Who would have guessed that an award-winning manufacturer of high-quality knives and cookware would be tucked away right in our own neighborhood?
Günter Wilhelm® was established in 2002 with the mission to design, manufacture, and market a distinctive brand of high-quality knives and cookware at affordable prices. The company spent years interviewing chefs to find out what features they prefer. A knife that was comfortable to hold with a balanced blade and handle were key requests.
Upon visiting the showroom at 628 Swan Street in Ramsey, any Food Channel fan worth their salt will recognize numerous faces on the wall of chefs who swear by Günter Wilhelm knives and cookware. The company manufactures the cutlery of choice for many professional executive chefs, world-class barbecue and grilling champions, numerous pit and grill masters, and countless backyard and home cooks.
This year marks Günter Wilhelm’s 20th year in business, and CEO David Malek takes great pride in his company’s products. “We wanted to build sharp knives with good edge retention,” says David. “We tested steel from around the world and found we preferred German steel, which is very hard but very maintainable.” Although the steel from Japan is extremely hard, it is more prone to nick and chip, and the narrow angle of the edge makes it hard to maintain and sharpen. The German steel is treated with a unique heat process that keeps the edge sharp and the knife strong without being brittle. “This is especially appropriate for something like a filet knife, which needs to be flexible,” says David.