Transcription
On this episode of the Magic Chronicles, I meet Chef Thomas, recently awarded best chef in Texas by the James Beard Foundation. He shares his story of opening his restaurant weeks before the pandemic, losing it, and starting all over again.
"I was by myself, right?"
I'm also here to see his trusted knife, a sentimental tool he's used for years and attempt to craft an upgraded version worthy of it. Will I be able to make him a better one? Let's find out.
"3, 2, 1."
Weeks before you opened up Belly of the Beast.
"What was the feeling that you had when you opened it versus the feeling that you had when you realized the pandemic was happening and things went sideways?"
"You know, the weeks prior, I was like, man, I can't wait to open this place. You know, we did a few pop-ups out of the restaurant, um, just to like create buzz and like let people know who what we're doing, who we are. And I was like, 'All right, we're opening in like two days.' Like, like whatever, dude. Like, you know, like so I didn't have any cooks."
"And you're opening in two days?"
"Yeah, I I didn't hire anybody. So it was my brother and I, bam, open. First day it was like a Friday. I got slammed, bro. I went down, bro. You know, I was by myself, right? So it's like I went down like hard. So my brother like tells my dad, my dad shows up. Like, 'What are you doing here?' It's like, 'Oh, Edward said you needed help.' And I was like, 'I'll take it.' I was like, 'But just having that one extra person was like, oh my god.' So then after that, I was like, okay, I need to hire somebody."
"And, uh, boom, pandemic hits. We shut down. So sad, bro. I was like, dude, I don't I don't know what I'm doing. It's my first restaurant ever, my first business. Like, how do I navigate this? Right? Because we didn't know, right? They're they're like, like telling us that you can't be near each other. You have to have masks. Like the business died. So went down so hard. I had a lunch crowd and these people were working from home now."
"So there was no more lunch crowd. So nothing, nothing. What can I do? I was like, 'Okay, man, what if I just package family packs like for four people?' Started getting like traction and people buying like these packs and, you know, now we were able to like open. And then, um, being able to navigate that, like I, like, you know, when I think back on it, it's like, man, it was so stressful. It was like, it's a big beatdown, bro. But like mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything, you know? I took a 2-year hiatus, you know, from that. And then we we found this place. And, uh, you know, I I want to be able to share share my story through food and and my vision and how and I want to run an operation the way I want to run it, you know, 4-day week service, you know? I I don't I'm not greedy, bro. You know what I mean? So, like, you know, like I could open more days and we could make a lot more money, right? Like especially now, like with the accolades and stuff like that, but I I choose not to. I don't I don't need to do all that, man."
"Because you want more space for what?"
"Family. If you're creating your own business, you have to like change the cycle that that breaks people, right? Like working 80-hour weeks sucks, bro. Like you, you know what I mean? When when you when you go through that yourself, I I don't want to put people in that position, you know, ever. Like it's I think it's I think that's that's wrong. You know, I'm not going to make my cooks work 60 hours. I'm not. They don't need to experience what I had to go through."
"Do you feel like there's this fatherly figure in you?"
"Yeah. I mean, dude, I've been a father since I was 21."
"Yeah."
"I do genuinely care, you know, like I, I, um, if I didn't, I, I, I, I'd fire you."
"No, it's not not that, you know."
"There we go. There's the sh. Look."
"Most people fire themselves. Let's be honest."
"That's true. Most people fire themselves, you know, like, um."
"Life matters. You know what I'm saying? Like, and if you really think about it, I mean, like people take like cooking so seriously. Like so serious. A few hours, bro. That's just down the toilet, bro. Like, you know, like, like I'm not solving world hunger. I'm not creating world peace, bro. I'm feeding people."
"And it doesn't have to be that serious."
"You know what I And it doesn't. It really doesn't, dude."
"You went through the pandemic. You shut down. You reopened."
"Yeah."
"And yet you just got awarded, uh, best chef in Texas, right?"
"Yeah. By James Beard."
"What does that What does that tell you?"
"It's a blessing, bro. You know what I mean? I I think, um, someone asked me hours before the ceremony, 'What are you going to do if you don't win?' You know, and I said, 'Nothing.' I said, 'I'll try again next year.' It doesn't consume me. I'm getting to experience something because I cook, you know, and someone took a notice of it. They nominated me and now I'm in the finals and, you know, hopefully I get to try it again next year if I don't win. Don't get me wrong, when I won it, I was like, 'Holy damn, I won.' You know, like, like, damn. You know, like I was like, I was like, 'I can't believe this shit.' You know, like it it just shows that real hard work and determination and belief in yourself and in the higher power, um, really, really, really, really can boost you, you know, like it really uplift yourself and and then you uplift others, right? Like, and I'm nothing without the team, you know, especially my wife, you know, she she does a lot, man. In my speech, I said she's 90%. She she is 90%, man. She does a lot. Like we're busy. We're booked out and, you know, I'm able to hire more people now."
"That's amazing. Well-deserved, man."
"Yeah. Thank you, bro. Thank you. But yeah, it's been a journey, bro."
"Tell me about the knife that you have."
"It's actually the first knife that I ever bought myself, you know, and it's my everyday knife. I use it for everything. I I cut fish, I butcher, I cut all the vegetables. I I use it for everything. It's like my go-to knife."
"Man, that makes it so challenging 'cause it's like a sentimental knife. It's got history. But."
"That's good, man. It's good. It's It's been sharpened by me so long, so I'm pretty sure like the bevel's all messed up or whatever. But it's slowly becoming like a slicer with."
"Yeah, that's right."
