Cut Brooklin on NPR

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Did anyone else hear the interview with the Cut Brooklyn guy this weekend? I didn't catch the beginning the heard the radio mention heat treatment and that piqued my interest. he went on and on about all the things we discuss around here. Steel, blade profile, grind, heat treatment, handles..... Said that he sells his knives with a wonky handles for over $600. i almost spit my coffee out at that point. He didn't come across as omniscient or omnipotent but did say that he has a waiting list for his kitchen knives. I think he has three guyto profiles and one petty.

Just curious if anyone else hear the episode. Thoughts?
 
This makes me wonder if a knife-centric podcast could work.
 
How on EARTH is this dude getting all the press?

I mean, I just never hear about anyone but him and Bob Kramer getting interviewed for mainstream stuff like this. Makes me :scratchhead:

Looking forward to listening to it!
 
I think it's the name Cut Brooklyn. It's young, hip, fresh and has Brooklyn in it. I think it's a grass roots/cool factor, factor. If I had some skills and could make knives, and called the company Detroit Cutlery, I think it would garner me some attention by name alone. Call it the McClure's Pickles effect. Detroit and Brooklyn are hot topics, especially if it's old school artisan stuff. News outlets need interesting and fresh content, and a interesting brand/name/image serves it up more easily. Just a thought.

I gotta listen to the interview now lol.
 
Eamon, Agreed. His knives look like craft as opposed to professional kitchen tools. the handles are weird and he uses O1 steel. You would know better than I if its a good steel for knives or not, but i haven't heard much about it.
 
O1 is a fine tool steel. His knives are not bad. Lots of people dig the handles, I'd say it's probably worth $600, especially if you are into supporting the Handmade-in-Brooklyn thing.

But I mean, why has nobody interviewed Michael Rader(whose work impresses every single person I've ever shown it to) for the past 2 years while the same two guys get several magazines, countless blogs, web-video promos, a few tv shows, radio interviews, etc etc? KnowwhatImean? Is there some hidden force at work here?

I don't think anything negative about it, I just think it's odd how life works. Stuff just happens to people, seemingly at random. I would really like for the world to make sense, but the rain falls on the righteous and the wicked, as a wise man said.
 
It seems as if there has been a strong effort on the revitalization of the Brooklyn scene. There has been a lot of money put into the area, especally the past two years. Anything Brooklyn is going to be getting lots of press just as a by product of the general hype especially had made local stuff. Like Eamon, nothing against his product, but he is certainly in the right place at the right time.
 
I also think the PR comes mostly from location. Brooklyn is a budding foodie center and has all the requisite cogs of the food industry to 'plug into' and that provides a solid base of interest and buyers. There are top-notch butchers, restaurants, markets all nearby and food bloggers and food writers stroll past his slick storefront all the time. If Rader (or anyone here) wanted to pay to open a storefront in Brooklyn, I bet he would eventually be getting a fair amount of press. With that said, I think Joel's tells his story well and that also helps a lot. He doesn't get all knife geeky, he genuinely seems passionate about what he does, and that writer-turned-knifemaker is just too hard for the press to pass up ;)

k.
 
Or: DEVON THOMAS, Mike Davis, Hassinger, Fowler, B. Harner, B. Burke, and my all-time personal favorite Marko Tsourkan. Will Catcheside is beloved too but he's not American. that was the thought going through my head. I think Kaleb and Johnny make good points.
 
O1 is a fine tool steel. His knives are not bad. Lots of people dig the handles, I'd say it's probably worth $600, especially if you are into supporting the Handmade-in-Brooklyn thing.

But I mean, why has nobody interviewed Michael Rader(whose work impresses every single person I've ever shown it to) for the past 2 years while the same two guys get several magazines, countless blogs, web-video promos, a few tv shows, radio interviews, etc etc? KnowwhatImean? Is there some hidden force at work here?

I don't think anything negative about it, I just think it's odd how life works. Stuff just happens to people, seemingly at random. I would really like for the world to make sense, but the rain falls on the righteous and the wicked, as a wise man said.

Can’t say anything about the quality of Cut Brooklyn or Michael Rader knives, since I haven’t handled either—and I’m a bit of a knife newcomer, which is why I joined KKF. Regarding the quality of the knives, I’ll leave it to those of you with more knowledge and experience as pro-chefs and knife makers.

I do think that from a marketing standpoint, Cut Brooklyn stands a cut above some other makers.

