Unicorn Kitchenware is the chef supplies shop minutes from the Melbourne CBD, equipping the city's culinary professionals with high-performance commercial knives and durable chef utensils. From precision Western blades to heavy-duty Asian cleavers, our range is curated for the strict demands of commercial prep lines. We stock industry-leading brands like Victorinox and Global, alongside specialised filleting knives, honing steels and essential hand sharpening tools. Handle them in the Richmond showroom, then collect the same day.
Shop Commercial Chef Knives & Utensils
Equip your kitchen prep stations with the right hand tools. Browse our comprehensive commercial inventory below:
Professional Chef Knives
Commercial Kitchen Utensils
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How to Sharpen Commercial Chef Knives
While we don’t offer in-house sharpening services for knives, we do stock a comprehensive selection of whetstones, honing steels, and knife sharpeners.
Whetstones: These sharpen dull knives by removing metal and are essential to get the best and longest-lasting sharp edge.
Honing Steels: Steels help to retain the edges of knives without removing much metal. They just help to straighten out any folding over of metal on a blade’s edge, or any small chips that are caused by the blade hitting hard surfaces like bones.
Mechanical Sharpeners: These offer a quick and convenient way to sharpen, but do not give the precise edge that a whetstone would.
The 4 main brands of knives we stock are Victorinox, Global, Tramontina and Kiwi. To help our Melbourne clients choose the right tool for the job, we categorise them by performance:
Victorinox: Known for its reliability and durability, these Swiss-made knives are functional with a good grip. They are highly dependable, and we consider them the workhorse of the kitchen. You could liken them to a Toyota or Volvo.
Global: Featuring a distinct, modern design, this brand represents a ‘revolutionary’ break-away from traditional Western, heavy-forged knives. They are a more premium, stylish knife that offer precision performance. Think of them as the Tesla or Audi.
Tramontina: Made in Brazil, these are tough knives that offer good value-for-money. They are dependable and solid like Fords.
Kiwi: These ultra-affordable blades are lightweight and come razor sharp out of the package. They perform amazingly well for the price, especially for vegetable prep and quick kitchen tasks. They don’t have the edge retention or prestige of the higher-end brands, but they’re easy to sharpen, cheap to replace, and very practical. They get the job done, like a Hyundai.
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Victorinox, Global, Tramontina & Kiwi Knives Compared
unicorn kitchenware
frequently asked questions
Where can I buy chef supplies near the Melbourne CBD?
Unicorn Kitchenware at 200 Victoria Street, Richmond is a few minutes from the Melbourne CBD and stocks commercial chef supplies including knives, tools and utensils. The showroom is open to trade and public, with same-day click and collect on orders placed before 11am.
Do you supply knife kits to apprentices and culinary students?
Apprentice chefs and culinary students can buy from us directly, and no trade account is required. Bring your course requirement list into the Richmond showroom and our team will help you put a starter kit together around it. Most first-year lists specify more knives than an apprentice will genuinely use, so it is worth getting advice before committing to the full set.
Students and other regular customers are encouraged to sign up to our Loyalty Program to gain access to loyalty discounts and other perks. You will also collect points with every shop and redeem points for savings on purchases in-store. Membership is free and only takes a few minutes to set up.
Can I buy a single knife, or do I need to buy a set?
Single knives are available across every brand we carry. Sets appear to offer better value, but most include two or three blades a working kitchen rarely reaches for, and the same spend across fewer, better knives will serve you considerably longer. We recommend handling a few in the showroom
Do you stock commercial kitchen utensils as well as knives?
The utensils range runs alongside the knives: stainless steel basting spoons, ladles, tongs, skimmers, strainers, scrapers, spatulas and piano whisks, from Chef Inox, Trenton, Caterax and Mondo. Stainless holds up better than plastic in commercial service, since it will not melt against a hot pan or soften in a glasswasher. Replace a utensil as soon as the handle works loose or the edge chips, because rough edges and cracks are where bacteria sit, and they are the kind of thing an inspector notices.