During their stages at the Harrison, Evan met his current business partner Christian, who was also a graduate at the French Culinary Institute. They began to cater small private events, from cocktail parties to multi-course dinners, and discovered that collectively they could produce high quality cuisine and superior service for their events. In response to the high demand for their services, Knives & Fire was created.

Knives & Fire’s cuisine not only sources the best local ingredients, but also reflects the diversity, vitality and energy of New York City, where both of these young men make their home.

Christian aka “ChefTione” Page

Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Christian has always been fascinated with cooking by watching his family prepare meals. At his childhood home there were blueberry, raspberry, and asparagus patches, egg laying hens, large scale produce gardens, apple trees, and bee hives for extracting honey. He has traveled extensively around the rest of the country and world exploring culinary traditions from California to France to Japan. These diverse experiences have all led him to his inner belief that the care that one puts into selecting ingredients and the respect with which they are prepared is essential to the quality and enjoyment of the end product.

Christian began his culinary career at the age of 13, working in a restaurant in New Canaan, CT near his hometown of Stamford. From there he went on to run the dining services at many country clubs in Fairfield County. He has cooked in many of New York City's finest restaurants including The Harrison, Savoy, and Daniel. Christian also worked on the operational and financial end, consulting for multiple restaurants.

He holds a Grand Diplome du Cuisine from the French Culinary Institute, a certificate in Restaurant Management from Cornell University, and degrees in Finance and Operations and Quality Management from the University of Maryland.

Evan Madden-Peister

Evan was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. At an early age he was exposed to the myriad of cuisines and diversity of culture that New York has to offer, which began to shape him as a cook and person.

Evan graduated from the University of Rochester with a BA in History and returned to New York City where worked as a paralegal. After awhile, he began to consider a career in the culinary world and decided to follow his passion and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute. In July of 2005 he graduated with an Outstanding Service Award for his contributions within the culinary community.

During his time at the French Culinary Institute, Evan also began to extern at the Harrison under Executive Chef Brian Bistrong. There he received guidance, improved his technique, and acquired an understanding of the importance of quality ingredients, seasonality, refinement and imagination. Chef Bistrong’s eclectic and creative use of ingredients from different cuisines resonated with Evan’s experience as a New Yorker, while his training in classical French techniques served to further solidify the culinary foundation he had established at the French Culinary Institute. After his externship, Evan took a job at the Sony Club, then worked his way through every station at the Harrison, while working as a free-lance chef for some of New York’s most prominent catering companies.