Joel Bukiewicz is a knife maker, and not just any knife maker. He’s a one man operation that creates beautiful handmade kitchen knives for chefs and home cooks alike. In this second installment of the Made By Hand video series, Joel talks at length about his experiences as a knife maker, and why his interests quickly shifted from fiction writing to creating useful tools that will last his clients a lifetime.
Joel Bukiewicz on creating beautiful handmade kitchen knives
I’ve always had a thing for finely crafted handmade items, and I think that’s why this video really resonated with me. There’s something immensely satisfying about creating something real – something you can hold – and having it be useful to not only yourself, but other people as well. Creating something on a computer is rewarding in its own right, but not in the primitive way that building say, a tree house is. I think this is a function of our evolution, or heritage, or whatever you want to call it. Nature hasn’t caught up with the changes in our computer oriented society.
You’ll find more excellent videos highlighting masters of handmade items on Made By Hand. There aren’t many episodes out at the moment, but you’ll notice a slew of upcoming shows in the series. I’m especially looking forward to learning more about “the distiller”.
Lastly, you definitely want to have a look at Joel Bukiewicz website and business, Cut Brooklyn. Most of us use knives every day, and the handmade kitchen knives that Joel produces should last you a lifetime.