Prudential Cookware and Arrowhead Cutlery, two of America’s finest household names.

Door-to-door sales were demanding, but once inside the home, his sincerity, product knowledge, and passion made the difference. Thus began the foundation of Health Craft — born not of opportunity, but of determination.

Building a Sales Organization – Teaching Success

Knight soon built one of the top regional sales organizations in the country, focusing on recruiting college students and training them in professional selling skills.
He believed that salesmanship was not just a career, but a life education. Many of his early recruits became executives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders — living proof of his mentorship philosophy:

“Select the best of the best — and teach them why excellence matters.”

The Saladmaster Era (1975–1982)

1975: Appointed Divisional Director, Saladmaster of Dallas, TX
Territory: Northern NJ → Southern NY → Connecticut → Washington D.C.
1980: Top Divisional Director Worldwide ($15 Million Annual Sales)

During this period, Knight revolutionized the direct-sales model by launching the Saladmaster Show Program — live cooking demonstrations in fairs, home shows, and shopping malls.
The concept married education with entertainment, drawing crowds and creating lasting brand loyalty. Though the innovation clashed with Saladmaster’s conservative structure, the success of the program became the blueprint for the next stage of Knight’s career.

The Birth of Health Craft & Partnership with Vita Craft (1983–1990s)

In 1983, Knight established Health Craft Cookware with his own private-label line manufactured by Vita Craft Corporation in Shawnee Mission, Kansas — a company revered since 1939 for surgical-grade stainless-steel craftsmanship.

Health Craft quickly gained national recognition for its live-demonstration marketing, blending American manufacturing with education-based sales. By the late 1980s, the company had expanded coast to coast, introducing millions of families to the benefits of waterless, greaseless cooking.

Innovation and Integrity

• T304 Surgical Stainless-Steel Interiors
• 439 Magnetic Exteriors – Induction Ready (mid-1990s)
• Full-Body Multi-Ply Construction for Even Heating
• Lifetime Warranty – Made in the USA

Every product bore the proud hallmark:

“Health Craft Quality – Made in the USA.”

Television & Culinary Education – A New Frontier (Late 1980s–1990s)

Charles Knight’s charismatic personality and Navy-honed discipline made him a natural educator.
He became a pioneer of cookware infomercials, bringing live demonstrations to national television and reaching millions of homes.

Under the guiding philosophy:

“Better Health Begins in the Kitchen.”

Health Craft released cookbooks, recipe guides, and educational programs, partnering with acclaimed culinary figures such as Chef Tell, Gloria Rose, Holly Clegg, and Vicki Chelf.
Through these collaborations, Health Craft expanded into Canada and the Caribbean, establishing a global reputation for quality and wellness education.

Relocation to Tampa, Florida – A New Era of Growth (1980s–2000s)

Seeking warmer weather and a dynamic media environment, Knight moved Health Craft headquarters to Tampa, Florida, where the company flourished amid a thriving home-show circuit and television infomercial production hub.

From its Tampa base, Health Craft continued to innovate:
• 2016: Introduction of Ultra-Tech II 316Ti Titanium Cookware — a 9-ply magnetic surgical stainless-steel system built for gas, electric, and induction cooking.
• Launch of Pro-Series Gourmet Cookware and 18/0 Bakeware, designed for chefs and home professionals.
• Expansion into Better Health Solutions — air and water purification systems, grounding toppers, mattresses, and pillows, and the Clean Machine Steam Vacuum.

Each new product reinforced the company’s holistic vision of:

“Helping People Live a Longer, Healthier Life.”

Legacy & Leadership (2010–2025)

Under Knight’s continued guidance, Health Craft entered its sixth decade as a multi-generation, family-owned American company.

Trade-In, Trade-Up Program – honoring loyal customers by giving credit for older cookware toward modern upgrades while encouraging sustainability.
Induction Innovation – full-body magnetic construction ensuring compatibility with every modern cooktop.
Education & Community Outreach – through live demonstrations, cooking classes, and the Cooking for a Longer, Healthier Life cookbook series written by Chef Charles Knight.

Today, Health Craft remains true to its core values:

Faith. Family. Integrity. Excellence.

And its timeless mission:

“Cook Smarter. Live Healthier. Support American Manufacturing.”

A Proud American Legacy

For more than half a century, Health Craft has stood as a beacon of quality, honesty, and craftsmanship — inspiring families across generations to cook at home, eat better, and live longer, healthier lives.

From a small office above Forum Tuxedo in Rahway, New Jersey, to a nationally recognized name in Made-in-America cookware, the story of Health Craft is one of perseverance, vision, and purpose — a living testament to the enduring spirit of American enterprise.