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.
Chef’s Choice Commercial Knife Sharpener | Electric Diamond Hone 2000 | Extra Fine Grit
1 min read
The Chef’s Choice Commercial Model 2000 Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener evens the playing field when it comes to knife sharpening. You meet all sorts of people in restaurant kitchens — people with skill and talent, and people who are just there for the pay check. Professional quality commercial kitchen equipment evens out those imbalances and gets everyone working on the same level. Power, reliability, and consistent results draw business people to commercial machines often too bulky or expensive for the home kitchen.
Only 15-3/8 by 7-3/4 by 8-1/4 inches, the Chef’s Choice 2000 does fit the space limits of smaller kitchens. Though it isn’t a grinder and won’t completely replace a full range of whetstones — necessary for refurbishing badly worn or damaged blades — the Chef’s Choice 2000 will keep blades sharp with only a few passes through the machine. Diamond impregnated honing discs in fine and extra fine stages bring edges back to razor condition quickly, and built-in guides compensate for lack of skill. Both plain edged and serrated blades respond to the treatment.
For best results, use a light touch and be especially careful towards the end of the draw. Too much pressure forces the edge of the blade against the housing, and only a tricky movement at the end of the stroke hones the final section of blade. The hone won’t reach all the cutting edge, and knives with heavy forged bolsters are less accessible than stamped steel. If the angle of the bevel doesn’t already match the angle of the diamond honing discs, the first sharpening could be time consuming, but blades adapted to the machine require less work than on the first run through it. Use the Chef’s Choice on European style knives, not harder Japanese blades like Yoshikin Global.
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...
The Chef’s Choice Commercial Model 2000 Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener evens the playing field when it comes to knife sharpening. You meet all sorts of people in restaurant kitchens — people with skill and talent, and people who are just there for the pay check. Professional quality commercial kitchen equipment evens out those imbalances and gets everyone working on the same level. Power, reliability, and consistent results draw business people to commercial machines often too bulky or expensive for the home kitchen.
