Chefs consider a high-quality set of knives to be integral to success in the kitchen, and the same is true for sophisticated home cooks. Not surprisingly, a number of celebrity chefs have lent their names and expertise to licensed cutlery over the years, including the following examples from the past 12 months. Like many chef-licensed products across all kitchen categories, these knives are positioned as bringing professional-grade products to the home cook:
- José Andrés launched an exclusive knife collection with Arcos, an almost-300-year-old cutlery maker in Spain, on April 1 of this year. The José Andrés by Arcos Collection consists of professional grade knives and includes five wooden-handled essentials—eight-inch chef’s and bread knives, a seven-inch santoku knife, a six-inch utility knife, and a four-inch paring knife—as well as a two-piece steak knife collection with a choice of three handle colors. Andrés operates 40 restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere and is the founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which provides meals during humanitarian and weather-related crises.
- Cat Cora, who has opened 18 restaurants and is known for being the first female Iron Chef, licensed Harold Import Company (HIC) for a line of cutlery, along with additional kitchen tools, in a deal announced in February. The forged and stamped knives are produced by Cutlery-Pro, a long-time HIC partner, feature high-grade German stainless steel, and are sold mainly through gourmet specialty retail channels. The launch includes a seven-inch santoku knife, an eight-inch chef’s knife, a 10-inch roast slicer, a nine-inch bread knife, six-inch boning and utility knives, and a four-inch paring knife. The accompanying tools include zesters, graters, citrus channel knives, corers, and measuring spoons, as well as a salad spinner and salt-and-pepper mill.
- Clare Smyth, owner of the three-Michelin-starred London restaurant Core by Clare Smyth, introduced a premium made-in-Britain knife range under the Cutler & Smyth brand, through a licensing deal announced in August 2024 with Gastronomy Plus, a chef tool and equipment vendor, and its Kitchenknives.co.uk unit. The initial range of nine knives, available individually and in sets, includes a 21-centimeter bread knife, an 18-centimeter chef’s knife, a 17-centimeter nikiri knife, a 16-centimeter filleting knife, 14-centimeter boning and santoku knives, an 11-centimeter utility knife, and a nine-centimeter paring knife. The products feature stainless steel from Sheffield, known for centuries as the home of cutlery in the U.K., and the handles are Richlite Black Diamond, a sturdy material made of 100% recycled paper.
- Justin Sutherland, restaurateur and a well-known presence on multiple TV shows as host, guest, and consultant, paired with bladesmith Quintin Middleton and Middleton-Made Knives, produced in South Carolina, in April 2024. The collaboration focused on a bespoke 13-inch knife with an eight-inch blade and Kirinite acrylic handle that was touted as combining artistry and functionality. In a sign that the risks associated with celebrity pairings extend to chefs, Sutherland was sentenced to probation in December 2024 for threats of violence after an incident that occurred in the summer of that year and for violating a domestic abuse no-contact order a few months later. His knife does not currently appear on the Middleton-Made website, where it debuted last spring. Middleton-Made’s other recent collaborators have included lifestyle influencer Christiana Ballayan.
Chefs’ licensing and collaboration deals for cutlery often involve specialist knife companies, as most of the examples mentioned above do. But knives can also can be included as part of broader collections along with cookware and/or tableware. Bobby Flay, for example, announced a deal with GreenPan in September 2024 that included hand-sharpened stainless steel cutlery with wood and polymer handles, including an eight-inch chef’s knife as well as sets of two, three, and 13 knives. The last includes a three-and-a-half inch paring knife, a five-inch serrated knife, a seven-inch santoku knife, a seven-and-a-half-inch bread knife, an eight-inch chef’s knife, six steak knives, and multifunctional shears, all in a wooden knife block. The cutlery was part of a range that also included pans in several varieties: stainless steel, ceramic and aluminum nonstick, enameled Dutch oven, and seasoned cast-iron. The full collection debuted at Target stores and on Target.com, as well as on GreenPan’s website.
Comments are closed.