PEOPLE OF THE HOUR
NACIONALE BLADEWORKS is a project born out of their love for the rugged and fast-paced nature of a professional kitchen.
Ryan has always been fascinated with kitchen knives since culinary school that he even collected Zwilling knives and Chinese cleavers. In 2017, he saw a YouTube video of Anthony Bourdain visiting Bob Kramer’s knife workshop and got so obsessed that he continued knives at a deeper level. He learned the steel types, knife styles, hardness ratings and history, and learned sharpening using whetstones and even bought a belt grinder to learn how to shape knives.
He and his wife Karen started Nacionale so they can provide an alternative, more personalized knife options for cooks/ chefs. Their knives are a bridge between factory-made knives and ultra-expensive custom artisanal knives. Their goal is to make beautiful, high-performance knives that use the best materials at relatively affordable prices. They get steel from Japan for their blades, which are then forged them in China and finished here in the Philippines. Their knife handles are made locally using local and imported materials.
These Philippine-made knives are currently used by chefs such as James Beard awardee Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint in Washington DC, Sheldon Simeon of Tin Roof in Maui, Hawaii, JP Anglo of Sarsa Kitchen, and Sau Del Rosario of Café Fleur and Frida Taqueria y Cantina.
Check out these beautiful locally made knives at www.nacionalebladeworks.com.