Never a dull moment (for long) for knife-sharpener master
Geoff Edges knows his handiwork is an essential part of many a memorable repast.
He’s no farmer or culinary master, but he is an expert in the sharpening of knives–and knives, of course, are an essential element of transforming simple ingredients into a good meal. Chefs and kitchen staffs throughout metro Atlanta are appreciative of his eye and feel for bringing metal to its utilitarian best.
Edges—yes, that’s his real name—and his son Erik Edges and associate David Rountree are the men behind The Blade-Smith, a blade sharpening service that provides metro Atlanta chefs and home cooks with a way to keep their cutlery sharp.
Wheels grind, sparks fly as the three men use their expertise in their machine shop of Northeast Expressway and Northcrest Road to transform dull blades into implements that slice, dice, carve and more with ease.
Edges found success in the corporate world, but his heart wasn’t into his work. As a kid, he had been fascinated by knives and at 41, he decided to ditch an unfulfilling 9 to 5 and reacquaint himself with an early passion. He scoured out information and taught himself the art and science of sharpening knives.
He recalled that when he was a kid a man in a horse-drawn wagon would come through his New York neighborhood offering to sharpen knives and scissors. He has a mobile component to his business and now has three vans that pick up knives from chefs and average joes throughout metro Atlanta, including the Cook’s Warehouse store in Decatur, Community BBQ in the Emory area and New York Butcher Shop in Dunwoody and in a few days return them. Erik joined his father in business 14 years ago.
Describing what it takes to properly sharpen a blade, Edges explained, “It’s so simple it’s hard.”
But knives aren’t all that Edges and crew labor over, they also sharpen scissors, decorative blades, garden tools, including bonsai cutters, pizza wheels, chisels, antique swords and medical instruments, which can be exacting because of their small size.
Advice on buying and keeping knives sharp
“A knife is a purpose drive implement,” said Geoff Edges.
“Buy a good quality brand of knife that’s going to do the kind of job you want it to. Ask to hold it, see how it feels.”
He also suggests the following:
- Don’t put knives in a dishwasher (it dulls the blade)
- Do have knives sharpened regularly
- Wood and plastic cutting boards are better than glass because they have some give.