Kauai-based Brick Oven Pizza is expanding to Kaneohe.
The newest of what will be a total of four locations will be in the Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center, across Kamehameha Highway from Windward Mall, which also recently welcomed the third location of Ichiriki Japanese Nabe Restaurant.
"We’re taking part of the old Blockbuster," said Corey Aguano, Brick Oven Pizza president. The restaurant will take about "half of that space … about 3,800 square feet."
Seating at Brick Oven Pizza will accommodate about 100 people in the full-service restaurant with full bar.
The hope is to get it open "by the end of summer," he said, possibly in mid-August, though as with most business openings, the actual opening date is somewhat of a moving target.
Brick Oven Pizza currently employs about 140 people and will hire dozens of employees for the new store, at the point it makes sense to begin that process, Aguano said.
"My HR department takes care of all that," he said, and he expects news of the job openings to spread quickly through word of mouth. An employment application also can be found on the BOP website.
The success of its Kapolei store, which opened in November 2011, fueled the decision to find another Oahu location, he said.
"Yeah, Kapolei was a little bit of a test for us," he said. "We had a really good response from locals."
He and his partners were born and raised on Kauai, and they "like the outskirts" rather than metro areas.
The original Brick Oven Pizza, in Kalaheo, Kauai, was established by a "local family guy from Vermont," Aguano said.
The company website notes that "Kauai’s own original ‘super pizza’" has been "hearth-baked with the homemade touch since 1977."
When the founder was ready to sell, "he wanted to keep it local" and have it not turn too commercial or corporate.
"We were in the right place at the right time and bought it," with the seller understanding the local buyers’ expansion plans.
The second store opened in Wailua, Kauai, in 2009.
Appetizers range from french fries to a variety of chicken wings, pupu pizzas and oysters, either shooters ($2.50 each) or on the half-shell ($24 for a dozen of the latter). Soups, salads, pastas, hot hearth-baked sandwiches, pizzas and dessert choices comprise the rest of the extensive menu.
The bar menu includes seven appetizers plus the oyster choices, in addition to signature cocktails and a wine and beer list.
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On the Net:
» brickovenpizzahi.com
» www.kaneohebayshoppingcenter.com/index.php
» ichirikinabe.com
Zimmern air date set
The air date for the Hawaii-shot episode of "Bizarre Foods America," hosted by chef, author and Travel Channel personality Andrew Zimmern, has been tentatively set for July 8, according to a network publicist.
The network released a list of places Zimmern visited while here in November, and they include the Jade Foods factory, a crack seed store, Shimazu Shave Ice Co., various eateries and shops in Chinatown, Alicia’s Market and Tersty Treats. And for the straight scoop on poi, he visited with Daniel Anthony, founder of Mana Ai LLC.
Zimmern’s previous Hawaii visit, at least for purposes of the show, was in March 2008, for an episode that debuted Aug. 12 of that year.
The publicist’s email emphasized that schedule changes are a regular occurrence and that the July 8 date was not firm and is subject to change.
A November video interview of Zimmern by Star-Advertiser co-worker Jason Genegabus can be seen online within the pages of Pulse.
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On the Net:
» www.honolulupulse.com/food-drink/grind-time-andrew-zimmern
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
