Pharrell Williams to launch specialty food line with Dean & Deluca

HIP hop mogul Pharrell Williams is teaming up with gourmet food purveyor Dean & Deluca to launch a new line of specialty foods inspired by his dad's home cooking.

Set to launch in 2017, The Williams Family Kitchen will feature foods from dad Pharoah Williams' repertoire of recipes.

The partnership was announced at the Dean & Deluca store in Bangkok on Monday, where son Pharrell spoke with fondness about his dad's home cooking.

"His recipes are so good. My whole family is addicted to his cooking," he said.

At Pharrell's request, recipes for the Dean & Deluca line will be tweaked to offer healthy food options for the family, he added.

"Our father-son agreement was that he would make food with healthier ingredients that were a better choice for his lifestyle and would essentially help add years to his life. The kitchen is where everyone hangs out to talk and eat, hence the name."

It's not the first food and drink-related business venture for the hip hop mogul. In 2011, Williams launched a premium liqueur with Diageo targeted towards the lady drinker called Qream with a Q. The partnership soured, however, with flagging sales, leading Pharrell to launch a US$5 million lawsuit against Diageo North America.

Other collaborations include endorsements and product launches with Adidas, Moncler, G-Star Raw, Chanel and Uniqlo.

The Williams Family Kitchen is set to hit store shelves next spring.