Meet the Maker: Nick Rolin
September 10, 2026 – Marco Antoniolli
Photo Credit: Scott Evans, 2024
Rolin Knives are meticulously forged, heat-treated, ground, machined, shaped, and handled with an incredible amount of detail and intention by Nick Rolin.
Originally from the Bay Area, Nick earned a degree in sustainable agriculture from UC Santa Cruz before entering the food industry. Nick’s blade shapes and styles are inspired by his years in the professional kitchen and by his passion for well-made things. After leaving kitchens to bartend in NYC, Nick took a knifemaking class that sent him incorrigibly down that rabbit hole. He made knives for friends and colleagues for several years, and eventually faced such a demand for his works that he made a return to the Bay Area to make knives full time.
Nick is a friend of the shop, and we’ve been lucky enough to use his knives ourselves. The precise distal tapering (the thinning of a blade's cross-section from its base to its tip) and grinding techniques create a cutting feel that’s both nimble and substantial. From honyaki to mono-steel, his heat-treatments leave edges that are difficult to dull and form clean, new bevels quickly when sharpened.
We’ve now had several releases of Nick’s knives available in the shop, all of which have sold quickly and received an excellent reception. We think he is one of the most promising American knife makers, and when you get the chance to see the knives for yourself, you'll know why.
Knives by Nick Rolin:
See them all here.