James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Messermeister Chef’s Knife, Meridian Elite Park Plaza | Full Tang Stainless 9 Inch Blade
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Messermeister’s Park Plaza series offers fine prep knives in stamped equivalents of the company’s forged Meridian Elite brand. Slightly lighter than the forged steel version, the Park Plaza 9-Inch Chef’s knife still has full tang strength and a fine edge taper grind.
Stamped from a blank of no-stain X50CrMoV15 high carbon stainless steel and tempered to HRC 56, the Park Plaza chef’s knife will hold an edge well. With a tapered 20-degree edge bevel, this knife slices easily and accurately while being strong enough for a wide range of other common kitchen tasks. Made in the traditional cook’s knife pattern, the Park Plaza knife covers mincing, paring, dicing, and even splitting. Each part of the blade is suited to a different style of work. In skilled hands, few other knives perform as well as the cook’s or chef’s pattern.
The rounded edges of the polyoxymethylene (POM) handle slabs provide a comfortable grip. Triple-riveted to the full tang, the shaped handle slabs prevent slipping either forward or backward. Messermeister guarantees the knife against defects in workmanship for life and offers a sharpening service for the cost of shipping. Reworking the blade at home ought to be within the capability of most chefs and could be easily done with a series of whetstones. Daily sharpening with a honing steel resets the edge quickly.
Although the Messermeister Park Plaza doesn’t look fancy, the knife does have many good features. Built heavier than some stamped brands, the Park Plaza chef’s knife is strong enough for tough jobs and is a good all-purpose choice for the average kitchen.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
The Diamond Edge Pro knife and scissors sharpener from Smith Abrasives combines electric and manual sharpening systems for quick and accurate refurbishing of knives...
Messermeister’s Park Plaza series offers fine prep knives in stamped equivalents of the company’s forged Meridian Elite brand. Slightly lighter than the forged steel version, the Park Plaza 9-Inch Chef’s knife still has full tang strength and a fine edge taper grind.
