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.



Mundial Olivier Anquier Knife Block Set of 10, Laminated | Ironwood Tropical Hardwood Loop Handle

1 min read

Mundial Olivier Anquier Knife Block SetThis well-rounded basic set of forged stainless steel kitchen knives from Mundial of Brazil offers more than basic quality. With distinctively shaped handles of Brazilian tropical hardwood, the Mundial Olivier Anquier pattern has been featured in magazines like InStyle Home.

If it’s more than steel you’re after and you do appreciate the appearance of the knives, the Olivier Anquier pattern adds style and beauty to a strong and practical forged knife. The first thing you’ll notice is the ironwood grip, a one-piece hardwood design firmly positioned between strong stainless steel fittings. This dense tropical wood resists damage from moisture and temperature extremes and requires very little upkeep to retain its polished appearance. This is the Old World type of construction, not trimmed back to save on materials. The knives include heavy bolsters which run the full width of the blade and forged stainless steel end caps with built-in loops, handy if you prefer to hang these blades from a peg-rack.

The set includes an eight-inch carving knife and fork for dinner service, an eight-inch chef’s knife able to do most of the kitchen’s chopping and slicing, plus a six-inch serrated utility blade for sandwich prep and slicing. A 2-1/2-inch bird’s beak peeling knife and a 3-1/2-inch standard paring knife handle vegetable peeling and trimming. A pair of forged steel kitchen shears and a sharpening steel complete the tool set. All items store neatly in the laminated hardwood knife block.

Yes, there are modern knives which perform better than the Old World design of the Mundial Olivier Anquier knives — but with this set of good knives on hand you may never be tempted to try them. The set comes with a lifetime warranty.

See the Mundial Olivier Anquier Steak Knife Set for a matching set of serrated steak knives.

Find this Mundial Olivier Anquier Knife Block Set:

 

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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