As a young culinary student, Jackie Blanchard strolled the winding streets of Lag Yol, the tiny French town famous for cutlery. She passed store after store, all proudly proclaiming themselves as “Coutelier” which translates, “Knife Shop.” Today, Jackie and her partner, Brandt Cox have their own Coutelier, two actually one in New Orleans Riverbend area and a new shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite the French name, Jackie and Brandt specialize in rare, hand forged Japanese knives. We visited her at Coutelier to learn about these highly specialized tools and just why they re so favored by chefs today.