BALTIMORE MAGAZINE

An incredibly meaningful article written by Jane Marion  in Octobers issue of Baltimore Magazine.  Thank you for your support on this venture!

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Knives Out !!

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After 12 Years of working in the hospitality business, most recently six years as the executive chef at Azumi, Andy Gaynor decided last December to take his knife skills to the next level. He retired form the Harbor East fish spot to start Fire Knives, a custom knife business, specializing in Japanese styles knives. " When I was young, my parents were scared because I'd sharpenthings on my dad's grinder, "says the chef. "I was always fascinated by swords and weapons. I have a primal urge to make something you can survive with." Gaynor, who is also a fledgling woodworker and furniture maker, tapped into his inner artistan at an early age. "I was fascinated with building things,"he says, "My mom was an architect. She taught me to draw. My grandfather was a steam-pipe-fitter. He built boats. He grew up in a time when if you wanted something you made it-I grew upon with that mentality." 

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With their buffalo-bone screws and sheaths and handles made of spalted maple or walnut woods, Gaynor's handmade steel and carbon knives are works of art. They combine a variety of styles, from the hammer-forged san-mai yanagi for slicing fish a gyuto universal chef knife.  While easy on the eyes, they're also ergonomically excellent, with features that aren't commonly found on store-bought knives, such as custom fit handles and a special channel on the blades that keep vegetables from sticking as they're chopped.

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All his hard work has paid off-chefs have embraced his knives, both locally (Julian Marucci of Tagliata and Pensiri Thammasathiti at Mayuree Thai Tavern are customers) and nationally.  "Whether you're a professional chef or a home cook, a knife is something you're holding all the time, "says Gaynor. "It's the most important thing in the kitchen."

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