Chef’s Armoury

Food & Drink – 4 June 2013

The Japanese take their knife production very seriously, and if you’ve seen the movie Kill Bill, you’ll get a feel for the tradition and honor involved with Japanese blades.

This 800 year history of sword-making taught the modern Japanese knive-maker the skills to make knives that are sharper and more precise than European knives. They require little effort when slicing. They will also retain a sharper edge for longer.

In Australia, we are fortunate to have the first non-Japanese to be certified as a knife repair and sharpening specialist by renowned knife house, Sakai Takayuki.

After spending six years of extensive training in Japan, Leigh Hudson uses old school techniques learnt in the districts of Japan to create the ultimate custom-fit knife. Each knife is accurately created to take into account the user’s aesthetic preference, skill levels, budget and needs.

Restaurants that are fans of Chef’s Armoury handy work read like a gourmet Who’s Who including Est, Rockpool and Sepia in Sydney and Vue de Monde, The Stokehouse and Jaques Reymond in Melbourne.

Leigh has opened an online store called Chef’s Armoury Online, stocking bespoke Japanese knives, Japanese cast-iron cookware, Japanese charcoal barbeques and Japanese ingredients for chefs and home cooks. With retail stores now in Sydney and Melbourne, Chef’s Armoury is the destination for many leading professional chefs who prefer the impeccable quality of Japanese knives as their tools of choice.

Chef’s Armoury renowned knife-sharpening service can bring your old, chipped or broken blades back to life, using bespoke Japanese principles. Traditional water-cooled water wheels ensure there’s no damage to the blade when sharpening, removing only a minimum amount of steel to preserve the knife’s life span. Leigh is able to bring every knife back to life and is the go-to person for both culinary professionals and the amateur home cooks.

If you want to hone in on your skills and carve it up like a samurai master – but hopefully more peaceful than Uma Thurman – you can take one of Leigh’s classes. His Knife Skills Class – 101 – The basics for success, is designed for those who want to improve their speed and confidence with a chef knife. You learn the building blocks for professional knife handling that will have you slicing and dicing through a broad range of ingredients in no time. There is plenty of drill practice with an emphasis on proper technique and safety, and you’re introduced to the “no more tears” method for cutting an onion. The classes are two hours and cost $89.00 per person.

Leigh has a You Tube video which shows you more detail on his expertise: http://youtu.be/wesFR8JZ2K8

For bookings to the Knife Skills Class, follow these links:

Syd – http://www.chefsarmoury.com/classes-and-events/sydney-classes/knife-skills-classes/cat_83.html

Mel – http://www.chefsarmoury.com/classes-and-events/melbourne-classes/knife-skills-classes/cat_231.html