{"title":"Mark Cordina","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlexandra sits in the Goulburn Valley, about two hours north-east of Melbourne, and it is from a workshop there that Cordina Customs has run since 2020. Before making knives, Mark Cordina worked as a stainless steel fabricator\/specialist, producing repeat-process and architectural feature work requiring fine detail, low tolerances and stainless finishes completed to a very high specification. When his outdoor education work stopped during the lockdowns, he made his first knife from a discarded industrial hacksaw blade and shed offcuts, then entered a maker competition with his second.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the first years of establishing Cordina Customs, Mark also worked as a chef de partie in a fine-dining restaurant. The kitchen gave him a practical environment in which to test developing profiles and geometries. His early knives were flat ground, but experience, testing and a deeper engagement with Japanese kitchen knives progressively moved his work towards convex geometry with blended transitions, robust heels and purposeful distal taper while maintaining edge stability and blade rigidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe knives remain working tools first. Mark looks for sharpness to initiate the cut, thinness for a smooth passage through food, separation from the secondary bevel without wedging and sufficient relief above it to assist food release. His faceted, indexable handles are equally functional: an assuring hard stop at the ricasso locates the hand, a flat spine communicates blade orientation and the facets support secure use across multiple grip styles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCordina’s work spans forged mono-steel, San Mai, copper-clad and honyaki constructions. He uses 52100 as a robust benchmark for his Classic Series, 26C3 for a keener edge in his Deluxe Series and Hitachi steels within the Signature Series, where their performance and Japanese influence support his most complete expression of geometry, construction and finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor Modern Cooking, Mark Cordina belongs in the Collectors Selection as an Australian maker building knives meant to be cooked with, lived with and kept.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"gyuto-237mm-aogami-super-stainless-gomai-ebony-bronze-signature-series","title":"Gyuto 237mm Aogami Super Stainless GoMai Ebony \u0026 Bronze Signature Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eMark Cordina’s 237 mm Signature Series gyuto combines a 56 mm blade height with a finely tapered convex geometry and a profile that feels natural and assured on the board. The knife has the visual presence and finish of an individually made collector piece, but its proportions, geometry and exceptionally comfortable handle remain clearly centred on use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Go Mai construction places an Aogami Super cutting core between nickel interlayers and bright 304 stainless-steel cladding. Mark coffee-etches the exposed core to a deep black, revealing beautiful alloy banding through the darkened steel and creating a striking contrast with the nickel and stainless layers above it. The convex bevels receive a smooth, silky satin polish that helps reduce drag through food. Hardened to 65 HRC, the core supports a fine working edge, while the spine tapers from 4.20 mm at the heel to just 0.81 mm near the tip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark’s signature hidden-tang handle combines stabilised ebony with highly figured Tasmanian blackwood. Between the two stunning timbers sits a hand-stippled bronze spacer, individually worked to create a tactile and visually distinctive transition. The handle’s complex museum-fit joinery, comfortable ergonomic facets and exceptional fit and finish reward close inspection, but its real success is felt in use: it sits exceptionally comfortably and securely in the hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe blade carries both the Cordina Customs maker’s mark and Mark’s hand-engraved signature, making his authorship unusually personal and visible. Supplied in a fitted wooden storage box, this is a highly resolved Australian-made gyuto in which tapered convex geometry, an engaging board profile and exceptional finishing work are brought together as one complete knife.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Cordina","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57279357387017,"sku":null,"price":1530.