Sharpening Knives on the North Shore
Knife Sharpening in North Vancouver – a unique place situated just across the harbour from Vancouver. A mecca for mountain-bikers and outdoor enthusiasts with no less than 3 ski hills; Cypress, Grouse and Seymour Mountain. Cove Blades is situated on the far east side of the shore, close to a small village known as Deep Cove, hence the name, Cove Blades. The business was born out of the love of two things, good food and mountain-biking. Erik is a bit of a knife enthusiast and has a few dutch-indie recipes that keep his family and friends coming back for more, Nasi Gado Gado with Peanut Satay is a house favorite.
TL;DR – Combing this love of food with his interest in knives equated to Erik starting up a Knife Sharpening business. Erik has a background is in aircraft maintenance, which leaves little room for error. With aircraft tolerances in mind his aptitude was in line with knife sharpening nerdery. Bevel angles, leading versus trailing-edge sharpening, stones versus belts, grind patterns, grit levels, Japanese whetstones, ceramic versus steel honing rods, et al.
Knife Sharpening is a necessity for local commercial kitchens and eateries. Sharp knives = happy kitchen staff. For us at Cove Blades it’s become is a great way to help local businesses while making a few new friends along the way.
Cove Blades takes a different approach to the business than others. Some companies have done very well with mail-in knife sharpening and mobile sharpening services. These are great ways to service customers, and each has their advantages and disadvantages. At Cove Blades, we have chosen a hybrid approach in serving North Vancouver residents and businesses with a free pickup and delivery model, which has been received quite well by our customers. But like any other business, it takes time to build up a loyal customer-base, the brand needs to percolate through the commercial kitchens, and if the experience is poor, word gets around, quick. Which is why Cove Blades centers its efforts on delivering a great work and elevated customer service.
“Out of the 8 or so businesses I have started, this one brings me a feeling of satisfaction that I don’t get anywhere else.” says Erik, “Sharpening a set of kitchen knives (it doesn’t even have to be a set of high-end knives), for someone who appreciates a fine cutting edge when preparing a great meal, usually ends with a big smile and plenty of gratitude. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
In the next article we hope to share some of the knife sharpening techniques that Erik has learned over a number of years while tending to family and friends’ knives before starting Cove Blades. Its sure to be a unique view into a rather unconventional sharpening methodology. Stay tuned for that one.
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