MAKING the cut
“The number-one reason I became a full-time knifemaker was to find happiness,” smiles David Hoehler, crafter of superior chef’s knives, which are gaining favour both here and abroad. “I don’t belong in an office; I need to work with my hands.”
We’re in the kitchen of David’s home in Salt Rock on the KZN North Coast.
A gleaming array of his exquisite knives takes centre stage on the table in front of us. The sharpness of the blades, the smoothness of the steel, the comfortable fit of the handles in one’s hand speak of years of practise and the fascination for knives that began when David was a little boy. “My late dad, Carl, was an avid collector of knives, so I was exposed to them from an early age. I got my first pocketknife when I was in nursery school,” he shares.
Growing up, David would spend hours making knives, axes and the like from all manner of materials. He
