Quintin Middleton stands by the philosophy that every chef needs a great knife at a great price. His carbon steel knives are custom made to customer requests and each one represents the passion and skill Quintin devotes to every knife. He has been producing knives since 2003 in Saint Stephen, SC, outside of Charleston. Middleton has earned a reputation as one of the South's top culinary bladesmiths, hand making high carbon steel knives used in the kitchens of many of the nation's top chefs such as Michael Anthony, Mike Lata, Sean Brock.

Quintin's passion for bladesmithing originated in a childhood of watching Conan the Barbarian and other sword-wielding movie heros. So he started his career as the apprentice of Jason Knight (a fellow South Carolinian and master bladesmith) and learned how to make hunting knives, swords, and other weapons that Knight is known for.

As he considered making bladesmithing a career, he switched from weapons to culinary knives, tracking down Charleston's top chefs and extracting their input on his work. The relationships he forged with these chefs have translated into knife designs that are sensitive to the needs of the working chef...knives that are comfortable to use for long periods and stay sharp over time.

Another great example of his attention to detail is his hand-crafted oyster knife, which doubles as a bottle opener. I mean... who doesn't want to be able to shuck their oysters and open their beers all at once? The passion and thoughtfulness he puts into every knife is visible in his designs and execution.