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.
Mundial Utility Knife w/ Serrated Edge, 6 Inch | Kitchen Slicing Sandwich Blade w/ Antibacterial Green Handle
1 min read
This professional-quality Serrated Utility Knife from Mundial of Brazil is from the Mundial 5600 series, built for use in restaurants and other high volume food service industries. Buy one for the kitchen at home and you’ll get the same benefits of economy, durability and built-in sanitation that professional kitchens demand.
The serrated six-inch blade of this full tang high carbon stainless steel knife is perfectly suited to sandwich construction but certainly works well at a wide range of other tasks. Take care of the edge and it’ll make short work of onions, tomatoes, and other veggies that tend to slip away from a plain-edged blade. The serrated teeth start the cut quickly, and the knife shaves off slices without wrecking the structure of the food.
Serrated edges start sharp and stay sharp longer than a plain-edge blade, but keep the edge off hard surfaces like porcelain, glass, and bone if you want the the best performance. Once dulled, restoring the edge requires some professional assistance — at this price, you may feel like just buying a spare.
Approved for food service use by the NSF, the Mundial Utility Knife incorporates a solid polypropylene handle permanently molded around the knife’s tang. Embedded in that handle material are long lasting sanitizing compounds which prevent the growth of bacteria, molds, and yeasts. Without that treatment unseen microbes could degrade the handle, but the built-in sanitizer extends the useful lifetime of the knife and prevents many cross-contamination problems.
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...
This professional-quality Serrated Utility Knife from Mundial of Brazil is from the Mundial 5600 series, built for use in restaurants and other high volume food service industries. Buy one for the kitchen at home and you’ll get the same benefits of economy, durability and built-in sanitation that professional kitchens demand.
