Elmer Ortez

HELLO MY NAME IS ELMER ORTEZ …

… and I sharpen knives. I currently sharpen knives for a number of restaurants and other commercial kitchens,  as well as for many home cooks who appreciate a sharp knife, from the Canadian border to just south of Seattle. The knives go through a 6-7 step process which leaves them razor sharp.

I learned my sharpening technique from master Bladesmith Ken Wick, who has been sharpening knives since 1985. Ken taught both my brother and I to have a real passion for the craft. He generously taught me the sharpening techniques that he has perfected over the last 30 years.

Fun facts about Elmer:

What is your favorite food? Ok, I am a seafood lover. I recently had an amazing BBQ shrimp with garlic. For a special treat my wife and I love lobster … but who doesn’t?

What is your favorite place to get away? My family and I love the beach. One of our favorite out of the area beaches is located in Cozumel where we can swim, scuba dive and of course drink out of coconuts. This is great fun!

What do you like to do locally? We love taking a quick trip down to Lake Samish for water sports. We have a jet ski and the kids love having fun on that. We are also live close to Lake Padden, where we love to go for a swim and/or hike around the lake.

What do you do when you are not sharpening knives? My wife and I have a family with all boys. So we like to do lots of rough and tumble. I am proud to say two of my boys are now in college.