Aries Gifts for the Kitchen: The Story of Our First Custom Board

Every shop has a first order. Ours came from a coworker of Josh’s who wanted something for an Aries and who trusted us before we had a single thing to show anyone. That board is the one in these photos. It is still the piece we point to when people ask what we actually make.

We have made plenty since. This one still comes up first.

First And Fast Aries

Aries runs March 21 to April 19. First sign of the zodiac, a fire sign, ruled by Mars, represented by the ram. Put those together, and you get the personality everybody already recognizes. The one who goes first. The one who decides fast. The one who would genuinely rather do something imperfectly right now than perfectly next week.

The ram goes headfirst. That is the whole brief.

What An Aries Is Like In The Kitchen

This is the part that made the board fun to design, because a cutting board is not a neutral object. It goes to somebody who cooks, and Aries cook in a very particular way.

They start before they are ready. Mise en place is a lovely idea that happens to other people. An Aries reads the first two steps of a recipe, decides they have the gist, and turns the burner on.

They cook hot and fast. Sear, char, blister, flame. Cast iron is an Aries pan. A braise that needs four unattended hours is not beyond them, but they will open the lid six times.

They are competitive about it. Ask an Aries to bring a side dish,h and you will receive a side dish engineered to beat the other side dishes. They will also tell you it was no trouble.

They improvise instead of measuring, then take it personally when it works. Every Aries has one dish they invented once, cannot reproduce, and still brings up.

And chili heat is not a problem to be managed. It is the point.

And As A Host

Aries hosting is less a dinner party and more an event that happens to you. The invitation lands with about ninety minutes of notice. Somebody gets sent out for ice. There is far too much food for the number of people confirmed, because more people are always about to turn up.

They will put something on the table before it is properly plated, because waiting is worse than imperfect. They will start a debate over dinner on purpose and enjoy it more than the meal. And they will be the last one up at the end of the night, proposing one more thing.

That is exactly the kind of person a cutting board suits as a gift. It is not a decorative object that lives in a box. It goes straight onto the counter and into use.

Project Details

Medium-sized bamboo, 10 by 15 inches. Big enough to break down a chicken or lay out a full charcuterie spread, small enough to live on the counter instead of in a cupboard.

The design is not printed on, painted on, or applied as vinyl. It is burned into the wood itself through a heat reaction, so the color you are looking at is the wood, not a layer sitting on top of it. It will not peel, lift, or wash away, and it deepens a little with age rather than fading.

Finished in a clear butcher block oil, which makes it food-safe and meant for real use. 

Cut on it. That is what it is for.

Keeping Your Board In Good Shape

Hand wash, never the dishwasher. Dry it standing on edge rather than lying flat. Re-oil whenever the surface starts to look dry, which tends to be every few weeks with regular use and more often through winter.