Hand Crafting A Chef’s Best Friend
20 minutes with . . . WILLIE VAN NIEKERK Kiwi Blades
22
restaurantandcafé.co.nz
Each time we interview a chef for Restaurant & Café magazine, we ask what their number one kitchen tool is, the thing they couldn’t live without, the thing they recommend all chefs (professional or home cooks) to have and without fail, their response is always “At least one really good knife.” Willie van Niekerk from local business Kiwi Blade Knives is a knife maker originally from South Africa. He first fell in love with knife making on a survival course when he was 16 years old and has been making tactical, hunting, fishing, and kitchen knives ever since. I think most chefs would agree with Willie and his partner, Angela that a knife should be a durable and reliable tool as well as an object of beauty. It should do what it was designed to do, time after time, and feel amazing to use while you are using it. Plus, it should look good and make you feel proud to own it. “A knife is a chef ’s bread and butter – no pun intended! The relationship with their knife is inextricably linked,” expressed Willie. “There’s no getting away from the need for sharp performance knives in the kitchen. They are the key to a chef ’s success.” Kiwi Blade Knives hand-craft and custom design unique and distinctive knives, to meet their customers’ individual specifications. “If a chef is experienced in their trade, they will know exactly what they want,” said Willie. “If they are new to the trade, we can help guide them in designing a knife to suit their needs. The knife can be personalised to the exact tastes and requirements of the user. It will be customed to suit the personality of the chef it is designed for, as much as their skill base.” It’s not an understatement to say that a knife is an extension of a chef ’s hand. It’s a vital tool that should be effortless to use. Willie pointed out that it needs to be balanced according to a chef ’s particular preferences too. “Balance is important but not all chefs want their knives to balance at the same point. Some like a handle-heavy knife. Some want a blade-heavy knife. And some want their knife to balance in the middle. Whatever the choice (regarding the balance point), the knife needs to have a comfortable handle and be made from a premium steel that has been hardened, treated and tempered properly so that it performs to the best of that steel’s ability.” He went on to explain that every steel is different, and it is a significant and crucial factor in designing a chef ’s knife. The maker needs to apply the right kind of steel to the right style of knife. Everything needs to be functionally and aesthetically fit for purpose. “That’s not to say that you can’t be adventurous in your choices, but you need to know why you are making them,” said Willie. When you design a knife to match your tastes and style, no one will mistake that knife for anyone else’s. It makes it very special. In terms of design, the process is very customerfocused and Willie and Angela like to explain why they recommend some of the choices they do and then let the customer digest that information and make up their own minds. Kiwi Blade Knives offer a wide variety of handle materials, many of which they make themselves such as micarta and Kiwi Blade’s own resin handles. They also stabilise their own wood on occasion and regularly make their own mosaic pins. By adding embellishments such as a coloured stripe across the handle, ornate spinework or a bolster, decorative lanyard hole or mosaic pins, extra appeal can be added, cementing the look as one-off and quite unique. “Importantly, we will also discuss the type of grind and bevel we think will provide optimal performance of the blade – and explain why. Understanding the end outcome and why something is put in place is always important,” noted Willie.
