Indianapolis Chef Offers $500 For The Safe Return Of His Favorite Knife

Neal Brown, an Indianapolis chef who owns Pizzology Craft Pizza and Pub and the Libertine Liquor Bar, is offering $500 to the person who can find his favorite knife, one of four that was stolen from the trunk of his car in mid-August.

The $1,000 knife, a custom-made tool crafted by fifth-generation Japanese artisans, was the first major purchase Brown made as a professional chef, some 10 years ago. According to his specifications, Brown's knife is a right-handed yanagi knife — a long, ultra-thin knife used to prepare raw fish and seafood — from his early days in a sushi restaurant, and has a handle made of deer horn.

"It takes time to build a relationship with those things, and when you do build a relationship to those knives, you're married to them," Brown told Indy Star.

On Facebook, the chef promised $500 to the person who would be able to provide "information or the direct return of my tools. No questions asked, and no prosecution. I just want my knife back."