Creating remarkable edged tools and art at his studio in Upstate New York, ABS Master Bladesmith Jordan LaMothe has been working with metal since 2009, and crafting one-of-a-kind knives full time since 2017. Born in the Boston area, Jordan moved with his family to a farm in Hebron, NY when he was a boy. Their 1840s house, built atop the foundation of one even older, harkened back to an era when people in the area lived off the land, farmed, and made the tools they needed, and Jordan dreamed of one day recreating this self-sufficient, nature-based lifestyle. A ‘workshop’ under the cellar stairs as a schoolboy was Jordan’s first opportunity to make with his own two hands. As a teenager he built his first forge with which to make the tools needed on the farm. In high school he trained a team of oxen, made their yolks, built a logging sled, and felled trees with a hand axe, cultivating a rewarding life and an appreciation for quality tools.

Today, a world-class knifemaker Jordan is, and much more: from intricate sculpting in wood and metal, to engraving and embellishments of gold and silver, and damascus steel patterns as unique as any we know, Jordan strives to master each element in the pursuit of functional, fine art. A year spent studying in Rajasthan, India on a Fullbright grant taught Jordan the craft of koftgari, an ancient technique for embellishing metallic objects. Each object that leaves Jordan’s shop is a thoughtful heirloom piece created as both art and tool.

Regularly teaching and sharing his wealth of knowledge at craft schools around the country, as well as giving lectures and demonstrations at events whenever possible, Jordan has become an integral member of the knifemaking community. In 2024, Jordan was invited to participate in The Art of Cutlery in Tribeca, NYC, a group exhibition curated by Eatingtools’ founder Abe Shaw with the goal of portraying culinary knives in historical context. Knives are humankind’s oldest tools, easily the most intimate tools in our lives, allowing us to procure and prepare nourishment for our friends and family. The exquisite art knives exhibited in The Art of Cutlery elevate that oldest tool of humankind to stand as a symbol connecting food, art, design, and history. In Jordan’s words: “I make knives because they are some of the most fundamental tools of humankind – tools that nearly every person on the planet uses on a regular basis.”