JT Hats
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.



Henckels Miyabi Santoku Knife, Functional | Masaharu Morimoto Cutlery 7 Inch 600-S

1 min read

Henckels Miyabi Santoku Knife,Use the Miyabi Morimoto Edition 7-Inch Santoku for accurate slicing of fish, meat, and vegetables. The “three virtues” blade designed by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto slices, dices, and minces with a design that has roots in both European and Asian cultures.

From Miyabi’s 600-S Functional series, this santoku has an edge more curved than many traditional Japanese santoku, making the knife easier to use in the rocking motion of a chef’s knife. There’s still plenty of straighter edge for the precise sliding cuts that make the santoku blade so versatile. Like many Japanese santoku knives, this Morimoto knife doesn’t include the hollows many chefs expect to see ground into the blade’s sides.

Made from steel provided by Zwilling J.A. Henckels of Solingen, Germany, the knife’s blade, bolster, and full tang were forged from one piece of Friodur ice-hardened high carbon stainless steel. Manufactured at a facility in Seki, Japan, which Henckels purchased in 2004, the knife undergoes special finishing processes which create a traditional Japanese cutting edge. The Rockwell 57 hardness of the blade makes it easy to reset the edge with an ordinary honing steel. This knife is as tough and resilient as any Henckels knife made in Germany.

The first Iron Chef from Japan, Chef Rokusaburo Michiba, developed the most expensive professional product lines Miyabi makes. Chef Masaharu Morimoto contributed ideas to Miyabi’s entry-level lineup, intended for new users of Japanese cutlery. The Morimoto santoku offers westerners a familiar triple-riveted grip of black polymer slabs joined to the knife’s stainless steel tang. It’s a Japanese blade with a western feel.

See the Miyabi 5000-S Santoku for an example of one of the top grades of the new Japanese/German hybrids.

Find this Miyabi Morimoto Santoku:

JT Hats
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.



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