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.


Shun Pro Asian Chef’s Knife Set of 3 | Laurent Gras Signature, Kitchen Cutlery Gift Collection

58 sec read

Shun Pro Asian Chef's Knife Set of 3 This set of three professional quality Asian chef’s knives from the Shun Pro series comes in a velvet-lined wooden presentation case. Each knife bears the etched signature of Chicago Chef Laurent Gras.

The three knives are modern versions of traditional Asian knives but manufactured in 2.5-mm-thick SG-10 steel. That’s the extremely hard high carbon stainless steel that forms the core layer of Shun’s Damascus steel knives. This set of professional knives was made especially for precise slicing.

The three knife types included here are Yanagi-ba, Nakiri, and Deba. All three feature blades with one hollow-ground flat face and one edge bevel on the opposite side of the blade. That flat side guides the cut like the sole of a plane, while the hollow grind reduces contact with the food and lessens drag. The acute slope of the edge bevel shears food paper thin without tearing. Each knife is supported by a strong forged bolster and a handle grip of D-shaped Pakkawood. Pakkawood has the appearance of dark ebony but is actually created by layering resin-impregnated layers of genuine hardwood. The real-wood appearance disguises a handle with better durability and moisture resistance than the best tropical hardwood.

Sushi chefs use the 9-1/2-inch blade of the yanagi-ba knife for perfect slicing of sushi and sashimi. The 6-1/2-inch nakiri slices vegetables, and the 6-1/2-inch deba carves fish, chicken, and meat.

Try the Global Starter Knife Set for a sampling of high quality all-stainless knives preferred by Chef Anthony Bourdain.

Find this Shun Pro Knife Set:

Find this set on eBay:

[phpbay]Shun Pro Set, 2[/phpbay]

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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