Edge Knife Works

Photos by Julie Kramer
Erlanger, Kentucky

It’s safe to say (with an audible groan) that we were all living on a knife’s edge last year. But for some, that was especially and literally true. Like it did for so many of us, the pandemic provided a moment for Joshua Fisher to turn his attention to a longtime hobby. For him, that was knife making.

He started Edge Knife Works from his Northern Kentucky home workshop and enlisted his wife to help with the business side of things. Before they knew it, a part-time passion had become a viable full-time career, with custom orders rolling in and consignment partnerships with retailers like the Over-the-Rhine kitchenware boutique Artichoke.

Fisher makes a variety of blades for different uses, but his line of kitchen knives is particularly popular with restaurant chefs and those seeking to up their cooking game at home. He says the mass-produced ceramic and stainless-steel knives most people use at home are great at first, but they’re often poorly ground and stamped from cheap steel that doesn’t stand the test of time.

Creations by Edge Knife Works, on the other hand, are forged and balanced from high-quality carbon steel from tip to handle. That’s important because carbon steel tends to take a better edge that is easier to sharpen and maintain at home. Aficionados will also appreciate how the steel oxidizes and takes on new colors and patinas over time, making Fisher’s knives entirely distinctive to their owners’ cooking habits and preferred ingredients.

Fisher is completely self-taught, and he’s always learning about new tools and approaches for making the best product possible. “If there’s a knife style I haven’t made, I’ll learn it for a client,” he says. “The focus has always been on the person and what they need from the knife. We’re excited to grow, but never at the expense of quality.”

EdgeKnifeWorks.com (commissions and limited ordering)
808.292.9089 / edgeknifeworks@gmail.com

Find it at: Artichoke Curated Cookware Collection