Functional Art

from Jackson Hole Magazine // Summer 2023

Last Word Jam

Handcrafted in the Tetons, New West KnifeWorks knives are the world’s best and most beautiful.

BY DINA MISHEV

Develop a crush on the joyously colorful handles of New West KnifeWorks knives. Fall in love with the knives, which are individually crafted by artisans in Victor, Idaho, on the cutting board. “If you’ve never used a high-quality blade, it will be a revelation,” says NWKW founder, and former local line cook, Corey Milligan. Publications including Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, and Bloomberg agree. The New York Times wrote that a NWKW knife it tested was as “beautiful as it is useful.”

Milligan started NWKW in the third bedroom of a townhome in 1997. At the time, he had worked as a line cook in Jackson restaurants for several years.

“Back then, all knives had a black or white handle,” he says. “They were boring. I wanted to bring something more.” Milligan made his signature handles by fusing together layers of different colored wood impregnated with resin, and he traveled the country selling knives at fine art shows including the Smithsonian Craft Show, Crafts Park Avenue, and the Sausalito Art Show, among others.

NWKW’s knives aren’t just pretty though. “I don’t want people to get the wrong idea because the knives look good,” Milligan says. “We aim to make the finest knives in the world. While the handles are pretty, the blades themselves are world class. The benchmark we set for ourselves is to make knives that can thrive in the extreme chaos of a professional kitchen eight to ten hours a day. We are constantly refining the materials and design.”

Currently, the handles of NWKW are made from the same material, G10, used in computer motherboards.

“Your laptop needs a material that is waterproof and won’t change shape from heat or cold—that’s why G10 was originally developed,” Milligan says. “As a knife handle, it’s basically bombproof.” The blades are laser cut from an advanced American-made powder metal from Crucible Steel. Milligan searched around the world for the best steel for blades and, for several years, NWKW did use Japanese steel. “But eventually we realized the best steel for a chef knife is made in America,” Milligan says. Crucible powder metal has the benefits of high-quality steel with none of the downsides: it is sharp, tough, has fantastic edge-holding, and is easy to sharpen. And that’s not just a marketing pitch; NWKW knives are backed with a lifetime guarantee.

“To make knives that thrive in a professional kitchen requires a relentless commitment to the cutting edge,” Milligan says. “It means persistent experimentation with design until form is seamlessly fused with function. It means seeking out the finest ingredients and combining them with the patient hands of an artist.”

Every NWKW knife is made by a single artisan. At its 10,000-square-foot production facility in Victor, a single maker takes each knife from the beginning to the end of its manufacturing process. “We believe in the dignity of hand skill and never put making a buck above craftsmanship,” Milligan says. At the NWKW storefront on Jackson’s Town Square, you might even meet a knife maker. “We like to see our store as an art gallery,” Milligan says. “Galleries have artists in residence. We think it’s special that people can come into our store and meet the people that make the things that are in it.” Also in the NWKW store, you can try tomahawk throwing (for obvious reasons, this actually happens in the alley behind the store), get your NWKW knife engraved and sharpened, and even taste wines from JH Winery. “We host a wine bar in the shop where you can sample the highest-altitude wine while shopping for America’s sharpest blades,” Milligan says. “Most of us at NWKW came to Jackson for adventure. And we want to share that with our customers. So we make tools that transform everyday life into a gorgeous, glorious, gratifying event and want our stores to give folks a taste of adventure.”

NWKW founder Corey Milligan started making knives because he loved to cook. Over the years, he’s become an expert, not only in making knives, but in helping folks find the best knife for their particular needs.