The Cutting Edge!

"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music."

~Julia Child

Dad's cutting/serving boards! The wine glass is perfect for a long baguette!

Martha Stewart inspired my Dad.

Well, sort of. Around Christmas, my mother bought a Martha Stewart Magazine and I had a flip through it. I came across an article on vintage cutting boards, and a light bulb went off. My Dad loves to work with wood. I'm sure he could make these in his shop, and he's been looking for something new to do since retiring.

Martha's boards!

I showed Rene and together we showed Dad. He didn't seem too interested at the time. Sigh. Oh well. And the magazine hit some kind of old magazine pile, ready for whatever my mother does with her old magazines. That is, until a recent trip to Granville Island in Vancouver.

Vintage cutting boards made from all kinds of wood.

Rene, Dad and I wandered through the market as mom perused the veggies, and Dad spied some uber-expensive cutting boards.

"I could make these!" He muttered under his breath, turning the rustic-looking cutting boards over, checking out the workmanship. His eyes glimmered, and we knew he was inspired!

Thank you, Martha Stewart and Granville Island Market.

I think the pig serving boards are awesome!

Back in the Okanagan, Rene and I studied Martha Stewart’s article and Rene drew out some cutting board templates as Dad located some reclaimed wood from the Okanagan forest fires of 2003. The fire burnt the trees, but left the inside wood intact and quite dry. Perfect for planing and making cutting/serving boards!

This picture (CBC) was taken from the other side of the lake, looking over towards our side of the lake. Our house is about ten km (as the crow flies) from this image. The fire devastated the area, but it's quickly growing back. There is a lot of dead wood up there that can be taken out to make room for the new growth.

The cutting/serving boards are made from the wood you see burning here. Reclaiming the burnt wood and helping the environment at the same time!

Notice the funky shaped spoons. My Dad is a symmetrical kind of guy so I'm proud of him for taking a page from his daughter's book and making it a wee bit wonky!

So here are a few of my Dad’s pieces, with more to come. They will be for sale in our Garden Gift Shop (A high-classy version of a lemonade stand! Blog to follow!) And Rene and I will tote them around to the few markets we get into before we leave for overseas. I hope they sell well. I think my Dad’s stuff is brilliant!

Now to figure out a name for his product. Hmm......

xxMelanie