My Business Name: Chester P. Basil's

Chester = (an old friend of mine) P for (perseverance) Basil (my favorite herb)

My Name: Mark Hamm

American Woodenware

          From the days of the open hearth , through wood fired cooking stoves, to today’s modern ranges, great cooks have always kept an assortment of wooden spoons, paddles, boards and other functional woodenware close by. Their forms have taken many shapes over the centuries. The early settlers brought with them different ideas of what a wooden spoon or paddle should look like, based on their various ethnic backgrounds. These ideas have gone through a melting pot to form the basic shapes we have today. The types of wood and the tools used to shape them have also seen changes over the years. The early settler, whose very existence was based on his ability to take raw materials and transform them into functional items. Many a pioneer would spend countless hours during the long winter nights, working by the light of the hearth, to fashion wood into functional shapes for the kitchen and farm.

          The Good Ship Hampshire docked in the port of Philadelphia in the year 1756. Three brothers ,my ancestors, began a relationship with the land through farming and the working of wood. This reverence for all things natural still resonates with me. The woodenwares I make with my hands are for the present and the future, as well as the past.

          Cherry and maple are predominantly the woods I use in making my wares. The use of mineral oil when the wood appears to be dry, is recommended. On occasion the surface may roughen from soaking in liquid, this can be smoothed with fine sandpaper or a Scotch Brite pad if desired, but continued use will accomplish the same thing.