The arts of the table have a special place in French culture. What could be more pleasant than a beautiful table to share the pleasure of being together? In this issue, we wanted to reconnect with the pleasure of setting a beautiful table, and put the knife back at the center of the table. Up until the end of the 20th century, and still today in certain circumstances such as the end-of-year festivities, receiving guests was accompanied by a whole ceremonial, including the preparation of a beautiful table. The French expression “mettre les petits plats dans les grands” is significant. In France, knives have always been associated with the table and the meal. Knife aficionados are particularly fond of displaying their latest finds in restaurants, or offering their finest pieces to guests at dinner parties.
Some restaurants are reviving this care for table setting, presenting beautiful plates made by artisan ceramists, attractive glasses and designer knives. In this issue, we meet one of them.
In France, we are fortunate to have some very good table knife manufacturers, with a great diversity. Let’s make the most of it!
Also in this issue:
- As in every issue, we bring you the latest news from the cutlery industry, a few good buying ideas and a look back at the Fall 2025 trade shows.
- Our new “Point of View” column gives the floor to a player in the cutlery industry. For this first interview, we asked Olivier Paul, collector and administrator of the FB account “fansdecouteauxpliants”, what he thinks of the cutlery market in the coming year.
- Another new section showcases our “Coups de Coeur” (Favourites), featuring beautiful photos of knives that have caught our eye.
- In winter, knives are also used for hunting. Our author went to meet hunting friends with some of the best hunting knives the industry has to offer. The result is a host of surprises!
- And in keeping with the theme of hunting and outdoor activities, we thought it essential to introduce you to the highly reputed Fällkniven brand.
- You’ll also find Paulo Simoës’ invaluable tips and tricks for sharpening your knives in the kitchen this time.
- For knife-throwing fans, our French and world champion author talks about throwing as a source of relaxation.
- In this issue, we meet Serge Raoux, who sculpts and gives life to the handles of the finest knives; the highly acclaimed young talent Bouvier Knives; and our great knife artist Stéphane Sagric.
- The collectible knives section of our partner Académie FX presents the extraordinary multi-piece knives.
- And finally, our rendezvous with history takes a look at composite handles, witnesses to human genius.
