EPISODE 53

The Man Who Reinvented Knives and Pans:

Mark Henry founder of SolidTeknics

Listen: ON SPOTIFY

Watch: ON YOUTUBE

In this episode of the BEHIND Podcast, we sit down with Mark Henry, the backyard-inventor-turned-engineer who changed the way chefs and home cooks think about knives and pans.

From tinkering in sheds and making fishing rods with his grandfather, to building one of the most innovative knife companies in Australia, to selling in the U.S. during the chaos of 2008—Mark’s story is a reminder that the best gear often comes from the dirt under your fingernails, not a boardroom.

We talk about what it takes to stand behind a product with a multi-century warranty, the brutal reality of selling to private equity, and how a small Australian outfit managed to create the world’s only one-piece stainless steel pans.

Along the way, Mark shares stories of wandering through closed towns in China, the mistakes big money makes when it forgets about tomorrow’s customers, and why real innovation doesn’t come from chasing fads—it comes from obsession.

This is part history lesson, part engineering masterclass, and part campfire yarn. If you’ve ever wondered why a good knife feels right in the hand, why cast iron cracks while wrought iron holds strong, or why you should never trust plastic in your cookware—this one’s for you.

Stick around to the end—you’ll hear about prototypes not even on the market yet, and why Mark believes Australian manufacturing can still lead the world.