by Bill Colwin, WÜSTHOF V.P. of Sales, Food Service & Hospitality
You may be well aware that WÜSTHOF has a long and rich heritage crafting the finest precision-forged full-tang cutlery in Solingen, Germany, our company’s headquarters since 1814. You might also know that as we approach a huge milestone in January – our 200th anniversary! – we continue to be a family-owned and family-managed company with a 7th generation Wüsthof at the helm, Harald Wüsthof. We’re extremely proud of our history and unique positioning in the marketplace, and we’re even more proud of our stellar reputation for excellence among chefs and all other food industry professionals.
What you may be surprised to know is that in addition to our venerable and highly sought-after forged cutlery, such as our iconic CLASSIC and updated CLASSIC IKON collections, WÜSTHOF also caters to food service professionals with our PRO series, our first laser-cut, stamped food service line.
The PRO series is expertly made in Germany at our factory with the same meticulous attention to craftsmanship and advanced technology that is lavished on every other knife bearing our name. We created PRO to give executive chefs and other food service managers the confidence to equip their kitchen staff with the best performing stamped food service cutlery.
We’ve combined superior quality, technological advances, durability, and affordability into one standout collection for the food service industry. State-of-the-art lasers at our WÜSTHOF facilities in Germany ensure the uniformity and precision of the PRO series’ razor-sharp blades. The blades themselves are made of our signature metal alloy of high-carbon, stain-free steel to meet all key criteria that are called for in commercial kitchens – sharpness straight out of the box, edge retention, ease in re-sharpening, and prevention of rusting and staining.
The PRO series also features unique, ergonomically shaped, soft-poly handles that provide exceptional comfort during prolonged use – a major advantage to sous chefs, prep cooks and other crew clocking in long hours slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing a myriad of ingredients. PRO knives are NSF-certified and will withstand years of rigorous use.
When chefs have tested our PRO series, as many did at our booth during this summer’s annual ACF convention, they have been simply amazed at how well it performs and feels. Many of them have been taken by how comfortable the knife feels in their hands, its exceptional balance, agility, and remarkable blade sharpness. They have been especially impressed to hear that no single knife is priced over fifty dollars!
Available now at local and national dealers, our PRO series includes 17 open stock knives and a 7-Piece Professional Set. In open stock, essential knives such as two sizes of Paring Knives, three sizes of Cook’s Knives, various Bread Knives and Boning Knives are attractively priced from $5.75 to $39.00. We also offer several specialty knives, such as a 7-inch Santoku, 7-inch Nakiri Knife, 10-inch Cimeter Knife, and more in prices ranging from $33.00 to $35.00. Our highest priced open stock item is the 11-inch Hollow Edge Slicer at $47.00. The comprehensive 7-Piece Professional Set, which comes with a durable black carrying case, includes a 3.5-inch Paring Knife, 6-inch Utility Knife, 9-inch Bread Knife, 11-inch Slicing Knife with Wavy Edge, 6-inch Boning Knife, and 8-inch Cook’s Knife – all for $160.00. (All prices are suggested retail.)
To learn more about our laser-stamped PRO series, and precision-forged cutlery available to food service professionals, please visit www.wusthof-foodservice.com.