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0581\/7273\/5626\/files\/Gyuto237mmAogamiSuperStainlessGoMaiEbony_BronzeSignatureSeries0307.jpg?v=1787910231"},{"product_id":"gyuto-245mm-aogami-super-stainless-gomai-ebony-bronze-signature-series","title":"Gyuto 245mm Aogami Super Stainless GoMai Ebony \u0026 Bronze Signature Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt 245 mm along the edge and 62 mm high, this Signature Series gyuto has a generous working profile with substantial board clearance and a confident, well-controlled action. Mark Cordina’s tapered convex geometry gives the blade its performance foundation, while the coffee-etched Go Mai construction and exceptionally finished faceted handle place it firmly within his custom work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe blade uses a five-layer Go Mai construction built around an Aogami Super cutting core hardened to 65 HRC. Nickel interlayers and bright 304 stainless-steel cladding frame the deeply blackened carbon steel, where Mark’s coffee etch allows beautiful alloy banding to remain visible through the surface. The convex bevels are finished to a smooth, silky satin polish, helping to reduce drag through food while providing a precise visual transition beneath the etched core. From 4.15 mm at the heel, the spine tapers progressively to 0.95 mm near the tip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA custom faceted hidden-tang handle brings together stabilised ebony and highly figured Tasmanian blackwood, separated by a hand-stippled bronze spacer. This is one of Mark’s defining handle designs: complex museum-fit joinery, carefully considered ergonomic facets and exceptional fit and finish assembled into a handle that feels remarkably comfortable and secure. Between the two stunning timbers, the individually textured bronze gives the composition a tactile point of transition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth the Cordina Customs maker’s mark and Mark’s hand-engraved signature appear on the blade face. The treatment feels appropriate to a knife in which so much of the character comes from visible authorship—from the black coffee etch and silky bevel finish to the joinery and hand-worked bronze. Supplied in a fitted wooden storage box, this is a substantial, highly functional gyuto with an excellent board profile and the finish of a serious custom piece.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Cordina","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57279357616393,"sku":null,"price":1530.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0581\/7273\/5626\/files\/Gyuto245mmAogamiSuperStainlessGoMaiEbony_BronzeSignatureSeries02750282.jpg?v=1787910338"},{"product_id":"gyuto-240mm-aogami-super-stainless-gomai-ebony-bronze-signature-series","title":"Gyuto 240mm Aogami Super Stainless GoMai Ebony \u0026 Bronze Signature Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 240 mm Signature Series gyuto is a particularly complete expression of Mark Cordina’s work. Its confident profile, tapered convex geometry and exceptionally comfortable faceted handle give it the presence of a custom collector piece while keeping the experience firmly connected to performance on the board.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the centre of the five-layer Go Mai blade is an Aogami Super cutting core, hardened to 65 HRC and held between nickel interlayers and bright 304 stainless-steel cladding. A deep black coffee etch reveals subtle alloy banding through the carbon steel, set against the cleaner, brighter character of the nickel and stainless layers. The convex bevels are brought to a smooth, silky satin polish that helps reduce drag as the blade passes through food. The spine tapers from 4.34 mm at the heel to 0.95 mm near the tip, supporting a strong heel and increasingly fine forward geometry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe custom hidden-tang handle combines stabilised ebony, highly figured Tasmanian blackwood and Mark’s signature hand-stippled bronze spacer. Complex museum-fit joinery brings the materials together with remarkable precision, while the carefully shaped ergonomic facets make the handle exceptionally comfortable in the hand. The quality is visible in the seamless transitions and crisp junctions, but it is equally apparent in how naturally the handle locates and supports the grip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark’s hand-engraved signature appears on the blade face alongside the Cordina Customs maker’s mark. Together with the dark etched core, bright cladding, silky convex bevels and sculpted timber handle, it gives the knife an identity that is recognisably his. Presented in a fitted wooden storage box, this is a singular gyuto defined by high-performance geometry, assured board action and exceptional finishing work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Cordina","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57279365710089,"sku":null,"price":1530.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0581\/7273\/5626\/files\/Gyuto240mmAogamiSuperStainlessGoMaiEbony_BronzeSignatureSeries0266.jpg?v=1787910364"}],"url":"https:\/\/moderncooking.com\/en-gb\/collections\/mark-cordina.oembed","provider":"moderncooking.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}