Whenever I get the chance, I race to 18th and Guerrero Streets in the Mission district of San Francisco to drool over the famed pastries of Tartine Bakery. But I recently discovered that there’s even more to love on my favorite block of San Francisco; a hidden gem resides there, nestled among holistic medicine shops and vintage clothing boutiques. It’s a charming little store called Pot & Pantry. Half-vintage cookware store and half-community classroom, this quaint space offers more than just your basic mandolins and cookie cutters. Not only do they sell carefully selected vintage and modern cookware, they also host free classes open to anyone who’s interested. While I was immediately charmed by the tiny 
porcelain pumpkins (why is it that anything tiny is cute, even if it’s a gourd?), I had actually come to partake in the free community class on knife-sharpening.
Classes and events vary in subject from art shows to their upcoming “Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free (Not Gross) Breakfast Class with Sidesaddle Kitchen” (see their events calendar), all exhibiting a running theme of food and its relationship with the community. Pot & Pantry features local chefs and entrepreneurs who are launching new businesses, such as Natalie from Bike Basket Pies and Jonathon, who runs local CSA (community supported agriculture organization) Pastoral Plate.
I had the pleasure of attending a knife-sharpening class taught by the Town Cutler, Galen Garretson. Due to the desire to maintain an intimate learning environment, classes are free and tickets are first come, first served. Students gather in the center of the store while the speaker teaches from the picturesque kitchen located near the back.
Garretson, who formerly worked as a trained chef in many San Francisco kitchens, proceeded to teach the ten eager students about the surprisingly complicated method of properly sharpening knives. With his various whetstones in hand, he began to demonstrate how to sharpen a knife, and what kind of knives should be sharpened with which stone. While students did not have a chance to attempt any sort of hands-on sharpening (unsurprisingly–Pot & Pantry isn’t after a lawsuit), Garretson was very open to questions and answered them with insightful and careful thought–much like the way he sharpens his knives.
Forty-five minutes later, I was far more knowledgeable about a variety of knives than I was when I walked through the door, and had a better idea of what to invest in for my home kitchen. I could easily walk away a winner on Jeopardy, assuming they have a category on knives (I’ll take Cutlery Trivia for $200, Alex!). Finally, I can leave behind those college-era Ikea knives for something a little more professional–after a few months of saving, that is. After all, there’s a reason I can barely cut butter with my Swedish bread knife.
So. Who knows how to become a contestant on Jeopardy?
Photos by Nanette Wong.
