In 1990, Kyle Ellison was a newly christened "house husband". Having chosen to leave the working world to care for his baby at home, he began in his free time to develop a design from an old wooden tong pattern he had discovered.

The original tongs were held together with a wood dowel, which swelled when wet and shrank and fell out when dry. Kyle's first modification was to replace that dowel with a brass hinge pin. He designed his new piece with longer springs (harder for him to steam but more efficient and long-wearing for the user), a wider blade, and curved ends which conformed to the curve of a salad bowl. Then he chose his woods: wild cherry, black walnut, white oak, and sugar maple, and created a beautiful, natural finish.

The response was immediate: all of Kyle's friends and relatives soon had the Kentucky Spring prototype. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Our family uses these salad tongs every day at the table. It's so easy to simply rinse them after the meal, fold them flat and put them in the drawer. Kentucky Spring Tongs operate smoothly in the hand and are great for potlucks, when we need one hand free to hold a plate while serving with the other.

Note: Inevitably, this pattern has been imitated by others. What imitators lack is the generous use of materials and the quality that Kyle incorporates into his product. Kentucky Spring tongs are simply the best.

Woods available: white oak, wild cherry, black walnut, and sugar maple.

Kentuck Spring Salad Tongs:
$14.95