Manual food slicing apparatus including a retractable blade assembly

A manual food slicing apparatus for slicing a food material and produce food cuts, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame defining a sliding area having at least one aperture, the sliding area being configured for receiving the food material when abutted to and pressured against the sliding area;
• a main blade being mounted about the frame and extending in parallel relation to the sliding area to slice the food material being displaced in a forward displacement direction along the sliding area;
• a blade assembly being mounted about the frame and positioned upstream of the main blade in a longitudinal direction of the sliding area, the blade assembly comprising a blade set comprising multiple spaced apart blades being positioned in a row that extends in a transverse direction of the sliding area;
• a retraction mechanism being operatively connected to the blade assembly and being actuable to cause movement of the blade assembly in response to the displacement of the food material in a rearward displacement direction, wherein the blade assembly is moveable between:
• a cutting position wherein the blade set extends upwardly from the sliding area and through the at least one aperture of the frame to perform longitudinal cuts in the food material upon sliding the food material against the blade set in the forward displacement direction of the sliding area, and
• a biased position when the blade set is retracted below the sliding area and through the at least one aperture to avoid cutting the food material upon sliding the food material in the rearward displacement direction of the sliding area;
• and
• a locking mechanism being operatively connected to the retraction mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism is selectively moveable between:
• a locked position where the locking mechanism prevents actuation of the retraction mechanism, thereby preventing movement of the blade assembly from the cutting position to the biased position, and
• an unlocked position where the locking mechanism allows actuation of the retraction mechanism, thereby allowing movement of the blade assembly between the cutting position and the biased position;
• wherein the blade assembly is configured to automatically move back from the biased position to the cutting position when the retraction mechanism is released.