We are not just selling the world’s best knives; we are building them.
Bernal Cutlery is Northern California’s premier destination for culinary knives, sharpening, and deep cutlery knowledge—built on a foundation of craftsmanship, expertise, and service.
Established in San Francisco in 2005 by Josh Donald and Kelly Kozak, we’ve grown from a small, passionate team into a multifaceted operation while staying rooted in what makes Bernal special: real-world skill at the bench and counter, rigorous standards, and an authentic relationship with our community. If you are interested in learning more or in investing in our future, reach out.
Visionary Statement for Manufacturing
Truly, one of the most inspiring offerings of Bernal Cutlery’s growth plan is the Manufacturing Department. Between decades of sourcing culinary knives from centuries-old manufacturing centers and sharpening many thousands of customers’ knives, Bernal Cutlery has a collective, broad-based knowledge of knife materials, geometries, and performance unparalleled by any other entity. Additionally, our well-maintained personal and business relationships with manufacturers across the world allow us to create in conversation with them, fill gaps in product availability, and combine technical and business expertise to manufacture some of the best knives on the market, under our own brand, in our own facility.
Our dedicated knife manufacturing space at 69 Duboce Ave is an industrial building located just a few blocks from our brick-and-mortar store and will be a working production facility, a prototyping lab, and a unique portal for Bernal Cutlery’s expertise and creativity.
We’ll be producing knives entirely of our own design, employing a skilled team to make as many of the components as we can in our facility, and drawing on a vast network of local resources and both domestic and international suppliers to fabricate, assemble, and market totally unique products.
Beyond using our workshop as a production facility, we are also developing a schedule of programming, including special product releases, in-house design and packaging, and real-time knifemaking collaborations with craftspeople from our international community. We are excited about the possibilities the workshop offers, both adding tangible context to all the products we sell and sparking curiosity and creativity among our team and customers alike.
- Eli Sideris, Production Manager and in-house Knife maker.
Elias Sideris
Elias Sideris is Bernal Cutlery's Production Manager and in-house blacksmith and fabricator who also creates knives, tools, and hardware with a forged-meets-machined aesthetic under Astral Works in his Oakland-based workshop.
Drawing on a background in precision machining, Elias produces knives that merge traditional hand-forging with modern geometry and experimental finishes. His work includes integral bolster designs and riveted American style handles. Astral Works blades are functional, sculptural, and deeply considered. Each piece reflects a careful balance of utility, detail, and personal expression—cutting tools shaped by both fire and form.
Nick Rolin
Nick Rolin is an independent American bladesmith working in San Francisco. He's known for his complexly ground high-performance kitchen knives. Working in small batches, Nick forges or laminates his own steels and carefully heat-treats, grinds, and finishes each blade himself.
His knives are appreciated for their laser-like cutting ability, clean finishes, and sculpted wa-style handles. With a strong Japanese influence and an uncompromising attention to geometry and balance, Rolin Knives offer professional-level performance for cooks who value handcrafted precision.