I worked for a Pennsylvania furniture maker and designer who kept a basket full of small, organically shaped cutting boards on the floor of his office. They were made from choice hardwood scraps he couldn't bear to chuck onto the burn pile. I really liked them. They reminded me of the shapes Alexander Calder used for his mobiles and sculptures.

Later on, seeing the cutting boards Wharton Esherick made (he’s known as the “Dean of American Craftsmen”), the idea of making a beautiful, one-of-a-kind object out of something as basic and utilitarian as a cutting board hit home. That was about ten years ago.