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Young Entrepreneur Fires Up New Business

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Blair Garrett

Exploring a new passion is one of life’s most exciting qualities.

Emmitsburg’s Tanner Shorb, 12, is a middle schooler turned entrepreneur, finding joy in one of the oldest-known industries in existence. 

At just nine years old, Shorb began crafting metal, creating tools, hooks, knives, and anything else he could come up with. He has become tremendously good at forging metal by keeping it simple, “I just start with a bar of whatever I want to make something out of, and then I bend it on the anvil to make it look the way I want,” Shorb said.

He initially drew his inspiration from an unlikely source, but he has since found that he’s got a natural knack for blacksmithing. “I started from watching Forged In Fire,” Shorb said.

Forged In Fire is a popular game show on the History Channel, where four contestants compete for money to create the best bladed weapon they can make.

Shorb’s skills forging metal have come a long way, and he’s been able to turn his hobby into an official business. “He just set up for the first time on Mother’s Day weekend,” Tanner’s father DJ Shorb said. “They had him all set up out there at Frontier Bar B Q, and he’s going to go back there Father’s Day weekend. He fits in well there, too, because you have pit beef, Jason carving logs with a chainsaw, and [Tanner] as the blacksmith.”

Locals were able to get a glimpse at the craftsmanship that goes into Shorb’s handmade pieces, and despite the rain, he even made some sales on his first big weekend.

“I had people stopping by just to watch.” Blacksmithing is a hard-to-find skill these days, and the sight of a 12-year-old intricately shaping metal is not one you see every day. Shorb has even built his own display set to show off some of his finest pieces, including detailed metal Mother’s Day flowers.

His father, DJ Shorb, has seen his son’s craftsmanship and attention to detail for a long time. “He forges everything himself,” DJ said. “I’m a carpenter, so he comes and helps me all the time with projects.”

He’s no stranger to woodworking either. In addition to helping his father, Shorb has made his own walking sticks, too.

“He isn’t afraid to get dirty, and he isn’t afraid to work,” DJ said.

Blacksmithing is something Shorb has had the drive to do for a long time, and with a little help from his family, he has been able to make it a reality.

“When he was nine, all he wanted for Christmas was a forge, an anvil, and a vice,” DJ said. “He’s a real hard worker, so if he wants to do it, I’m all for it.”

The young go-getter already has a logo and a business name branded. While ‘Tanner’s Forge’ is just getting started, he has a lot of room to grow and to continue cultivating his metalworking. This industry may even be a long-term destination for him.

“I could see a career in this,” Shorb said.

Aside from his gig producing professional-quality products, Shorb goes to school and has a full schedule of baseball.

Kids with the attitude and drive that Tanner Shorb has inspire hope that the next generation will do great things. That ingrained hard-working nature leads down a road toward a bright future.

To catch Shorb in action, stop by his spot at Frontier Bar B Q on Father’s Day weekend to see something truly unique.

Tanner demonstrates how he operates his blacksmithing forge.

Starting with a red hot piece of metal, Tanner hammers the substrate on his anvil into a small horseshoe for a decorative item one of his clients custom-ordered.

Tanner displays a small portion of hand-crafted items he has produced. The forged metal items include crosses, hanging hooks, delicate flowers, and jewelry. He also specializes in making “Squirrel Cookers,” to be used over an open flame or around the campfire.

The Supermarket Gourmet

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These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Buck Reed

Rolling pins flattening pizzas and sweets.

Cast iron skillets that sear and brown up our meats.

Chef knives that cut up our veggies like bling.

These are a few of my favorite chef things!

As a personal chef, I have been in more than a few home kitchens, so I can tell who actually cooks and who does not. No, I do not pass judgment, although I would like to see more people cooking. I can usually tell if they cook by the gadgets that fill their drawers, or the lack of them. Sometimes their gadgets are carefully put away in the packages they came in.

So, what kind of culinary tools do you need? First, we must determine what kind of cook you are. Wood workers use different tools then metal workers. One of the reasons professional chefs have so many tools is we aspire to be proficient in so many culinary disciplines.

A few things or gadgets that every cook needs include the following:

 

Instant Read Thermometer. A good thermometer can help you accurately measure the temperature of cooked poultry and meats, as well as bread and baked goods.

Knives. In your kitchen, you want knives that you are comfortable using, but if you are going to use them every day, try to use the knives that are designed for specific tasks.

Chinese Cleaver. This looks like a battle ax, but when used properly, it is a precision culinary instrument. With practice, it can be used to chop or slice most anything you might need, plus the size of it makes it great for transferring ingredients and can even double as a make-shift spatula.

Rubber Spatula. This is great for getting the last bit out of a mixing bowl. Getting a silicone one that can stand the heat of up to 400° can be used to stir soups and sauces without fear of scratching the bottom of your pan.

Cast Iron Skillet. There is a reason your grandmother used one of these for everything: they are awesome, just like her. They are great for searing steaks and poultry, and if you haven’t used one to bake your cornbread you are missing out. This pan was made for pan roasting.

Tongs. These are great for turning food over in a hot pan, as well as transferring portions to a plate. Note: Meat Forks are for slicing and serving prepared food, not as a cooking tool. As your meat is cooking, you do not want to poke holes in it and allow the juices to escape.

Dishers (AKA ice cream scoop). These are great for portioning food and can be used by bakers to accurately portion cookies or drop biscuits.

Mandoline Slicer. I had to include this in the list, because when I was on cruise ships, it was said I couldn’t cook without one. But unless you are slicing 80 pounds of zucchini or 75 pounds of potatoes, this may not be worth having.

 

With all the fancy kitchen and cooking gadgets coming out on TV, it can be difficult deciding what you need and what you can do without. A good rule of thumb before buying something new: Will you use it, and can you use it, for more than one function?

Have a question about this article or any articles from the past? Maybe you have an idea about a future article. If so, I would love to hear from you at rguyinthekitchen@aol.com.