Fontenille Pataud

“When the big man was killed, he must have wounded it. Its blood was on the leaves.” – Anna “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” – Dutch

In the city and country, we’re more accustomed to using a knife to slice a Cape Grim rib-eye or carve a door-stop for a great-aunt. And what better or more beautiful knife would one ever find than those made by Fontenille Pataud. While your tweezers might come from Solingen and your butter knives from Sheffield, it is from Thiers, France, that you may consider sourcing your next specialty steel blade. Thiers is in Auvergne, the romantic setting of Joseph Canteloube’s famous song of the Shepherd, “Baïlèro”. That’s a very emotional song. These aren’t just any old Laguiole marketed knives. These are the best ones, certified Gilles®, which means that each knife was produced by only a single team of 9 skilled workers and apprentices. Gilles Steinberg, owner and master craftsman, heads this group. All these knives are handmade. Moreover, you can choose 12c27 stainless steel, carbon steel or “Damascus”, carbon steel hand-forged by Francois Morier in Switzerland.

For the table or the jungle, Fontenille Pataud bears testament to the adage “guns are for sissies”. But if the beast is on your table, it won’t bleed. It’s already dead.