ABOUT VALLEY SHARP

Meet Darin Gagner: The Chef Behind the Edge

Valley Sharp was founded in 2022 by Darin Gagner, born from a 25-year career as a professional chef and culinary instructor.

For Darin, sharpening was never just a chore, it was an obsession. After spending decades relying on his tools in high-pressure kitchens, he needed to understand exactly why a knife performs the way it does. He moved beyond simple sharpness, studying the complex relationship between steel metallurgy and edge geometry.

Darin spent countless late nights and early mornings in his workshop, moving beyond just being a user of knives to a master of their maintenance. He discovered that while bringing two angles together may look simple on the surface, true sharpness happens at the microscopic level.

Today, Darin applies the same discipline to sharpening that he did to fine dining. It’s a craft where knowledge is hard-earned, and the challenge is never-ending.

Behind the Scenes, It’s a Family Affair!

Darin and Julie Gagner reside in Kittitas County, dividing their time between mobile knife sharpening events in Seattle, Bellevue and Issaquah and knife sharpening appointments in Cle Elum, Ellensburg and Roslyn. When they aren’t managing the day to day operations of the business, you’ll often find them at home or enjoying the outdoors with their two adorable sons, twelve loud chickens and two pesky cats.