Entertaining for Beginners

Art likes to start a dinner party with easy-to-assemble appetizers like Salmon Carpaccio , chilled, thinly sliced fish with an herb coating served with cream.

When cutting the salmon, Art says specialty knives are overrated. "I'd rather have two excellent knives than a set of bad ones," he says. His favorites are a three-and-a-half-inch LamsonSharp parer for peeling, dicing and slicing; and a seven-inch Kullenschliff Sankotu knife for fish, chicken and larger vegetables.