Note from Owner & Inventor, Donna Taylor

Why I invented The Houndstooth

My son Evan, who grew up cooking with me and being exposed to fine food preparation all his life, chose to begin his career as a chef at the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The first crucial skill the CIA emphasizes is knife skills. As Evan learned knife skills, I cringed watching him endure the many nicks and cuts that came with the hours of learning to properly use a knife. One afternoon, Evan came home with seven stitches after an emergency room visit and in that moment-- understanding that both professional chefs and home cooks alike must use sharp knives-- I set out to create a tool that would easily teach safe knife skills and put food prep efficiency within everyone’s reach.

The name, “The Houndstooth,” comes from the classic houndstooth fabric favored by chefs worldwide and from the tool itself, which has teeth on the bottom front face. These “teeth” enable the user to “bite” into the food item being prepared to hold it steady for the knife blade’s pass. Thus leading to our trademarked slogan: “Takes the bite out of food prep”!

The Houndstooth™ dramatically improves the safety and efficiency of all food preparation using a knife. Anyone who uses kitchen knives will immediately see and feel the benefits of The Houndstooth. The home cook will be delivered safety and efficiency. The foodie will acquire improved knife skills and for the professional chef, it adds a layer of protection on the day they are tired or just not 100% on their game. Every professional chef knows that all it takes is to turn a knife blade a degree inward to end up with an injury. The Houndstooth also assists with any food preparation that requires the user wear gloves. It protects the tip of the glove from being snipped by the knife blade, resulting in wasted time and money.