Executive Chef Kailua Now Open

Actually, the Kailua location of the Executive Chef has been open since the month of December. Located right on the corner of Kailua Road, they’re a highly visible sight.  In fact, the store appeared to be open in November, but Closed signs indicated otherwise.

The store’s interior is big, filled with every cooking gadget and tool you can think of.  The store is also deceptively “long,” taking some time to wend through all the aisles.  When I visited, there were so many workers (maybe 10), probably too much at an off-peak hour but reassuring nonetheless, and I did find a punchbowl serving ladle hiding by the checkout registers.

Now for the bad. While the location’s visibility is great, the parking is bad. There are three stalls (one of them reserved for Handicapped parking) near the store entrance, but getting to these limited stalls is tricky and the roadway is a tad tight. Otherwise, the parking is in the back, way in the back, beyond First Hawaiian Bank. In fact, the nearest row of parking is reserved for FHB customers, pushing back general parking even further. Hopefully, this FHB designation is removed to share the lot with upcoming businesses.

Executive Chef should get a boost once the neighboring Whole Foods opens up in 2012. You definitely need the upscale cookware to prepare your upscale groceries! Now I wonder if upscale clothing retailer, Fighting Eel, can get in on this… picture the modern day business mom driving home to Kailua, stopping off to pickup a fabulous outfit at Fighting Eel, then popping into the Executive Chef, and finally shopping at Whole Foods. Can you see it?