With its high-contrast etch; a hand-sanded polish revealing a shimmering luster across the nickel-rich 15n20 carbon steel elements that snake their way across a dark ocean of 1084; the 290mm / 11.4″ blade of this Jordan LaMothe chef knife is designed to rule the kitchen. Turning heads without inhibition, Jordan’s striking Savoy pattern damascus steel is found on only two knives in existence, and it’s our honor to present in this first release by our newest maker, the Savoy Big Leaf Chef. With its thin, razor-sharp edge beneath tall, convex bevels, the blade is designed and crafted to perform every cut from the largest to the most delicate. A near zero-edge, with only a hint of a secondary bevel revealed during its final sharpening, gives the long, weighted, and balanced blade the ability to slice with precision and finesse. An extended flat portion of edge in the rear ensures efficient chopping with food release aided by Jordan’s superb freehand convexity. The spine, beveled by Jordan along both edges for comfort in the pinch grip, tapers steadily from the integral bolster forward, providing strength and rigidity in the rear nearest the 60mm-tall heel, and become ever slimmer before reaching a paper thin, needle-like tip. Together with his carefully controlled heat treatment process, the slimming blade spine results in a touch of lateral flexibility in the forward half. Then, there is the handle: whereas at the front of the blade the damascus’s pattern is drawn out and begins to meander towards the knife’s tip, in the handle’s hand-forged and faceted integral bolster the pattern’s layers are packed densely, revealing yet another side of Savoy’s personality. Tapering forward and exceedingly comfortable at the cutting board, the top of the bolster remains pitch black, only the coffee-etched 1084 high-carbon steel visible, while the shine of the 15n20 covers the left and right faces, connected by vein passing across the bottom. In the same sculpted, Western fashion in which flat facets are combined with ergonomic lines and thoughtful curves, a stunning piece of big leaf maple forms the rest of the handle, secured at the rear with a damascus retention bolt nut.