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вЂњEverything for me is done by hand,вЂќ he says, and this freehand grinding stage seems more art than science.ДЄ chefвЂ™s knife must be super thin for delicate tasks, unlike a hunting knife. He etches a line down the middle of the steel as his grind-to point. Next, Middleton grinds the bevel, or the cutting edge, of the knife.

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One needs a deep understanding of how to use heat to manipulate the grain structure of the steel for the perfect balance of hardness and strength. ThatвЂ™s where tempering - reheating the blade at 400 degrees over two hours - comes in, lending much-needed resilience to the final product. Once rapidly cooled, the metal is extremely hard but also brittle. The first stage is high heat, around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes. Once the basic shape is outlined, Middleton uses belt grinders with varying grit levels to fine-tune the silhouette. Yet Middleton still makes knives both ways, and he makes a lot of them - typically 30 a month. вЂњI learned how to do forging first, but after having all these issues with my body, forging is a little harder on my body and stock removal is easier for me,вЂќ he says. ThatвЂ™s because stainless steel has already been forged in the manufacturing process, whereas with carbon steel, you complete that step manually. вЂњA lot of people romanticize forging, and say thatвЂ™s the only way to make knives, but truthfully, everything is forged,вЂќ he explains. Carbon steel blocks start off thicker and are heated in a forge and hammered out or kneaded into shape.

Stainless steel knives are cut out of small sheets of steel in a process called stock removal. Middleton makes both stainless steel and carbon steel knives, and each type begins in a different way. Metal dust clings to everything, and on the wall hang hundreds of grinder belts, each with a different job to do. The inside of MiddletonвЂ™s workshop is dark on this overcast day, with fluorescent lights hanging where theyвЂ™re needed most, like over the band saw he uses to cut the knife shapes out of sheets of stainless steel, or above the row of six grinders where he freehand-grinds his blades. As an ordained minister and a вЂњvery spiritual person,вЂќ his well of positive resolve runs deep. Everyone I have spoken to - his friends and mentors - confirms my impression of a man who rises to face this measure of adversity like he would any other. Parked in and around his shop are a golf cart, a three-wheeled motorcycle and a two-wheeled electric motorcycle that help him easily traverse his property. вЂњThatвЂ™s not just my cool swagger, thatвЂ™s a limp,вЂќ he says as we make our way to his shop, referring to a physical disability resulting from nerve damage in his leg caused by a benign tumor that compressed his spinal cord. I would come to learn that MiddletonвЂ™s ability to move in and out of different circles is one of the keys to his success. A world of grinder belts, steel dust and hard work. At his home, I saw the other side of the show table. There, he held court in a black leather jacket zipped to his neck and a different set of gloves to keep fingerprints off the blades, sharing the fruits of his labor with all manner of aspiring foodies.

It needs to perform well, and it needs to look sexy.вЂќ Considering the journey he has taken, I wouldnвЂ™t bet against him. Middleton intends to use the fire within himself to breathe life into his community. The makers of samurai swords in Japan say that heat-treating steel breathes life into a sword. For him, the dream is to create something that brings jobs to rural South Carolina. вЂњHeвЂ™s tireless in his pursuit of making better knives and building his business.вЂќД«ut from the start, MiddletonвЂ™s ambition has been about more than making the best knives. вЂњQuintinвЂ™s got such a great enthusiasm and positivity,вЂќ raves Kramer. вЂњIвЂ™m coming for you, Bob,вЂќ Middleton once playfully told his hero in a phone call, and Kramer has deep respect for the 37-year-old rising star. While the untrained eye can easily admire them, only an icon - like, say, Bob Kramer of Kramer Knives, adored by the likes of Thomas Keller and Anthony Bourdain - can fully appreciate their next-level craftsmanship. His creations have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue and GQ. Over the past decade, Quintin Middleton has become a name synonymous with handmade culinary knives that are as supremely functional as they are sublimely beautiful.

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