Three local men have teamed up to create a new line of kitchen accessories, trying to bring the island spirit to homes around the world.
The Hawaiian Kitchen Line is promoted by chef Sam Choy, the art created by Brad Parker, owner of Tiki Shark, and advertising and production by Abbas Hassan, senior vice president of the company.
It started when Abbas was trying to sell a 12-item line of kitchen supplies to a buyer on the East Coast. She told him that numerous people were trying to sell similar products to her and asked what made these special. Abbas called Choy and asked him if he’d be interested.
Choy, a 2004 James Beard award winner, said he was interested.
That was the first concrete part of an effort that would unwind over the next nine years, the men said.
Choy continued cooking, becoming one of the people who popularized Hawaiian cooking outside the islands. He has appeared on various national cooking shows as a contestant and judge. He continues to maintain his TV show “Sam Choy’s Kitchen.”
Hassan continued to work with Parker at Tiki Shark.
The idea blossomed, joining Abbas’s materials, Choy’s support and Parker’s art.
Choy said that the important thing was to make sure the products are durable and will have a long working life. That creates the sort of word-of-mouth advertising that is critical, he said.
“You’ve got to build it for savages,” he said.
As a result, he wanted to make sure that the materials would last, which he saw in the samples Abbas had.
Abbas’s family owns the plant where the materials will be made, which gives them unrivaled control over the production, he said. They also manufacture similar items already, giving the operation experience with these productions.
Everyone has pans, knives and so on, said Choy.
“More important to have a little piece of Sam Choy” in the kitchen, he said.
The set includes an apron, oven mitts and towels.
“There’s a lot more towels than I realized,” Parker said. It includes hand, wash and other specialized types.
He created the art for each element of the set, working to infuse a sense of island spirit.
The group is holding public launch parties. On Friday, the party will be at the Kona Ocean Front Gallery and Saturday at the Royal Kona Resort.
Some of the proceeds will go to the Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation.
The company has signed a number of distribution agreements already. In Hawaii, it’s the Hawaii Intercontinental Corp. The mainland distribution will be managed by Pennsylvania-based The Patterson Group. International distribution will be with Al Barij International of Oman.
