Kerry Simon on HSN

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Who buys cookware? Newly weds, graduating college seniors decking out their first kitchens, families remodeling their kitchens, and fans of celebrity chefs. Joining the ranks of Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Todd English, Daniel Boulud,, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Roy Yamaguchi and (...the list goes on and on...) is Kerry Simon. And last month, Kerry appeared on Home Shopping Network(HSN) to hawk his signature cookware and organic food. Kerry is more often found behind the stove of his two restaurants: Simon kitchen and bar in the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas and Simon LA, which opened in June 2006 at the Sofitel in Los Angeles, both owned with partners Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla. He is considering a new project in Times Square, New York, while his project in Maui is on hold. What kind of chef sells a line of branded cookware or kitchen products? Chefs with large numbers of fans across the country. Most chefs are on television (Wolfgang, Emeril, Todd, Daniel, Jamie, Nigella, Rachael, Mario, and Paula). A few are not, like Roy and Kerry, but Kerry has appeared on the Food Network and the short lived Iron Chef USA in a memorable battle with Todd. Most chefs have multiple restaurants spread across the US where they can sell their cookware and promote their products, and encourage their fans with their cuisine (Wolfgang, Emeril, Mario, Roy and Todd) but many do not (Nigella, Rachael, Jamie, Paula, and Kerry). Most of the chefs have cookbooks that can (if they so choose) be bundled with their products (Wolfgang, Emeril, Roy, Rachael, Todd, Daniel, Jamie, Nigella, Mario, and Paula) but Kerry has not yet written a book. Lastly, these chefs all are recognized by their first names alone. Super Chef wanted the inside story on Kerry's cookware. Here is our exclusive interview with him: Super Chef: What company is producing the cookware, knives and organic food? How were your sales from this week's debut? Kerry Simon: The company I chose to team up with to manufacture the assortment is called Culinary Concepts. Sales were great! It was an incredible launch that everyone can be proud of. HSN gained 28% new customers, people who have never purchased anything from HSN. This is huge and the team at HSN is very excited! Super Chef: When did you start this project? How long did it take you? Why did you choose to include food? Kerry Simon: I had been toying with the idea of developing cookware & cutlery for quite some time. Every chef dreams of having their own line of cookware; and about a year ago we actually started to take my ideas and develop them into actual products. As far as deciding to include food: I felt like I wanted to give people the opportunity to try organic food. The big Organic food groceries are starting to open up throughout the country, but right now the majority of them are still only in major cities. So I thought it would be a great idea for people who live a healthy lifestyle, but don’t have easy access to organic food; the chance to try it. Super Chef: Are you selling your products elsewhere? Why did you choose to go with HSN? Kerry Simon: “Kerry Simon Kitchen” is only available through HSN. HSN has been a big supporter and a great partner; there was no reason not to go with HSN! Super Chef: How are you competing with other Celebrity Chef products in the same catagories? Wolfgang, Roy and Todd both sell on HSN. How do you differentiate yourself? How does the quality and price point differ? Who do you think your customers are? Would they generally be people familiar with your restaurants? Will you be selling in your restaurants? Kerry Simon: My cookware is Tri-ply stainless steel. It is the first of its kind on HSN. Unlike other cookware sets that just have an encapsulated disc on the bottom; my cookware is Clad throughout the whole pan. It really is professional grade cookware. The quality could be compared to other clad lines that you see in the fancy Gourmet stores in the mall; but at half the price. I would like to think that anyone who wants to improve their cooking or just loves cooking in general would be my customer! I believe it’s so important that if want to improve your cooking you must have the right tools for the job. With HSN having a 28% new customer base from my show last weekend, I would like to think that some of those people were fans of my restaurants. There are no plans at this time to sell any merchandise in my restaurants. Super Chef: How long will you be selling on HSN. Will you be appearing again soon? Kerry Simon: I hope to be selling for a long time! As long as I continue to make my fans & supporters happy by bringing quality high end product at a value price; I think I will have a long relationship with HSN! Super Chef: Will you be adding more products/food to the line? Kerry Simon: Absolutely! My goal is to keep bringing newness in technology or trends to my customers as often as I can. Kerry and his products will be on HSN in the coming months. Previous articles: Iron Chef America !: Nice Guy Kerry Simon Rocks Kitchens: Better with a Super Chef? Cat Cora on Kerry Simon, Iron Chef America Iron Chef America: Sex, Race, What Next? Todd English: Pots and Pans Pucked? Daniel Boulud v. Todd English: Initial Branding Wall Street Journal: Beef Over Chef Sponsorship? [Chefs & Branding--complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef