It was founded in 1982 by Keith Armstrong, Paul Ludford and Phil Mitchell, and was originally part of The Soul Kitchen, an artist collective and nightclub.
[2] In the mid-1980s, Kitchenware arranged a deal with Roger Ames' London Records (at the time a semi-independent unit within the PolyGram group) for the group,[3] who licensed them along with soulful pop trio the Kane Gang[4] (both of whom appeared on the label's various artists collection Giant - 14 Brand New Tracks from London Artists in 1987).
Prefab Sprout were signed to Kitchenware in 1983 and would go on to have a number of top 40 hits, once they allowed their Steely Dan influences to show through.
[5][6] These three acts would feature on a compilation album put out by EMI Records in 1999 called Happy Ever After - The Best of Kitchenware Records[7] alongside lesser known acts such as Geoff Smith, Hug and Hurrah!.
In the early 2000s, Kitchenware was relaunched as a true 'indie' record label and signed bands such as Editors and the Motorettes.