Welcome New Team Members to District Cutlery

Recently the Swanson brothers welcomed two new knife enthusiasts to the District Cutlery Team. Zach Peters and Ozzie Mendoza will expand our service offerings to include Japanese handle repair and installation, corporate sharpening accounts and a more streamlined online shopping experience.

Ozzie brings over 20 years of service industry experience, including 12 years as a chef, to District Cutlery's mobile knife sharpening services. Throughout nearly a decade in New Orleans as a chef, he honed the knife sharpening skills that are essential in any professional kitchen. When he grew tired of the demands of working in kitchens, he was fortunate to discover a passion for Japanese cutlery, which deepened his expertise and love for the craft. Later, Ozzie started his own sharpening business in Puerto Rico, which was modeled after the techniques and standards of District Cutlery, funny enough. When he eventually moved back to the States and settled in DC, he made it a priority to connect with the very sharpeners who inspired his approach. Now, Ozzie lead mobiles sharpening operations for District Cutlery in DC and the surrounding areas, combining  deep culinary experience with sharpening expertise to ensure your blades perform at their best.

Ozzie likes fancy food, old school videogames and long walks on the beach. 

Zach Peters comes to us as the new General Manager of District Cutlery. Zach brings years of sharpening and online knife sales experience to our team to help us grow in the years ahead. Zach and Co-Owner Ryan were friendly competitors when Zach had worked for another online Japanese knife retailer and had caught Ryan’s attention with his amazing knowledge of Japanese knifemakers, his quick and precise handle installations, and of course his amazing free-hand stone sharpening. Ryan would often send knives for Zach to rehandle, and Zach would often send Ryan knives to be thinned or heavily repaired. Having been ‘online’ acquaintances for a few years, they met in person at Blade Show in Atlanta in 2023 and quickly became friends due to their similar passions and outward generosity in sharing their knowledge with others. When the recent opportunity arose to bring Zach into the District Cutlery family, Ryan did not hesitate. With Zach on board, we look forward to bringing you the best of what a knife shop can and should offer and will strive to push our personal talents to be recognized as some of the best in the country.