Everyone is thrilled to see 'Nick the Knife'

CORNWALL — Bustling is a good old-fashioned word that perfectly describes the West Cornwall Farmer’s Market, held every Saturday on the Wish House lawn.

It’s shady, and fragrant with the smell of fresh produce, flowers and baked goods. One could imagine stretching out on the lawn for a nap, except for the steady flow of customers, shopping, laughing and chatting.

Sitting calmly in the midst of it all is Nick Jacobs, best known at the market as “Nick the Knife.â€

In his borrowed, dilapidated straw hat, he assumes what he calls the “rusticated village idiot†look. A big man, he is out of scale with the small folding table in front of him. It is strewn with an odd assortment of kitchen knives. But his hands are graceful as he hefts a knife and sets to work honing a precision edge on a Japanese water stone.

A marketgoer strides up, leans in conspiratorially and whips out a butcher knife from between some papers. Barely a word is exchanged as she proffers it to Jacobs for sharpening. Jacobs has his own steady stream of customers, who drop off one or a whole bunch of knives, which Nick sharpens while they shop and chat.

Henry Labalme brings an assortment, then glances at a box of antique kitchen knives waiting their turn.

“Hey, those are my dad’s,†he says, without much surprise.

It began last summer when Jacobs set up his table at the Cream Hill Lake beach. Response was good, and he decided to see if there was real business potential, bringing his table to the library’s Food, Glorious Food fundraiser in June.

“I like using a sharp knife. Most people do. Some people don’t know what a sharp knife is. They really should be sharpened every time you use them, just like you wash your clothes after you wear them.â€

Obviously, people are seeking him out. It’s only his third week at the market and he can barely keep up.

Where else can one go around here to get this specialized work done? Or have such fun accomplishing a chore?

Of course, Jacobs is too polite to ask a nosy reporter to stop distracting him from his work. He has to tell customers their knives are not yet ready. They don’t seem to mind.

He returns to his tasks while talking about his penchant for Japanese knives, which have layers of different steel. He picks up a Japanese knife he bought in Chinatown for $10 or $15. He picks up a sheet of heavy paper and slashes it easily.

“Sushi knives have a flat edge on one side and are angled on the other. They’re very serviceable knives.â€

He doesn’t recommend buying expensive knives — just caring for the ones you have.

A highlight of his day is a set of old Italian cutlery dropped off by Julia Scott.

“They are beautiful old knives. Their edges are wavy from being ground down so many times.â€

Another customer has brought a set from her Cornwall kitchen. She has another home in New York City, where she said knife stores offer sharpening services. She thinks for a moment, then says, “I think I’ll just bring my New York knives up here to Nick.â€

And so business is growing. Jacobs hopes to pick up some commercial restaurant accounts. He can be reached at josefkroyt@yahoo.com or 860-672-6075. Phone calls are preferable right now, as his 10-year old computer was recently put out of its misery by a lightning strike.