Edgecraft Corporation Records
name: label: Creator
content: Smith, Jeff, 1939-2004
label: Creator
content: Child, Julia, 1912-2004
label: Creator
content: Guthrie, Janet, 1938-
label: Creator
content: Edgecraft Corporation
label: Creator
content: Friel, Daniel D.
label: Creator
content: Claiborne, Craig
label: Creator
content: Yan, Martin, 1948-
topic: label: Topic
content: Cutlery trade
label: Topic
content: Kitchen utensil industry
label: Topic
content: Knives
label: Topic
content: Kitchen utensils
label: Topic
content: Knife sharpening
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated by the Edgecraft Corporation, 2016.
creator: label: Creator
content: Smith, Jeff, 1939-2004
label: Creator
content: Child, Julia, 1912-2004
label: Creator
content: Guthrie, Janet, 1938-
label: Creator
content: Edgecraft Corporation
label: Creator
content: Friel, Daniel D.
label: Creator
content: Claiborne, Craig
label: Creator
content: Yan, Martin, 1948-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Edgecraft Corporation Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the development and marketing of the Chef's Choice brand of knife sharpeners.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: EdgeCraft Corporation, founded by Daniel Denwood Friel (1920-2012), introduced the Chef's Choice brand to the consumer market in 1984.  Chef's Choice brand's first product was the electric knife sharpener which debuted in 1985. The electric knife sharpener was the invention of Friel, a retired chemical engineer. Born to Samuel Edward Whiting Friel and Martha Reynolds Friel in Queenstown, Queen Anne's, Maryland, Friel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1942. He began his career on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago in 1943. Mr. Friel's career path continued with thirty-nine years of experience as a chemical engineer with the DuPont Company. His retirement from DuPont was short lived as he turned his attention to the development of his new company, EdgeCraft Corporation, and an ever-increasing line of products. EdgeCraft Corporation, located in Avondale, Pennsylvania, continues to manufacture a large selection of electric and manual knife sharpeners, kettles, electric food slicers, waffle makers, electric grills, grinders, and hot beverage makers.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Cubic feet (3 boxes, 1 map-folder)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1984-2016, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1382
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Catalogs
label: Type
content: Articles
label: Type
content: Financial records
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Press releases
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Audio cassettes
label: Type
content: Videocassettes
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Point-of-purchase displays
label: Type
content: Advertisements
label: Type
content: Design drawings
label: Type
content: Clippings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into two series.


Series 1, Company Records, 1984-1993, undated 

Series 2, Product Materials, 1984-2016, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, supervisory archivist, 2018.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Catalogs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Articles -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Financial records -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Business records -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Articles -- 21st century
label: Genre/Form
content: Press releases -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Audio cassettes -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Videocassettes -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Point-of-purchase displays -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Advertisements -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Design drawings -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Clippings -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection documents the development, marketing, and sales of the Chef's Choice brand of knife sharpeners to a home-based consumer market. Materials include both American and foreign print advertisements, press releases, press kits, point-of-purchase displays, magazine articles, catalogs, photographs, trade literature, audiovisual materials including VHS recordings of demonstrations, design drawings, business records, and scrapbooks. Of interest is the materials relating to chefs and food service industry professionals and EdgeCraft Corporation's evolution from serving the home cook to manufacturing products for commercial use.  The collection is arranged in two series: Series 1, Company Records, 1984-1993, undated and Series 2, Product Information, 1984-2016, undated.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History


Julia Child Award Winners Collection NMAH.AC.01371

Smithsonian Institution Archives


Smithsonian Associates, Resident Associate Program, Accession 03-086