photography , and charcoal .” After graduating from high school , Farace worked for Rob DuGrenier , an established glassblowing artist based in Townshend , Vermont , from 2005 to 2011 . “ We made all of the trophies for Viacom ,” says Farace . “ We did trophies for the MTV Movie & TV Awards , the ESPY Awards , and the Nickelodeon Kids ’ Choice Awards .” Farace also helped design and build custom chandeliers for several Harry Winston jewelry stores . “ I flew out to Beverly Hills and installed the first one that we built for the Harry Winston store on Rodeo Drive . I also worked on several other chandeliers , which were installed at Harry Winston stores in Osaka , Japan ; Nagoya , Japan ; and Milan , Italy .” When Farace finished working for Robert DuGrenier in 2011 , he went on to work in the construction industry for the next eight years . His years of experience as a tradesman strengthened his craftsmanship skills , laying the foundation for a seamless transition into knifemaking . “ After I met Kaila in 2019 , she told me to come to her shop and try making a knife . When I made my first knife , she said , ‘ You really have a knack for this !’”
Cumings says that while she showed Farace many of the fundamentals of knifemaking in the beginning , she didn ’ t have to teach him too much . “ I was teaching him the craft in the hopes that we could one day join together and run a business ,” says Cumings . “ I just showed him the basics , and he ran with it . He had a natural talent for it .” At the time , Farace was working part-time construction jobs in and around Brattleboro . “ It took a lot for him to drive back and forth from Vermont to New Hampshire ,” says Cumings . “ We ended up moving to Brattleboro together shortly after and working in the same shop .” Their first shop together was located in Bellows Falls . It was there that Farace acquired many of the knifemaking skills that he put to use during his appearance on HISTORY Channel ’ s Forged in Fire , which aired in November 2020 .
In his first appearance on Forged in Fire , Farace triumphed under pressure and won the day with his inspired creations . “ Looking back , the challenges were actually fairly easy ,” says Farace . “ The hard part was having the cameras in your face and getting pulled off set to do an interview when you were working on your blades .” When asked about what advice he would give to other future contestants , his response was simple : “ Don ’ t use the power hammer .”
In the years after Farace ’ s victory on Forged in Fire , he and Cumings have continued to work together , and they have recently moved their operation to a new photo : Dwelling Photography
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