CHEFS Catalog

Full review
I'm a kitchen gadget junkie. Since my husband cooks most of the time and I just love buying gadgets, I'm always buying things from various kitchen stores. I had never really heard of Chef's until we went to visit my in-laws and I was looking through their enormous stack of catalogs. The high-end equipment in the Chef's catalog caught my eye so when I went home I logged on to www.chefscatalog.com to view more.

About Chef's Catalog
Chef's is based in Texas and they're a division of Neiman Marcus. Since 1979 they have been doing catalog-based retail sales although in the 1990's they added on the online component of their business with their website. Chef's sells primarily higher end kitchen equipment, though they've added a new line of really frou-frou equipment under the line of "Master Chef's" and they also have a gift registry you can use at their site.

Navigating the Website
Chef's website is designed very well and has a clean interface. At the top of every page are ten tabs that let you browse through various departments such as bakeware or kitchen electrics, or browse by brand. You can also search the site using the search button at the top of the page.

Once you select a department the left side of the page allows you to shop by brand or shop by category in that department. This extremely simple breakdown of each department means that you're usually only three clicks away from an item if you know what you're looking for. For instance, if you're looking for Henckel's knives you simply click on the "Cutlery" tab, then click on the brand "J.A. Henckels" and you are presented with every one of the Henckels knives that Chef's has in stock.

The Master Chef's catalog is linked online but currently it's just pages of images from the real paper catalog so it's not very easy to browse. Anytime you are browsing through the departments you can click on the links on the right to view gift registries, to check out the special offers or to read about popular kitchen equipment that Chef's offers.

Selection and Prices
Chef's carries a huge selection of kitchen tools and merchandise and all of it is high quality. Unfortunately, all of it is fairly expensive as well. You won't be finding any one dollar tea towels here. Sometimes you can find a good bargain by shopping their specials and discounts only and ignoring the rest of their online store. (This is very tough to do.)

Placing an Order
I have ordered a variety of items from Chef's, from small silicone mitts to large butcher block cooktops. Placing an item into your basket is as simple as selecting the quantity and choosing "Add to Cart". You can also just add it to your wishlist.

You can create an account with Chef's in order to complete your order, but you can also check out without saving your information at Chef's. Creating an account is helpful so that you can track your order as it's being processed and delivered. Chef's occasionally sends specials via e-mail to the address I've given them but they don't seem to overly spam me. It should also be noted that once you order from them you're on the mailing list to receive their paper catalog, which actually is something that I like getting.

Shipping and Delivery
Chef's offers free standard shipping on the purchase of more than three items from their store. There are three categories of shipping at Chef's:
- Standard: Delivery within 5-7 business days, free for orders of 3 items or more within the contiguous US. $5 for each order of 3 items or more delivered outside the continental US. $6 added to each item that is shipping to a separate address. No weekend delivery.

- Second Day: Delivery expected within two business days after the order is processed. Signature is arrived. Cost is $9.95 in addition to the standard delivery and processing charges. An additional $6 for each item that is shipping to a separate address after the first. $24.95 extra for items going to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Can't deliver to US Territories, PO Boxes or APO addresses. Not available for items drop-shipped directly from the manufacturer. No weekend delivery.

- Next Day: Delivery for the day after the order is processed. Signature required. Cost is $19.95 added to the standard delivery and processing charges. $6 added to each separate address after the first. $34.95 to deliver to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Can't deliver to US Territories, PO Boxes or APO addresses. Not available for items drop-shipped directly from the manufacturer. No weekend delivery.

I have always used Chef's standard shipping and items have always arrived quickly via ground delivery, usually within the 5-7 day timeframe.

Quality of Merchandise
Every item that I have ordered from Chef's has exceeded my expectations for quality. I once took quite a big risk in ordering an enormous butcher block kitchen island from the magazine and when it arrived I was overwhelmingly impressed by the quality of the entire piece. Chef's catalog does not sell cheap merchandise, which means that while you might pay a bit more, you will get high quality goods. Their items are on part with what you can buy in a Williams Sonoma or a Crate and Barrel.

Customer Service & The Chef's 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Chef's offers a fairly generous guarantee with what appears to be no time limit on their items. From their website:
At CHEF'S, we stand by our promise of offering the finest quality products available. If at any time you are dissatisfied with your purchase, just return it with the original receipt and completed return form (both are enclosed with every order we ship). CHEF'S will exchange it, credit your account, or give you a refund.

I haven't taken them up on this, but it seems like a generous guarantee.

Chef's Catalog
Customer Relations
P.O. Box 650589
Dallas, TX 75265-0589

Phone: 1.800.884.CHEF
Website: www.chefscatalog.com
E-mail: customerservice@ecare.chefscatalog.com

Summary
I like using Chef's occasionally but I don't shop there too often because of the high prices. If I'm looking for a high end kitchen tool or appliance Chef's is one of the first places I look, if only so I can compare their prices with other online merchants. I've only had good experiences with Chef's so I can highly recommend them, but not always their prices, to anyone looking for kitchen equipment.