The Tool Bar: The Idea Behind BehindTheKnife.com
Dan Maggipinto
I was describing the concept of BehindTheKnife.com to a guy at a party the other night, and though he wasn’t a chef, he instantly got the gist of it since he — like many guys — loves his tools. In his case, it was woodworking tools.
His eyes grew misty as he started to talk about his own tools. One in particular, he said, belonged to a good friend of his, now deceased.
“Every time I pick up that tool, it’s like I’m reconnecting with my buddy,” he said. “I start to think about the time we spent together, the things we did, and it’s almost as if he becomes a part of me again.”
Strong stuff. That’s why when Daniel Maggipinto, chef/owner of Nonna’s Gourmet Foods and Caffe Nonna in Nashville, sent me the following in an email, it really solidified the theory behind what I want to convey with BehindTheKnife.com. You get these guys talking about their tools — and rarely do they get asked about items that are so personal and such an extension of themselves — and you never know what’ll come out of their mouths. Sure they’re entertaining, but it’s the poignancy of this extremely intimate relationship that hits home for me.
So here’s Daniel in his own words:
“For chefs who have had to bring their own kitchen tools to work, their toolbox or knife wrap could unwrap the answer to many a culinary foodie’s dreams. As for me, I’ve had many of my knives for my entire 25-year career, so they have a special place in my culinary walk. Of course, some have gotten lost and some have gotten stolen, but a chef’s tools are like a knight’s armor and sword.
“These implements of food preparation are the beginning of great culinary dishes. I have a knife for every kind of food preparation: paring knife, straight boning knife, flexible boning knife, bread knife, slicing knife, chef’s 8-inch Japanese style knife, 10-inch chef’s knife, all kinds of spatulas for fish, dessert, temperature gauges, peelers, pastry bags, piping tips, string and various other implements of food preparation. No, you can’t see them or use them, they are my special tools.
“As chefs, we watch over our tools as though they were our children. We guard them, clean them and sharpen them for each food task that we take on. In my kitchen I love the mandolin slicer. Its ability is endless. All of these tools and culinary gadgets create food memories for our diners as well as for ourselves. We look at any one tool that we have had and used often, and it brings us back to a moment in our career, a specific time that has made an impact on ourselves as chefs, our food, and possibly even a foreign romance. Whatever the food memory or food task, a chef’s toolbox can speak volumes. As for me, it is the piece de resistance that creates customer satisfaction and encourages my customers to return again and again.”
Wow. I couldn’t have said it any better.
