Description
Named for an Irish word meaning âglide,â artist and bladesmith Erik Gullikson presents his breathtaking Taca CroĂ design in a lightweight, laser-thin, and nimble culinary tool that becomes one with the chefâs hand, gliding effortlessly through ingredients on the board. This rendition of Erikâs head-turning profile is named SleamhnĂș.
The Taca CroĂ style incorporates a heart-shaped choil and integral handle form that is both sculptural and exceedingly comfortable, forged one hammer blow at a time for this one-of-a-kind chef knife from a homemade damascus-clad steel formula anchored by a cutting edge of high-performance ApexUltra tungsten-carbon steel. Jacketed by a vein of pure nickelâreducing carbon diffusion during forging and hardeningâthe bladeâs damascus cladding twists and turns across most of the asymmetrical, convex left bevel, while appearing, disappearing, and reappearing across the right faceâs compound C-grind geometry designed for right-handed use.
Glass-thin, superbly honed, and flexible in the forward inches, the 235mm / 9.2â blade is designed to soar like a bird; moving the edge through food is not an effort to cut, but an act of traversing its surroundings with uninterrupted ease. Matching the precision and finesse found along the final stretch of bevel and edge, the spine tapers steadily and progressively forward, culminating in a tip that practically disappears into thin air. The most delicate, detailed cuts are fully within this toolâs purview.
For comfort and control, the Taca CroĂ construction is completed with a stunning, octagonal piece of spalted tamarind, secured to the integral-forged metallic portion with two domed and inset, hand-peened bronze pins. An heirloom for the kitchen, the hands, and the heart.
