Introducing the Folks Chef Waffle Edition

On 2 March, in collaboration with Guide Dogs Singapore and Kevin Chiam, Mighty Jaxx is proud to release the Folks Chef Waffle Edition. A kitchen knife and chopping board set that’s specially designed to reduce injuries in the kitchen, empowering the visually impaired to prepare food in a safe way.

A Specially Designed Kitchenware Set

Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment or vision loss, is a decreased ability to see to a degree that causes problems not fixable by usual means, such as glasses. According to the WHO, at least 2.2 billion people globally have vision impairment. Specially designed tools like Folks Kitchenware aim to empower the visually impaired with everyday activities, such as cooking.

 

Leveraging on sensory feedback and tactile cues to help the visually impaired prepare food safely with confidence, the specially designed tools by James Dyson Award winner Kevin Chiam feature a retractable guard for the knives that guides and safeguards the user’s fingers during cutting transitions; and modular chopping board side trays that facilitate with ingredient transfer.

Going Hands-on With Folks Chef Waffle Edition

We invited En Nee and Nuraziana, clients of Guide Dogs Singapore down to our studio to give the Folks Chef Waffle Edition a try. En Nee is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that causes the cells of the retina to die progressively. Nuraziana is diagnosed with terminal stage juvenile glaucoma, diagnosed at the age of 9, her optic nerve has deteriorated leaving her with only less than 10% of her vision.

Both women face common challenges in the kitchen, such as getting cut by knives or burnt by hot pots. However, both are determined to cook as being able to independently cook empowers them and doesn’t let their diagnosis define who they are. As they make use of the Folks Chef Waffle Edition to cut some vegetables, we can see the smiles on their faces as they go through the task briskly and with ease; the confidence brought about with Kevin Chiam’s smart design.

Concept artist Samantha, the mind behind the Chef Waffle corgi, also tries her hand with the set. With blindfolds on, she learns how the visually impaired make sense of their tools and space as they go about everyday tasks like cooking. Samantha also shares with us the concept behind the design of the Chef Waffle corgi.

Watch the full video on the Mighty Jaxx YouTube channel.

Donating The Proceeds

100% of the proceeds from the sale of Folks Chef Waffle Edition will be donated to Guide Dogs Singapore. Guide Dogs Singapore is a non-profit social service agency, that aims to enhance the quality of life for people with vision impairment through rehabilitation and the use of guide dogs, and help them to integrate into society.

Additionally, for every set of Folks Chef Waffle Edition sold, Mighty Jaxx will donate a set to Guide Dogs Singapore for the benefit of their beneficiaries.

Order the Folks Chef Waffle Edition from 2 March, 9 am ET for $99 with free shipping worldwide.