Firstly, Cut Brooklyn’s website is smart and very nicely designed, the company is very keyed into using social media to create ‘buzz,’ over a thousand tweets since its inception. Websites, tweets, are often the first exposure to new products when looking to purchase a new knife.

‘Cut’ also does have an advantage, in that most of the media companies are located in NYC, his shop is in the up-and-coming Gowanus neighbourhood of Brooklyn, very hip. Producing a good product is only part of the challenge, the other is creating enough buzz to expand your audience. Most chefs here in NYC pay attention to publications like NY magazine, and NY Times, since that’s where restaurants are reviewed—so it makes sense that a high-end knife maker would court those [and similar] media outlets for exposure. Also, it's important to note the demographics of any publications/media when seeking press coverage, as these are not inexpensive knives.

And, yes, the word ‘Brooklyn’ is trendy, and gets traction, website hits, etc.
 
We're ignoring the fact that media outlets often get guests that have been used before in other places.
 
We're ignoring the fact that media outlets often get guests that have been used before in other places.

You’re certainly right about that.

Who gets coverage is often resulting from idea pitches between editors and writers based on their knowledge and suggestions by their contacts, balanced with what the publication feels will pull the most viewers/readers. If someone’s already been covered, they’ve already gained a certain amount of name recognition which is counts for something. Media likes ‘buzz,’ that can be in the form of ‘something new,’ ‘something that’s been around,’ or ‘something timely’—whatever the pitch is, it’s usually pitched as something people will want to read about.

I do think it’s good that media picks up on knives and their makers. Articles in food mags/media have definitely peaked my interest in quality knives. An article in Saveur years ago on Keijiro Doi in particular, rocked my boat [got me wanted to buy knives!]. I agree with you that it would be preferable if a wider range of makers got covered, but good to see it’s at least getting out there.

Apologies if I’m off topic!
 
I have written this before. An article in New York Times can be arranged through an agent (first hand information) and I suppose, an agent can arrange an interview at WYNC or NPR. It is not free, and in case of NYT, it actually costs a lot of money.


There is also a shift toward organic foods, healthy eating,home cooking etc, so anything that falls under that umbrella (knives indirectly do), could be of interest to the media. There was a program on WNYC about spices a while back.

M
 
I have written this before. An article in New York Times can be arranged through an agent (first hand information) and I suppose, an agent can arrange an interview at WYNC or NPR. It is not free, and in case of NYT, it actually costs a lot of money.


There is also a shift toward organic foods, healthy eating,home cooking etc, so anything that falls under that umbrella (knives indirectly do), could be of interest to the media. There was a program on WNYC about spices a while back.

M

Marko,
Would like to read what you’ve written on NYT, is it on this site?

An agent promising a piece in NYT can fall into that problematic gray area of editorial ethics—they can pitch stories, they can't guarantee what ends up in print. I’m not implying that knife makers need or should get agents/publicists/social media consultants [a good way to waste money]—but I am saying that small businesses could be more savvy, if their intention is to expand their audience beyond the customers they already have. A good reputation, great product, word of mouth, is all important—good branding, an innovative look at business certainly can’t hurt.

Yes, there has been an editorial trend towards organic, craftsmen, things like basement charcuterie, etc. The whole localvore trend is everywhere, so if chefs want local ingredients wouldn’t they also respond to local knife makers in the same way? What's not to like from an editorial standpoint, knives are: cool, traditional, hand-made, distinctive, contemporary, utilitarian, art.
 
I'm curious.....who has the Cut Brooklyn pass around now?
 
There was one or two write ups in NYT about Cut Brooklyn.

Using an agent to pitch articles is nothing new, that is how agent and paper make money. I am surprised that this practice is relatively unknown.

Some of articles are pretty superficial and often shallow, indicating lack of knowledge or interest on behalf of people writing them. That is a good indicator about a pitched article.

What I actually mean, was that I have written about agent/paper connection before on the forum. I can find out exact numbers (dollars and cents) how much it costs to get an article published in a paper like NYT.

M
 
An agent promising a piece in NYT can fall into that problematic gray area of editorial ethics—they can pitch stories, they can't guarantee what ends up in print.

This is simply not true in my experience. In a business completely unrelated to anything discussed here I wrote, word for word, an 'article' that was read on WBUR (Boston), and subsequently printed in a Boston newspaper. My only rite of passage was a publicist and $$.
 
