In
the village of Giustino in northern Italy's Vale Rendena region, Bruno
Maestranzi's paternal grandfather used to make knife-grinders which
looked like bicycles. They were worked by being pedalled on the spot
and transported from house to house by horse and cart. Bruno's father,
Aldo, was born in Clerkenwell, a stone's throw from the Italian church,
and continued the family business with his brother Vito. Now Bruno
has taken over, running his mobile sharpening service round the Covent
Garden and Bloomsbury areas.
Bruno sharpens everything from knives and scissors to garden shears,
and he stops outside many of the butchers, cafes, sandwich bars and
restaurants in his patch. Chefs, in particular, are very possessive
about their knives, some of which can cost as much as £150.
They even refer to them as their babies: "It's a big responsibility,"
Bruno says. As he works, he holds the knives deftly against the grinding
wheel at the perfect angle to bring the blade to razor-sharpness,
the older knives developing a character all of their own as their
blades curve and shorten with use, some ending up half their original
length. The wheel, turned by a 65-yearold Thames barge pump, flashes
and screams as it spins, and a slight scent of gunpowder wafts in
accompaniment from the open doors of Bruno's van.
Bruno Maestranzi (0961) 307880. Prices from £ 1 for knives,
£1.50 for scissors.