When I looked at Chef Thomas' knife, it's a beautiful piece. It's got a nice curvature on the edge. It's got a K tip, which is basically a sharp, steep point from the spine to the tip. So essentially, what we are going to do is revamp that design. Let's get into it. Of course, crafting a knife worthy of Chef Thomas requires top-tier materials. Like every chef I meet, it's not just about performance. The blade's appearance matters, too. For this build, I'm turning to one of my favorites, Damastel. I've chosen a stainless steel because Chef Thomas is constantly on the move in the kitchen and doesn't have time to worry about oxidation. Unlike a high-carbon blade, which demands frequent wiping and maintenance throughout a shift, this knife will stay resilient and ready no matter how intense the pace gets. To heat treat this knife, it requires a blade quench. When the blade is at a critical temperature, the aluminum plates rapidly capture the hardness while blasting cool air through these hoses to lower the steel's temperature faster.
All right. So, the tang is a little bit warm, but not bad. Cool to the touch. It looked like it was a little bit bowed. Let's find out. Nope. We're good. Right in front of me are four handle materials. They're made from cloth and resin layered and then they're hardened. Uh, they're very unique patterns and to pick one is the challenge. Uh, I think the best approach is going to be the blue one, but Chef Thomas did mention he wanted something that really stands out. So I think I'm going to go for this one. Yep. No turning back. These ones I'll save for a future episode. So, I've drawn in the design I'd like to do for the handle. Here I am cutting the extra material off, and we'll be saving it for something special to add to the knife.
I've roughly shaped a dummy handle. And as you can see, these numbers remind me of the wheel size that I have to use. The planned attempt is all in the effort to make sure it's comfortable in his hand.
Look at the back on this thing. This is really cool. So, here is the handle. Copper is in. We just need to coat it, buff it, and it's ready to go. Yeah. So, you're actually not supposed to coat G10 with a finish, but I am curious. So, I'm gonna give it a try. I don't think there's any harm to it. If anything, if it doesn't stick or penetrate, it's just going to buff right off. I like experimenting.
That is just looking awesome. All right. Now, if you remember, this was the extra material from the handle that I had cut off. I'm going to be a little crafty and make a little piece to rest the knife on when it's not in use.
Oh no. Oh man. Okay. Um, what can I do? Okay. Uh, I'm going to sand the metal off. Then I'm going to apply some leather on the back. Drill new holes. Should cover it up. Now that I've solved the first issue, I've piloted new holes for the bumpers and have to conceal my initial mistakes by applying another layer of leather on the bottom. I'm glad it wasn't much of an issue to fix.
It's not something you'd see every day, but a fun addition for the knife. Here's how it works. I'm using the Moroi 2, a laser of a knife that I offer, as an example of what it's for. Voila.
It is finally time to grind the knife. This takes a long time, probably because I'm a sloth of a grinder, but I take my precautions because it's got to be right the first time.
Nice clean finish at 1,00 grit. Time to buff. A nice clean polish ready for etching. Before that, we're going to test it on some products. Hopefully, it cuts well.
Dummy handle. All right, let's do some grapes. First cut.
Yes. Yes, indeed. I mean, this is this is just too fun. Oh my god. Am I going to get the last slice?
For more practical use. Carrot. Let's just go straight through, uh, the middle.
That's just going right into the cutting board. Amazing.
Maybe if I can put this in the microphone here. Test cuts are done. Time to etch. There are a few ways to etch stainless steel. In this instance, I'm using myriadic acid. And boy, is this stuff not good to breathe. Trying to avoid the fumes, I dunk the blade until I see the right amount of etching and then rinse off.
Mineral oil on paper. The knife just show it off a little bit more. And this is looking so crazy. Oh, first glance. Look at that. Let's put it all together. That's it. For Chef Thomas, under his circumstances, he lost his restaurant and then years later he came back and then got the James Beard Award. That is incredibly fascinating to me. This knife, like his journey, is about going through the progress of uncertainty and continuing not to give up and getting better every day. So, I hope that he likes this knife. Let's take a look at the knife. You know what? I just realized that the pattern on the steel is very similar to the pattern on the handle, which kind of brings it all together, which is really, really cool. Such a cool handle, and it feels incredibly comfortable. I like this little. This is actually a really fun thing. It's really just to, uh, make sure that the steel is not touching on a counter or, you know, anywhere on a table. Uh, it just protects it. I'm going to be I'm going to be really honest with you. I'm not sure if I picked the right handle. Um, it's orange. It's far out. But I hope that if you use.
Chef Thomas is about to see the knife for the first time. You ready?
"Yeah."
"All right. Three, two, one."
"Holy, bro. Holy bro. Damn."
"Yeah."
"Oh my god. This is sexy, bro."
"My wedding, uh, watch."
"Yeah."
"This is color."
"No way."
"Yeah. Okay. It's."
"Black with orange."
"Oh, hell yeah. Okay, good. Good."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Can we test it?"
"Let's go test it."
"Yeah. Oh my god, this is beautiful."
"Now's the time."
"Max."
"Yes, sir."
"You're a true artist, bro."
"Thank you, chef."
"Thank you."
"I have to say bye to all my guards, bro. You ain't coming out the box no more. We'll."
"Let that go. What the."
"Good. Hey."
"Bro. This is like a mandolin, bro. This is beyond anything I expected, though."
"I love getting to know Chef Thomas. His story, his personality just makes this that much special."
"Drape it over."
"I hope that you cross his path and dine at the Belly of the Beast, 'cause his food takes you somewhere else."
"Whoa."
"Thank you, brother."