Finding out the Color Profile is always a good idea - there are differences between US SWOP Coated and GRACol, for example (the two I most often use), and submitting what looks good in one, when they print in the other, will result in Color Profile Conversions that may or may not preserve the integrity of your colors.

But whether or not they're printing Spot or CMYK should be something you know before you even start designing. Many places don't print Spot colors at all, so you sending them Pantone means nothing to them, they're just RIP'ing it out to 4 color seperations, and whatever happens, happens.

On the other hand, if your client always uses Pantone 123C because that's the same logo color that's always been the case, that's different - and you need to make sure the printer is actually mixing Pantones. OR, if you're using an imprinter (you mentioned printing a design on a piece of kitchenware), it's MUCH more likely they're using Pantone, as they can then mix together some Pantone pigments and end up with a specific Pantone color for screenprinting your pan or breadbox or apron or whatever. You should still purchase the Pantone book - but find out which colors they use, as there are Pantone Home & Interior inks that are different from the paper inks (including being created w/o lead, for safety.)

If they're printing one color (Spot color), then color profiles don't matter.

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Edited to add a quick crash course in CMYK vs. Spot Color.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (formerly referred to as Key color, hence the K)) are the inks used to print just about everything that appears in full color: Magazines, newspapers, textbooks, etc. Everything that comes off a personal inkjet or color laser printer also uses CMYK (some use expanded colors, for example my photo printer has 8 inks, CMYK + lighter Cyan and Magentas, and 2 grays, but the principle is the same.).

Spot Color printing (you may see this as 1-color, 2-color, or 3-color printing) means printing with 1,2,3 colors that YOU specify. To make sure everyone is talking about the same color, Pantone is one of the (and probably the most popular) industry standard color systems (there are others). With Pantone, you specify a color (from the swatch book, right???), and when you submit your print order, the print shop literally mixes together the various Pantone inks to make that color.

The nice thing about Pantone is that their inks aren't derived from Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, so you can get much richer colors, and colors that aren't part of the normal CMYK gamut (which is relatively small, compared to RGB-what your monitor/cellphone/TVs use, and MUCH smaller than what we can actually see). Pantone colors also include things like metallics and neons with characteristics (reflectivity, florescence) that even the best RGB display can't reproduce.

Another nice thing about Pantone inks is that assuming the recipe is followed correctly (and that you're printing on paper or other material that has the same surface characteristics and color), one printer's Spot color job should exactly match another's. You can't say the same about CMYK (4-color process) jobs, because different presses are calibrated differently, different color profiles have to be considered, etc.

Additionally, when printing Spot color, if printed at 100% coverage, the edges will be nice and clean, and there's no dot pattern. Virtually any color you specify in CMYK (if not pure CMY or K), when printed, will have dots and potentially rough edges, not to mention registration/alignment concerns. Spot color jobs don't have to worry about that.

However, there are also 5-color, 6-color, or more-color jobs - which might incorporate CMYK PLUS 1, 2, 3, or more Pantone colors. Food packaging very often uses this method, as it makes specifying a certain "brand" color easier, and allows the box to stand out on the shelf by using a more vivid ink than can be achieved through CMYK. Go take apart a cereal box and you'll see the registration and color bars - this one has CMYK, as well as Frosted Flakes Blue and Tony the Tiger Orange, making it a 6-color job.

Anyway, it's Saturday night and I've been drinkin' for a while, so I should stop - but feel free to ask any questions/clarifications on the above, and I'll follow up! ;-)