Canadian Makers Month at Knifewear!
We've always sought products made as locally as possible and to support Canadian businesses that make outstanding tools ethically and sustainably. Larchwood is one of the best examples—they’re the best cutting boards out there, made using sustainable practices—we've been proud to sell them for almost twenty years.
We're proud to announce our first-ever Canadian Makers Month! Starting Saturday, July 26, we will focus on the incredible goods and telling inspiring stories of Canadian makers like Diced, Hudson Torrens, and so much more. We're launching some new products as well as celebrating our favourite makers that we've carried for years, like Larchwood, Hazaki, Clapham's, Littledeer, and Sticks & Boards.
We've got some exciting new stuff in for you, check it out!
Wood for Chef
Based in New Brunswick, Wood for Chef is a family-owned company dedicated to providing reliable, sustainable kitchen products. With over 20 years in the business, they've got a proven track record. We tested these extensively to ensure they were up to our high standards, and after months of use, I've found they're great for my knives and look great on my counter.
We worked with Wood for Chef to come up with three exclusive boards in maple: 18"x12"x1.5" ($130) and 18"x14"x1.5" ($160), and a custom Tapas/ Steak Plate ($44) that is the ultimate dinner party conversation piece.
They've added some really nice finishing touches for us: wet-sanding to improve their texture. They've bevelled the bottom edges for easy lifting and to make it easy to scrape food off the board onto a sheet tray. They even added rubber feet to prevent moisture from getting trapped underneath!
Diced Knives Gyuto
I’ve always loved Canadian-made knives, and DICED is about as Canadian as it gets. Based in the Lower Mainland of BC, DICED was founded by a fellow chef, Don Guthro. Along with organic material expert, designer, and wood specialist Riley Janzen, they craft kitchen scalpels that we’re very proud to carry at Knifewear.
Their team does every step of the blade-making process in-house, from grinding and heat-treating the steel to crafting the hardwood handles. I do a lot of home butchery these days, and these blades have the perfect balance of flex and rigidity for working around bones. The DICED team uses AEB-L steel which is equal parts hard and durable.
Speaking of handling, the handles on these are spectacular! We’ve selected knives made with Canadian-grown hardwood, including maple, walnut, and cherry. The handles are ergonomically shaped and sanded to perfection, adding a rich flash of colour to an already stunning blade.
I'm in love with this knife; it's one of the best gyutos I've ever used. It's a beautifully tapered blade that flies through dense foods. The tip is quite thin, perfect for scoring, while the back end is a bit more robust for chopping. It's become by go-to chef knife at home.
Handmade by Hudson 210mm Gyutos
Much the way that Diced impressed us so much with their performance, Hudson is making some incredible stuff here in Calgary! He's young - just 22 - but he's insanely passionate about knife making. You can't go more than 2 minutes without him bringing up his new favourite steel or forging technique, and that passion shows in his work. When Hudson was 18, he started visiting the shop and bringing us knives to give feedback on. He wanted to make something that performed like a Japanese knife while being uniquely Canadian, and we helped him reach that goal by offering feedback on each iteration of his knives.
Four years, a LOT of trial and error, and one journeyman trip through Europe later, he's making exceptional work. His latest round features a beautiful taper from heel to tip and spine to edge. A thicker heel with a super fine tip, my favourite way to make a knife. He forges the blades, mostly with the power of his right arm and a little help from a hydraulic press, from 52100 carbon steel. I have a knife from him in this steel, and it keeps a fantastic edge.
He spends a lot of time grinding his blades to perfection and hand-sanding them, even freehand sanding his own octagonal wa handles from Walnut wood. For their quality and the amount of work that goes into them, these knives are an absolute steal. They're already tough to get because so many collectors are clamouring to get one, and I know they'll only get more popular in the coming years!
I also want to shoutout a few classics that we've had for a long time. These are rock-solid Canadian brands that make some of the best kitchen tools in the world. And yes, most of them are wood-related. We have a lot of trees and lumberjacks up North, okay?
Canadian Made Books - We work with domestic presses to get our books made, including The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives and the Cook's Notebook!
Larchwood Canada - Made sustainably in Cape Breton, NS, Larchwood boards are the closest thing to a perfect balance of form and function. The end-grain construction is easier on your knife’s edge, they also keep scarring down to a minimum as the end grain “self heals” after use. These boards are gorgeous, and last forever.
Clapham's Beeswax - Canadian owned and operated since 1986! Speaking of cutting board care, the folks at Clapham's make the OG cutting board care wax. I use this stuff on cutting boards, knife handles, wooden spoons, wooden bowls, antique furniture, and any other wood that needs a little moisture and love.
Hazaki Knives - Hazaki, founded by Samuel Bouchard in Montreal, Canada, combines the best of both worlds: Japanese knifemaking and Canadian woodwork. Blades are expertly forged in Seki, Japan, from high-end Japanese steel and finished with beautiful handles in Montreal by Samuel and his team. Their knife blocks and magnets are expertly handcrafted in Canada from sustainably sourced woods.
Littledeer - Inspired by and living in harmony with nature, Littledeer is a family-run business from Quebec, Canada, making some of the best, most reliable wooden cooking utensils around. From biomimicry inspiring their designs to using eco-friendly procedures whenever possible to utilizing wood scraps and shavings in their vegetable garden, the folks at Littledeer are committed to living gently with nature.
Sticks & Boards - Based in Morewood, ON, Glen and Donna wanted to make use of the offcuts they couldn't make furniture. What began as a way to reuse leftovers quickly outstripped their scrap pile and led them to source wood specially cut for their needs from the local sawmill. They now produce a wide range of stunning knife blocks and other kitchen accessories.
Canadian Aprons - We work with two fantastic apron makers: Medium Rare in Calgary, and Search & Rescue in Vancouver. Medium Rare was founded by chef Cam Dobranski, an amazing dude with a vision to outfit Canada's chef's in the most stylish gear out there. Search & Rescue, based in Vancouver, crafts rock-solid aprons for a variety of industries, including some stunning premium chef aprons with heavy duty leather straps.
If you're looking to support a Canadian business, or just after the best kitchen gear available, look no further than one of these amazing Canadian brands!