There is a old saying about business. It takes 99% hard work and 1% luck.

The work is getting a invite on to the Ed Sullivan show. The luck is that you are not on after the Beatles.

I also think that location has some help with this too.
 
Location has everything to do about it.

and he's probably a hipster.
 
He's totally a hipster(not always a bad thing) and a Brooklynese hipster to boot,the proto hipster,everyone wants a piece of them.
 
It seems as if there has been a strong effort on the revitalization of the Brooklyn scene. There has been a lot of money put into the area, especally the past two years. Anything Brooklyn is going to be getting lots of press just as a by product of the general hype especially had made local stuff. Like Eamon, nothing against his product, but he is certainly in the right place at the right time.

The fact that his locality is the center of the media universe makes it easier on the reporters.
 
I've been in contact with Joel once or thrice, and say what you will about him/his product, but he comes off as a passionate guy who really is into learning what makes a good knife a great knife. He's charismatic, well-spoken and I'm assuming makes a good product (I think I'm in on the passaround, so I'll find out soon enough).

Oh, and he's a hipster.
 
From everything I've read and observed I agree Lefty. One if his knives is currently being passed around. Hopefully he will take their feedback into consideration. I think he's creating the handles in a vacuum though. At the same time, I have not had one in my hand to say for sure.

What am i missing Hipster?
 
I think that him and Kramer do a fantastic job of marketing to the general foodie trend/ culture, not just to the knife knuts. It is an exponentially larger market and if you can get enough positive exposure there should be no shortage of sales.
 
I've had to deal with the fact that, despite not trying or keeping up with any trends, my wife and I are probably hipsters. Not much can be done about it. All our lives we've loved old things, eclectic music, vintage clothes, food, small business, arts and crafts, passionate hobbyists, etc etc.
 
Geez, surprised at the negativity towards Brooklyn, hipsters, and Brooklyn Cut! Is it just thinly veiled professional jealously?

Along with Joel's skills as a craftsman, you're right about his location having it's advantages.

[Full disclosure: I live in Brooklyn, not a hipster, not a professional cook] It's true Brooklyn gets an adequate share of press, with much focus on small entrepreneurial artisans [romanticism perhaps]—"entrepreneurial" being a key word, due to the fact that it's not easy making a living here in NYC. Most professions deal with the simple principals of supply and demand, so I can see the advantages of Joel opening shop in Brooklyn from a business perspective—there was a niche in the market that needed to be filled.

In NY, you have major culinary schools [CIA, ICE, ICC, etc.], as well being the preferred destination for many chefs to cut-their-teeth, and a city filled with foodies—potential for a very stable customer base is there. It's a location where a large number of innovative chefs, food magazines, food bloggers, are just a few subway stops away. What knife maker wouldn't want instant access to top-notch chefs for feedback on his knives—building personal relationships with chefs using his knives. Obviously Brooklyn Cut has a business plan, and Joel is not just a hobbyist.

There are certainly a lot of great knife makers out there, so no disrespect to those who have been at their craft for decades creating stunning knives. I personally just like to throw my support behind artisans [knife makers] who have found a way to get some recognition for their hard work producing a fine product! To my mind, knife makers are a competitive breed, always trying to gain an upper-hand or innovating by using better steels, making better handles, better bevels and edge geometry, better heat treatments, etc. Striving for good marketing and a good press presence is not a bad thing. As Devin Thomas would probably not give away his steel process, Brooklyn Cut would probably not give away his exact process, press contacts, or customer list. From what I've seen, most hand crafted knives here in the states are created at a high level of quality, one can't say that the Brooklyn Cut knives are not good—there's much subjectivity that goes into a cook's knife preference. I can see how a NYC localvore chef who wants his produce coming from within a 20 mile radius, might fancy a handmade chefs knife from within the same zone.

As I first stated on this thread, "I haven't used any of the Brooklyn Cut knives," so can't say anything about how they feel. But would be the first to give kudos to an artisan making handmade knives, managing to create a bit of press buzz for his craft. In the end, I think it all helps to bring attention to the craft, and will create new enthusiasm and new customers wanting handmade knives to use and covet. And yes, the knives are "Made in Brooklyn," with Pennsylvanian steel, start to finish by his hands.

Looks like he also does a more traditional shaped handle [knife on left with green handle], and a French blade profile.
http://cutbrooklyn.com/artwork/1711581_Available.html
 
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