While on a trip of a lifetime, Appalachian Revelators owner and craftsman Seth Guthrie set out on another journey he couldn’t have anticipated.
At one particular stop on a 50-day hike through the Scottish Highlands in 2013, he helped a proprietor named Jacque build a bridge across the River Mallie. Prior to that turning point, Guthrie had never built anything, especially not without power tools, but he was hooked.
Upon returning home to Greenville, he began the R&D that would lead to a full-time business creating custom hardwood kitchen boards, utensils, and furniture made with respect to natural materials and old-style craftsmanship.
With walnut, oak, maple, mahogany, and cherry woods sourced from public lands in the nearby mountains and lumber yards when necessary, Guthrie carves pieces designed to last for decades. Natural, untreated hardwoods sealed with a mixture of beeswax and oil are ideal for culinary uses, Guthrie says, because of their resistance to bacteria. His carving technique of going with the grain amplifies the beauty of the wood, while artful touches make Guthrie’s boards especially unique.
“I create things and can support my family,” Guthrie says. “I’m trying to enjoy my life and do something I enjoy.”
To view more of Seth Guthrie’s work or to purchase, go to appalachian-revelators.com.
Photography by Paul Mehaffey
