JLD Knives—Hudson Valley

I first met Jack at the Stissing House Craft Feast in 2024, then again this year with his mother Michelle. As we talked, we discovered two mutual friends, plus another connection: years ago, I’d photographed a Martha Stewart Baby shoot in the Bowery loft of Jack’s father, the photographer John Dolan. It all felt familiar, like these creative paths had been quietly crossing for years.

Jack makes knives the way most people have forgotten how: one at a time, by hand, from start to finish. After learning the craft from master knife maker Fingal Ferguson in Ireland in 2015, he returned to the Hudson Valley and built JLD Knives on a simple principle, to create the knife you always reach for in the kitchen. Each blade is forged, shaped, and finished in his workshop, often from steel sourced in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and handles carved from fallen trees found in the woods of Sheffield, Massachusetts. It became immediately clear that his knives aren’t just products. They’re the result of deep knowledge about materials, craft tradition, and what it means to make tools for real work.

His Craft
Jack forges knives by hand in the Hudson Valley, trained by Ireland’s Fingal Ferguson. Blades from New Jersey steel, handles from fallen Sheffield, MA trees or North Carolina horn/bone, stabilized, unique, dishwasher-proof only by repair. Drops of 20–30 via website, first-come-first-served.

Why It Matters
A knife extends the cook’s hand. Well-made, it sharpens focus, resists disposability, and gains patina through use. Like hospitality’s quiet tools, it enables precise, dignified work.

Support This Work
JLD Knives releases new knives periodically through the shop page. Sign up for the newsletter to get updates on drops and availability.→ Visit JLD Knives