Shop specializes in Japanese knives that are ‘like works of art’
“It was always a dream of mine to open a knife shop, so I just went for it,” says Gage Corlett, the owner and sole proprietor of Sharp Knife Shop.
The small shop, which opened on James Street South Dec. 3, specializes in Japanese kitchen knives for professional chefs and home cooks alike.
“Japanese knives are the best,” says Corlett. “The steel they use, the forging process means they stay sharper a lot longer. Esthetically they’re beautiful. They’re like works of art.”
After years as a cook and chef at restaurants from Toronto to Chicago to Oslo, including two with 3-star Michelin ratings, Corlett was looking for a break from that stressful lifestyle. “It’s a tough life. You work a lot. You work holidays; you don’t see your family.”
During that time, Corlett had become an expert at knife sharpening. Out of necessity.
“It was easy to see the relationship between having a sharp knife and performing well at my job.”
Corlett, who hails from Toronto, landed in Hamilton as the chef de cuisine for Nique restaurant on Vine Street and found the city a foodie paradise.
“I just noticed that Hamilton had this booming food scene and people were going into Toronto to visit (knife) stores. So why not open a store in Hamilton? So I did.
“The whole idea was to create a place for cooks and chefs to hang out and try knives. But, I also wanted to be able to expose home cooks to these knives as well and teach them how to care for them,” adds Corlett.
In addition to stocking high-end knives, sharpening tools, knife storage options and cutting boards, Corlett offers two-hour classes on how to properly sharpen and maintain a kitchen knife. If you are not that committed, Sharp also offers expert sharpening for any brand of knife.
“The handle is beautiful. It feels great in your hand. The steel is fantastic,” Corlett says of the high end knives that can cost hundreds of dollars.
“This is going to last you a lifetime,” he added.