About Trey & Cutler Connect
Meet Trey
Hey y’all — I’m Trey, a former chef turned knife sharpener based in New Braunfels, TX.
Over the course of a decade, I worked my way through professional kitchens across Central Texas and Colorado — from casual spots to fine dining — taking on just about every role a kitchen has to offer. Through all of it, one thing never changed: a deep belief that great service is just as important as great food. Caring about the people you’re cooking for, the team you’re working with, and the tools in your hands — that’s what separates good from exceptional.
That same mindset is what I bring to every knife I sharpen.
Learning the hard way
Spending all that time in professional kitchens. I know what it feels like to reach for a knife mid-service and have it fail you — dragging instead of gliding, wedging instead of slicing cleanly. A dull or poorly sharpened knife isn’t just frustrating, it’s a liability.
My obsession with sharpening started the hard way. I had a Messermeister Oliva Elite — my first and favorite knife I’d ever owned. It cut like it was reading mind mind. Then I made the mistake of handing it to a “professional” sharpener that come to the restaurant I worked at. I got it back sharp enough to pass a paper test, but something was clearly wrong. It wedged into food it used to glide through. The ease was gone. The geometry of the blade had been altered — and whoever sharpened it either didn’t know or didn’t care.
That frustration sent me down a rabbit hole. I learned that a truly sharp knife isn’t just about a fine edge — it’s about the full geometry of the blade: the taper, the bevel, the profile. Get those wrong and a knife will test sharp but perform poorly. Most sharpeners don’t touch this. I built my entire process around it.
My Process
I work with a combination of modern and traditional techniques. Heavy repairs, thinning, and reprofiling are handled on belt sanders — carefully, with close attention to heat management and surface finish. I never rush this step; overheating a blade can ruin the temper of the steel permanently.
The finishing work is done entirely on whetstones. Stones leave a toothy, refined edge that’s hard to replicate with machines alone — one that not only tests sharp but feels sharp in use. The result is a blade that cuts intentionally, follows your path, and performs the way it was designed to.
Most knives are ready the same day. I always give a 24–48 hour turnaround so I never have to rush work that isn’t mine to rush.
Why Cutler Connect
Why Cutler Connect
After a decade in the culinary industry, I wanted to build something of my own — a service that treated the tools of the trade with the same care that great cooks put into their food. Knives were always an extension of myself in the kitchen. The right edge makes the difference between a clean cut and a compromised one, between confidence and frustration.
Cutler Connect serves both home cooks and professional chefs in New Braunfels and the surrounding area. Whether you cook for your family every night or run a line during dinner service, your knives deserve to perform. I offer both mobile service — coming directly to you — and drop-off service at a fixed location, whatever works best for your schedule.
When you hand me your knife, you’re trusting me with a tool you rely on. I don’t take that lightly.
