Culinary Mischief, Historical Steel & The Seamstress

A letter from Chef James Noble

So, my week, or should I say weak, got me stoned 3 times. Let me explain.

It takes a lot to pick yourself up and brush yourself down. People tell you to just get on with it. Piffle.

Balance and small steps are the trick. Bite-sized achievable chunks will get you through your day. Do the best you can and present the best version of yourself that you can on the day. That’s it.

With positive energy and a will to keep on learning and developing, this nigh-on 50-year-old chef learned a lot this week and is moving forward carefully, picking his steps.

Having the framework and routine of Nancy and her many commitments and clubs has helped. As has a balanced diet and learning to ease off the gas when needed. And of course the right amount of sleep. I turned a weak week into a great one. So, what happened?

The Past Knife

As the week began we welcomed the Cutler into the fold as we took delivery of our first consignment of “past life knives” from Japan.

What a haul! What a moment to see the Cutler smile from ear to ear and say that I did very well to source this historical steel.

We have connected with a group of like-minded people in Japan who are sourcing high-quality hand-forged knives that are no longer used. They are sending them to us in Chiang Mai and here we will breathe another 50 years or more into them and give them a new lease of life.

We take the historical knife and put it through a vigorous makeover passing through 6 whetstones, removing it from the yew handle, sanding the handle to reinvigorate the grip, and waxing the antler band to offer a knife that is as good as the day it came from under the blacksmith’s hammer.

We currently have a range of past knives.

Past Knives are available to be shipped or you can pop into the shop.
Each knife is blessed and boxed with the history of the blade. They are fully sharpened and cleaned and include an idea of what their use is.

We haven’t even officially opened and we sold 4 this past week! Was that because we offered a lifetime free sharpening service to the new custodian? Or simply because it’s an amazing piece of functional kitchen furniture that anyone would be honored to own?

We also offer the honing service of your own, dare I say, blunt knives.
Only 100 THB per blade or take a lifetime sharpening voucher for 1000 THB per knife.

How about a knife sharpening class?
Lunch included. 500 THB for 3 hours with the Cutler and the Chef.

Chef’s Shop Update

Along with the knives and the Cutler, we also have a highly talented and attentive seamstress, who’s busy finishing our range of uniquely designed aprons for the professional and home cook.

These are stunning and make for a great gift, I can vouch for them wholeheartedly. They are the best thing I have worn in a professional environment, and I am so proud we have developed them.

We have three styles of aprons with ten different colors! We have also started to develop our chef trousers and shirts. We have sourced the nonflammable, water-repellent lightweight material and now along with the seamstress have started to draw and cut the patterns.

I love it. I’m so proud of what we are bringing as an artisanal team but also hugely aware of the skill sets I’m keeping alive and the jobs I’m creating. GO ME! The chef shop has so much more to give, and we will keep extending the range. Pop in to have a chat and look or standby for the online shop on our website coming soon when I figure it out, again with a modern-day artisan and his IT skills.

Did I see you reading a borrowed book from the cook’s library? More on that soon too. So that covers the shop and its small creative weekly steps but what’s been cooking in the kitchen?

The Kitchen Update

What’s new in the kitchen? Not a lot is the answer. The hood will be installed mid-next month but all the refrigeration is in place and the mobile worktops have been waxed and clamped. They look cool.

So, as we can’t fire up the mothership, Chef Blue and I have turned our hand to culinary mischief. We have started growing our koji and putting our many flavours of vinegars to bed to do their thing. We’ve also done a slow lactose kimchi and a cucumber Rosemary Gin and lemon and lime cello.

Herbs and spices have begun to arrive from the five zones we focus on, along with fresh herbs being potted on the riverside deck.

We have started the process of soy sauce making which will be also available in our shop and the first round of oyster sauce the week was lip awakeningly good and I got to eat the oysters once drained. Living like a king on a farmer’s budget.

So that’s kimchi, soy sauce. vinegar, koji, and oyster sauce all joining the party ready for 10-10-23. As well as the fermented chilies in today's recipe.

This is really happening! When Blue and I sat down to rehash and fine-tune your menu it brought a huge smile to our faces. It was like looking into a mirror with Chef Blue looking back at me totally on the same page. Flavour, flavour, flavour!

I guess in the controversial and topical world of the legalization of cannabis I got stoned in a different way. Smiling from grey tip to great tip as I sat watching Nancy play football knowing what we were doing wasn’t normal but goodness me it’s joyful and that’s another one of our pillars that we will touch on soonest.

So that’s our week, pushing on the nine points that I keep harping on about, how’s yours been? Have you looked at realigning your week to fit into an ikigai lifestyle? Have you left a little on the side of your plate 80% and given praise to others for the smallest things?

The Market Update

What’s at the market this week? In what has been a wet and windy one here in Northern Thailand.

We investigated a few new Thai vegetables and how we could elevate them through skill.

We also picked up some figs which we confit and made tea leaves from the leaves. The protein-rich broccoli made a fantastic macadamia and broc soup and the abundance of cucumber cried out for a cucumber mash to make gin infused with rosemary.

Lemons are everywhere and when you have lemons? Make lemonade! Or lemon posset, lemon thyme chicken, and lemon salad dressing. We preserve the rest ready for opening.

Passing last thought as I sit here and finish this week’s recipe, I can hear Cutler sharpening his knives methodically and rhythmically. It’s a sound I adore but to top it off he is listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Legend.

I love my life, love yours too, please.

Have a great week and send me anything you like. I love learning about your weekly journeys.

Peace and love.

Send me pictures or better still come and eat 10-10-23.