Photo Karen Graham.
Wilfred Elzner with his original hand crafted kitchen tool.
Wilfred Elzner has energy to burn. After a year-long retirement trip in an RV, he returned to his home in Cobourg looking for a new direction for his efforts.
His attention to detail led him to create hand-crafted wooden spoons. Timeless and versatile, these kitchen tools don’t conduct heat, improve with age and are naturally resistant to many types of bacteria. Beautiful, practical and unique, they were ideal products for the annual One of a Kind craft show in Toronto, so he booked a booth a few years ago and sold 1000 units. His product was a hit!
Elzner uses only cherry and Applewood in the creation of his utensils, scavenging the raw material for his products during his extensive weekly bike trips around his Cobourg home. Each spoon is the result of hours of carving, sanding and finishing, resulting in beautiful and functional kitchen tools.
His favourite piece he calls a Löfftel, which is a combination of the German words for spoon and spatula. This hybrid utensil is perfect for stirring and its shape allows the cook to get into the edges of the pot and it has a small indentation for tasting. Each tool is unique because they are hand crafted for utility as well as beauty, highlighting the grain of the wood.
Elzner has introduced other product lines including serving boards and French style rolling pins which exhibit his attention to detail and ability to ensure the beauty of the wood is featured.
These days most of Elzner’s sales come from his website, but he attends local markets including the Millbrook and Cobourg Farmers’ markets where visitors can gain a better appreciation for his unique products. He knows he could expand the business, but he has other interests to pursue so he limits his production to two days a week. All that time sitting requires a more active pastime on other days, and that’s where the biking comes in. For more information, visit www.elzneroriginals.com. KG