Over the years, artist Don Carlos Andrade has created only a handful of Couple’s Chef Sets, and specially for the 2025 Holiday Season, he delivers the Mourning Doves Set—his first and only matched pair of the year. To cook together is to fill both home and heart with love, and Don intends to encourage just that: slow, thoughtful meal preparation for and with those who matter most. A pair of interlocking hearts is engraved onto the left face of each stainless steel blade. With his silky satin finishes, the symmetrical bevels of each blade bear Don’s remarkable freehand convex geometry, culminating in edges that balance workhorse toughness with a thin, razor-sharp precision for superb performance no matter the cut. Strong and rigid throughout their lengths, each blade’s spine is rounded and polished, tapering steadily forward to fine, needle-like tips perfect for precision slicing and detailed work. A formally trained chef and craftsman of more than three decades, Don knows well the importance of a weighted, balanced tool in the hand, and each of these provides the assured, refined feel expected of an object designed for everyday use. At the handle end, two uniquely shaped yet complementary forms create a set of striking harmony: the larger knife features Don’s tapering wa-style shield handle, its rounded lower sides meeting flat facets above and below, finished with intricate hand carvings. At the front, a stone-like acrylic ferrule matches Don’s signature circular inlay. The smaller knife is completed with a yo-style Western handle, sculpted with gentle curves and flat faces on top and bottom, finished with the same fine engraving and a matching acrylic inlay. Both knives include custom cloth-covered sayas. Together, the Mourning Doves embody unity and devotion—two blades crafted for those who find love and meaning in the shared act of creation. WA Handle - Blade length: 237mm / 8.2”. Overall length: 350mm / 13.6”. Blade width at the choil: 2.6mm. Blade width one inch from tip: 2mm. Blade height at heel: 50mm. Weight: 8.4oz / 238g. YO Handle - Blade length: 162mm / 4.4”. Overall length: 283mm / 9.3”. Blade width at the choil: 2.6mm. Blade width one inch from tip: 2mm. Blade height at heel: 40mm. Weight: 6.0oz / 170g.
