Highlight of the year
The Damasteel Chef Invitational once again brought together leading makers and collectors for a showcase of world-class culinary craftsmanship. This year’s BEST IN SHOW award went to Italian bladesmith Alfredo Faccipieri, recognized for his exceptional Yanagiba created in Dense Twist™. This incredible blade was also honoured by Faccipieri’s peers for BEST JAPANESE KNIFE.
Faccipieri’s winning knife features a 480mm blade (800mm overall), paired with a handle of stabilized pearl-gray maple and a ferrule in AISI 416 stainless —an elegant, performance-driven design that reflects his dedication to precise geometry, thoughtful material selection, and expertly controlled heat treatment. Known within Italy’s knife-making community for refining high-performance steels into everyday culinary tools, he continues to earn international attention for his craftsmanship.
Following last year’s standout win by Dikristo Knives, this year’s award reinforces the innovation and artistry that define the Damasteel Chef Invitational and the makers who bring our patterns to life.
DCI 2025 Peer-Selected Winners & Introducing a Forged Category
While the Viewer’s Choice award celebrates popularity and flair, the Peer-Selected Awards are the pinnacle of recognition within the knife-making community. And this year, for the first time, we have announced a winner in the FORGED category. As trends and knowledge change, we’re honoured to see more and more makers experimenting with forging our materials. And can’t wait to see what evolves from this new change for next year.
Voted on by expert makers themselves, these seven winners exemplify technical mastery, and innovative design, we are so honoured to see what they have created with our steel:
- Best Paring Knife: Jamison Chopp of ACRE Forge
- Best Bread Knife: Newham Knives
- Best Chef Knife: Martin Huber Knives
- Best Forged: Prince Works Forge
- Best Cleaver: Lynn Valley Forge
- Best Integral Knife: Gullikson Knives
- Best Japanese Knife: Alfredo Faccipieri (Yanagiba)
A Word from Our Owner
“We are continually amazed by the level of skill and creativity shown by this year’s makers,” said Per Jarbelius, Co-owner and Iron Master of Damasteel. “Each of the winners—whether voted by viewers or by their peers—has demonstrated incredible craftsmanship and innovation. We can’t wait to see how they continue to redefine what’s possible in knife making.”
Looking Ahead
The DCI 2025 Awards celebrate not only technical excellence and design brilliance but also the dedication and passion of knife makers around the world. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to witnessing their next breakthroughs in the art of culinary blades.
For more details on the DCI 2025 Awards and to explore the winning Damasteel® patterns, visit our DCI 2025 Edition or follow us on Instagram at @damasteelab.