Yohai Nuriel’s handmade knives are labors of love, art, and function. Steel and efficiency are the roots, anchored by his inseparable ties to food and family.

Words by Danielle Cantor
Photos by Dan Perez

Yohai Nuriel walks through a mystic process to create his craft, a curated recipe. He allows his eyes to wander, scoping the forest of his kibbutz for worthy wood. He takes a moment to clear his mind from measurements and manual labor, and, so as to be one with the land, he looks for naturally-sourced hilts for his artisanal knives. He finds the treasure of a fallen eucalyptus branch, gathers the excess limbs of the tree and heads back to his workshop for prep.

Within the thriving kitchen of Chef Yossi Shitrit, Nuriel patiently studied hearty flavors and the art of accuracy. Four years as a loyal line cook taught him to debone a whole fish with elegance, plate with grace, and devote himself to the lengthy and learned process of precision. His grandfather, once a blue-collar entrepreneur–a horticulturist, gone tomato cultivator, gone frame carpenter, gone blacksmith–left behind heavy tools and a legacy worth perpetuating.

Nuriel accepted the lessons he had learned from his chef-mentor, and taught himself the ways of the forsaken tools collecting dust in the corners of his home. His community stood by him in the process of this development, giving him a call when unique branches were discovered or by supporting his small business and purchasing a blade for their own kitchens.

After years of immersing himself in the craft of cooking, feeling ready to move on, he removed his apron and replaced it with the worn-in gloves belonging to his late grandfather. A reverse evolution - starting from the fine fine-plated dish, he then entered the realms of the bladesmith world. 
As for the future, Nuriel wishes to tend a garden of his own.

Today, the only manipulation this humble welder abides by is in the temperatures of steel. Like a committed baker, no matter the season, he is up with the birds at dawn, preparing potions to be purposed. Only now, instead of kneading dough and folding pastries, he is bevel grinding and heat treating his knives. He honors his practice, finishing without synthetic add-ons, standing firm in his faith of natural beauty. Nuriel’s goal as an artist is to create a product that allows others to create. He offers a tool that inspires his community to discover their own potential in the kitchen, as he has.

Nuriel, though young in his years, is an old soul thriving within a disappearing trade. A bladesmith and a one-man show running a workshop in a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee, he creates handcrafted professional knives for the chef and the cook.

Having worked in the kitchen, he produces his knives from the perspective of a chef. He forms their anatomy based on what is needed: durability for double shifts, multi-purpose usage, and long prep hours.

From walks in the woods foraging treasure-like branches for knife hilts to fileting and properly portioning fish, to slicing, dicing and mincing vegetables - from his hands alone, directly into the grip of his loyal customers, Nuriel’s goal is to provide one with a punctilious and personable tool for their kitchen.

Use:

Ditch the cutting board and know your knife through every part of your own personal grip.

Peel fruits and vegetables, clean and gut sardines, slice semi-hard cheeses and mark your bread without meeting the surface.

Use the citrus in its entirety by gently carving off the zest for an afternoon cocktail and the remaining fruit for an arugula salad.

Care:

Keep dry when out of use. Hone and sharpen your blade based on personal preference. Wash gently and only by hand, with soap and water alone. 

Kaiten