I'd stay away from fancy woods in a kitchen knife. Kitchen knives get wet, caked with food, and stained. My advice would be to stick with production knives, Wusthof, J. A. Henckels (twin, not international), Shun, and Global. If you want something not all of her friends will have, get something like a Sabatier, Nenox, or Tojiro.
Lastly, this is going to sound lame, but just like with a gun, let her put her hands on them and make the decision herself.
Lastly, this is going to sound lame, but just like with a gun, let her put her hands on them and make the decision herself.