The Ergo Chef Story--A Family Affair
Brothers Scott and Mike Staib founded Ergo Chef after Sous Chef Scott was forced into early retirement due to tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome from the repetitive motion injuries caused by frequent knife use. The brothers put their professional skills together (Mike is an engineer) and worked closely with designers at the family’s design and machining company in New England to examine how a conventional knife fits in a chef’s hand, the movement of a chef’s wrist and hand during chopping and the angle at which a knife hits the cutting board. Together, they crafted a knife that was a true extension of a chef’s hand. After just three weeks of using the ergonomically-designed knives, Scott’s persistent tendonitis and carpal tunnel symptoms disappeared. He created 50 prototypes of the knives and sent them to professional chefs, student chefs and culinary professors across the country. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and Ergo Chef was born in 2002.