QUINTIN MIDDLETON grew up in the American South in the 1980s and ’90s. He remembers himself as a kid with a brick and a claw hammer, pounding whatever scrap metal he could find into crude blades and sharp instruments.
“I just wanted to make swords like I’d seen in the movies,” he recalls. “That’s when my passion for making knives began.”
Since then, and largely on his own, Middleton has learned the ancient art of bladesmithing. Jason Knight, a friend and fellow bladesmith, provided hints, as well as local chef Craig Diehl who explained what a professional chef looks for in a knife. Armed with this knowledge, through trial and error, as well as feedback from Diehl, he delivered a prototype of the high-quality product he’s known for.
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