The Stanton Social is a hip destination in New York City's Lower East Side. Far from being just a trendy destination, Owner-Chef Chris Santos serves up innovative and delicious Modern American cuisine.
Chris Santos started out as a dishwasher at age 13 and immediately fell in love with the kitchen. After graduating from Johnson and Wales in his home state of Rhode Island, he headed for Europe, then NY.
It didn't take him long to find Korin. But it wasn't the knives that he first bought. It was the tableware for the first restaurant he owned, Wyanoka, that wondrous place above Double Happiness.
Chris now uses many more Korin items, including tableware, kitchenware and knives. He buys knives not only for himself but for his kitchen staff.
“It's always good to have your standards in your back pocket! At Korin, there is so much to choose from. Five years ago I had three knives that I used everyday. Now I consistently use 10-14 knives for different chores.“
“I've learned that there are two things cooks take for granted: fire and knives. I like to work with my staff to help them learn how to control fire, and I like to help them see that that there's more to life than the first knife they bought.“
“I don't take it for granted that I always have the right knife. I have a Misono UX 10 as my basic petty knife and a Masanobu VG 10 Gyutou that is also among my basics. I particularly like the handles on the Masanobu line. As a chef, you're an artist and a craftsman, and so you need a full compliment of tools.“
“At Stanton Social I have 40 guys in the kitchen. And a couple of times a month I reward 3 or 4 of the guys with Togiharu knives. The Togiharu line is a great collection of everyday knives. So many of my cooks are young and fresh out of school and the guys can't always afford great knives when they're just starting out. Togiharu is a reasonably priced great performance line. It's got durability and it's comfortable with a great weight to balance ratio.“
“I like to match the knife to the person, so for the line cooks I might buy the Togiharu Molybdenum Santoku or Gyutou. For the sous chefs, it might be the Togiharu Inox Sujihiki so they can slice sashimi or thinner cuts.“
Chris has a devoted staff for a reason, and we appreciate him introducing his staff to Korin and the reasonably priced Togiharu collection. We hope to see them in the kitchens of his next two restaurants, both in the works, and on his upcoming television program. They're all sure to reflect Chris' unique sense of style and taste, which we are happy to say includes Korin.