Joyce Chen was a famous Chinese restaurateur and chef in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, who popularized and adapted typical Chinese recipes
for the average American palette and for our then limited grocery
stores. She ran her restaurant for many years and developed kitchen
products, books, and recipes aided by her daughter Helen. Joyce
Chen’s coined the term “Peking Ravioli” instead of “potstickers” as
a way for the high population of Italians in Boston to make her food
more accessible. Her restaurant has long since closed, but in the
late 70’s - 80’s, it was a mainstay for the hungry lunch time crowd
of biotech employees whose companies were out in the suburbs and
decent Chinese food was nowhere to be found. In her later years,
Joyce Chen contracted Alzheimer’s and passed away, but she still came
to the restaurant each day sitting at her favorite table greeting
each person like her family. In a sense we were.
The food at Joyce Chen’s was average by today’s more sophisticated
palette, but at the time quite popular and created a path to the
mysteries of Boston’s Chinatown, which bordered the infamous Red
Light district known as the “Combat Zone.”
The famous Joyce Chen Shears, are high quality kitchen snips which
can cut through chicken bone and tough meat tendon without losing
their edge. They are perfect for snipping sheet solder, fine silver
sheet, min 22 ga sheet and great for the starting snip for bezel
strips. You can easily find “Joyce Chen Shears” on Google.
I’m sure that Joyce Chen would smile and find it odd, that her
famous kitchen shear has found its way onto the benches of
goldsmiths. Maybe the ever present green jade and gold pendant, plus
the multitudes of gold and jade bracelets which jangled on her arm
really were good luck charms.
I’ve had my Joyce Chen shears for about 12 years. Good tool, in the
kitchen and in the studio.
Joyce Chen shears are kitchen shears that work well for metals of
light gauges. I think I got my pair from Allcraft, although I’m sure
that other suppliers also carry them.
That is pretty funny about the Joyce Chen shears. I have read to use
them in a tutorial in Jewelry Artist mag and thought to
myself…“Didn’t Joyce Chen make chinese food?”…what are they
talking about. But I also remember seeing Giacomo using some kind of
shear in one of his videos. I could not believe how easy it looked. I
have had NO training and am NOT very good with the saw…Have tried
to cut thin fine silver sheet and it got all bent up. As I was
struggling I thought to myself…I gotta find those scissors.
You always think there is some magic behind the curtain…and to see
shears being used. SO EASY!! and kitchen shears…really!
Would these be what I am looking for too:
http://www.contenti.com/products/shears/410-909.html
No, just do a search for Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors and those are
what you are looking for. The pricing ranges from $14-$28 depending
on where you purchase it. I’m sure you can find them at kitchen
stores, but you can also find them on Amazon and at the Joyce Chen
website.
Sandra Graves, Isis Rising and Stormcloud Trading Co (Beadstorm)
I ordered my Joyce Chen scissors from Sherry
Fotopolous…PMC123.com. They are stamped with the name…Joyce
Chen. Her e-mail is: Sherryfotopoulous at hotmail dot com.
These guys cut up to 22 ga - great scissors.
Someone mentioned the little Fiskars - I also use them - cut bezel
clean as a whistle. I learned about them in a class of Michael Boyd.
Not sure when purchased over the internet. But when you buy at a
kitchen shop, they are well identified in the product packaging.
Just called our Pasadena, CA, Sur la Table store and they carry
them: item #2941, $19.95. Ricky (store clerk) said that they are one
of the first items Sur la Table ever carried. Search the internet for
your nearest store and give them a call. Pasadena is one of their
large stores, which he says is a better bet than one their smaller
stores.
Noel, How does one know that they are getting the genuine Joyce
Chen Shears? Where is the best place to buy them.
I’m not talking about anything obscure or nefarious like
“counterfeit” Joyce Chens. I mean, don’t just go by appearance–
there are shears out there that look nearly the same, but don’t say
“Joyce Chen” on them. I have bought them at kitchen stores, ideally
at discount ones. When I took a workshop at the Revere Academy with
Marne Ryan, a couple of us were using them. Marne had never seen
them. She got so excited, she declared a break and everybody swarmed
to Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, whatever the upscale stores that are
across the street, and bought every pair the kitchen departments had.
yes they cut pennies, etc. Also heavy gauge wire (did some 12 gauge
tonight). I’ll try the link before i sent it to y’all.
also very inexpensive, but they work great. they do have serations
on the blades, but that is a very fine mark, and I have been able to
file it out without any problem.
I used to deal with a company called AliMed which provides emergency
response stuff. Check this link for their bandage scissors,
different sizes and styles from $ 4 to $41.
I’m not that John, of course. I just Googled Paramedic Bandage
Shears… this site doesn’t have Joyce Chen shears, but they sure
have a lotta other stuff: