ATELIER DOMA
& the artisans
The origin of our exceptional Japanese knives.
THE ARTISANS
At the DOMA workshop we try to know as best as possible the craftsmen who make the knives and utensils that we offer you. Marina has worked alongside some of these craftsmen, whom she meets every year in Japan, and whose work specificities and environment she knows well. This is what we want to share with you through these anecdotes and stories of meetings or reunions, from their workshop.
Photos and texts by Marina Menini
Yoshihisa Tanaka
I have already introduced you to Mr. Yoshikazu Tanaka, a Sakai blacksmith and dentoukougeishi (certified master craftsman) whom I have known since my first steps in this profession. I present to you his son Yoshihisa, who has been dear to me for just as long, ...
Ippei Kawakita
My journey as a sharpener began in this workshop, now run by Ippei Kawakita, a sharpener and maker of traditional Japanese blades in Sakai. There are three of them working in the workshop, along with his father and uncle.
Tadakatsu Kawasawa
In Sakai, the major stages are segmented, there are blacksmiths, sharpeners, handle makers, all independent of each other, and distributors who group everything together and sell the complete knife, often with their brand name engraved on it...
Ashi Hamono
The Ashi family was one of the pioneers in the manufacture of double-edged stainless steel knives in Sakai, when others were still producing only traditional single-edged knives, Sakai's specialty for centuries...
Silky cissors
Probably the most appreciated brand of scissors by chefs in France and elsewhere in the world. Everyone knows (or should know) these famous kitchen scissors with gray silicone handle, less known by their real name: RUS-165...
OUR CUSTOMERS
At the DOMA workshop, we provide cutlery advice and also have certain knives made to measure to meet the user's expectations as closely as possible and provide the necessary information to ensure their durability and enjoyment in the future .
Teaching stone sharpening is one of the main activities of the DOMA workshop, offering educational workshops for all levels, both in the workshop and outdoors. Marina has also been teaching stone sharpening in prestigious cooking schools in Paris since 2017.
Restaurant l'Astrance
Restaurant l'Abysse
Restaurant Datil
Restaurant IMA
ABOUT US
MARINA MENINI
Japanese cutlery sharpener and consultant.
Of Franco-Japanese origin, Marina worked as a self-taught cook and pastry chef for around ten years in London, Tokyo and New York, before arriving in cutlery.
Attracted by the craftsmanship of Japanese kitchen utensils, she became a kitchen cutlery consultant at a specialty store in Kappabashi, Tokyo, where she conducted cutlery seminars and workshops for the Japanese and foreign public.
After meeting many craftsmen in Japan, Marina moved to Sakai, in Osaka Prefecture, a production site for traditional knives, to learn knife making in the craftsmen's workshops. She worked in particular with Kazumi Kawakita, a master sharpener in Sakai.
Marina today imports knives from artisans and manufacturers with whom she trained and maintains close relationships, to be able to also pass on their wishes and know-how with the knives.
It selects a very wide choice of more than 40 sharpening stones, natural and synthetic, and offers advice and training on cutlery and sharpening.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Transmission via a tool that lasts...
Kitchen knives are tools for sharing and transmission . They bring people together in the kitchen and around meals and are often passed down with sentimental value. We want these tools to be durable and require appropriate maintenance.
We select quality knives and utensils that meet these values and whose durability we also wish to ensure.
By transmitting both the "before", the origin of the knife, and the "after" of the knife, how it can be maintained, sharpened and preserved, we aspire to be a bridge between manufacturers and users , to build real value and a story for each knife.
THE WORKSHOP-BOUTIQUE
In the heart of Paris.
The DOMA workshop opened in 2017, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. We are a boutique specializing in the advice and sale of Japanese kitchen knives, with a very wide selection of sharpening stones and Japanese kitchen equipment.
We offer stone sharpening workshops for all levels, both in the workshop and on the move.
