The Yew Utility chef's knife by Andrés Maldonado of Córdoba, Spain, has a story to tell. Forged from a beautifully executed Firestorm damascus pattern of Andrés's making in high-carbon alloys, the blade is handsome, refined, and shaped for uncompromising cutting performance. It is the handle, however, that takes us back six years, and over a thousand more. It was circa 2018 when Andrés went on holiday to visit Santibañez de la Fuente, a town lost in the mountains of Spain's Asturias region. While exploring this town, one in which time seems to have to stood still, the group happened upon a tree, grown beside a church. The rare and ancient yew tree had been planted, according to the people of the town, in the 7th century by the first Asturian king of Visigothic descent, Pelayo. The very same king who would conquer Spain beginning with his first defeat of the Moors in 722 AD. That night, over 1,300 years later, while Andrés slept, an intense storm battered the countryside, and as it did, a branch of this magnificent yew tree broke free. The next day, Andrés was allowed to collect a small piece to take home with him. Having dried, patiently and lovingly at his workshop for six years, Andrés examined the storied material, searching for the perfect piece of sufficient strength and dimension for use in a knife handle. The piece he desired was at hand, and the knife you see here is the final act for the material this incredible tree gave. Sculpted for comfort at the cutting board, the yew wood is paired with brass and bull horn, and secured by a single, flush, brass pin.
