# sad news



## JBroida (Nov 26, 2012)

I was just reading through some forums before going to sleep and i saw on FF that someone had posted a new thread "sad news"... as i read through it i couldnt belive it... the guy was saying that my friend KCMA who many of you know had died this past week... i had literally just talked to him days before. i couldnt believe it... i called his phone and then checked on facebook... its for real. I dont know how many of you really knew him, but we had worked together and had become good friends over the years... he just got married and sara and i met his wife for the first time the week we got back from japan. he had an adorable kid (who is growing up much faster than i can believe) and was working on opening his own place here in LA. i just thought some of you might want to know since it was such a surprise to me.


----------



## quantumcloud509 (Nov 26, 2012)

Its unfortunate to hear, and Ive just been noticing lately that a lot of people on the forums I visit are either passing away or getting hurt pretty bad. Bad trend. Hope ya'll have a safe and joyful holiday season.


----------



## apicius9 (Nov 26, 2012)

That is sad news, indeed. He certainly had his own opinions, but I always appreciated his thoughts and contributions, although I have not been very active on FF recently. My thoughts are with his family. 

Stefan


----------



## ecchef (Nov 26, 2012)

In a ******* motorcycle accident. That absolutely sucks...especially when there are so many other rat bastards walking around that don't deserve the life they have. Probably wasn't even his fault. I'm cracking a new bottle tonight.


----------



## Lefty (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow...that's awful news. KC always kept me laughing and learning. He taught me a lot about what you can do with very little, when it comes to knives, among other things. All that really matters, though, is we lost a friend of the community, and his family is now without him. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

I guess this is a terrible way for us to be reminded to reach out to our friends who we haven't spoken to in too long, just like you and Sara did. I'm glad you had a chance to meet his wife and see him before his passing.

KC was like Corvette: brash, in your face, amazingly fun to watch, fast moving, well-loved and an absolute classic. He will be missed.


----------



## Salty dog (Nov 26, 2012)

Woah.............................Woah,.................KC and I always had an interesting relationship. Never met the man but he was a fellow cook/asS$ kicker/brother. One forum member I would have loved to meet.

I'll be thinking about him when I'm on the line this week. That will be my memorial. I think he'd like that.


----------



## Pensacola Tiger (Nov 26, 2012)

Sad news, indeed. I learned a lot from his posts. He will be missed.


----------



## mano (Nov 26, 2012)

When I first became aware of Japanese knives KCMA impressed me as one of the few guys who didn't tolerate fools and walked the walk as a chef and a guy with exceptional knife skills and knowledge. I regretted never getting to his place when he was briefly working (huge hours) in NYC.

My deepest condolences to his wife and kid.


----------



## maxim (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow man i had also many discussions with him in past at FF, what a nice guy 

Really a sad day !!


----------



## Seth (Nov 26, 2012)

For those of us who have been hanging around the forums for a few years it was hard to miss a post by KCMA. I have only my imagination as to who this guy was but his passing reminds me that behind the online personality is a guy with a family and friends... Today, my thoughts are with them.


----------



## stevenStefano (Nov 26, 2012)

kcma was awesome. One of the things I liked about him was that even though he was so knowledgeable, he always respected other people's opinions and even when people were arguing with him and were clearly wrong, he always took the high road. I always hoped he would post here someday


----------



## mainaman (Nov 26, 2012)

Boy that is heavy. KC was real fun to deal with, he always had great posts and ideas.


----------



## cookinstuff (Nov 26, 2012)

That is terrible news, KC was a good guy he will be missed. Reminds me to drop in on old forums once in awhile.


----------



## Miles (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow. That's horribly sad news indeed. Although he was a bit brash, I always thought his posts were a lot of fun and full of great info and ideas. I always wanted to catch up with him the next time I was in So Cal.


----------



## Dave Martell (Nov 26, 2012)

Oh man that is sad news. KC was one of those guys who always spoke his truths and I respected that. He'll be missed.


----------



## unkajonet (Nov 26, 2012)

Had the chance to chat with him only a couple of times. Classy guy. He'll be missed.


----------



## chazmtb (Nov 26, 2012)

RIP Chef Ma


----------



## EdipisReks (Nov 26, 2012)

sad news indeed.


----------



## AFKitchenknivesguy (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow, I always steered clear of arguments with him because he was so knowledgable. He was a big name in many kitchen knife forums, and a friend to many old knife hounds here.


----------



## [email protected] (Nov 26, 2012)

KC, Jon and I had so many promises, and I'm really sad that he went before a lot of them came true - we were supposed to go out with him and Ivy for ramen and other restaurants, eat at his future restaurants, etc. He asked me to help Ivy shop clothing, and I haven't even made time to do that. 

He was always a man full of stories - sometimes funny, sometimes irritating (you know how sarcastic he was), and sometimes really exciting and happy ones. We will always miss his phone calls, chat on FB, and dropping by to say hi to us. He was one of the best things left for Jon from the professional cooking world - I really think he exemplified what cooking was all about (not that I mean I was a chef/cook, but I thought so). More than anything else, he was always, without a single failure, cheerful around us, and supportive of us. He knew how much of a "pain" Jon is to work with, and he always took my side. 

We'll miss you KC - if your spirit is allowed to travel around for just a little while, I hope you would come say hi again. 

RIP


----------



## jaybett (Nov 26, 2012)

Shocking news. 

How many people picked up Aritsugu gyutos, and spent hours on DMT XXC plate, thinning them out, because of KCMA?

People might have been aware of Tadatsuna, but KCMA put them on the map. 

All the stones, he found and purchased, trying to find the best one, at each level. 

One of his tests, to show good knife skills, was shaving a large bunch of chives. 

Rest in Peace. 

Jay


----------



## eaglerock (Nov 26, 2012)

RIP


----------



## geezr (Nov 26, 2012)

Really sad news. Condolences to KC's wife and his family.
Always enjoyed reading KC's posts and would check FF to find out what KC was posting.
Will think of KC whenever I shave chives.


----------



## labor of love (Nov 26, 2012)

I found his old forum posts to be extremely helpful and educational when i first became interested in japanese knives. He will be missed. RIP


----------



## heirkb (Nov 26, 2012)

That's really sad to read. My heart goes out to his family.


----------



## Miles (Nov 26, 2012)

geezr said:


> Really sad news. Condolences to KC's wife and his family.
> Always enjoyed reading KC's posts and would check FF to find out what KC was posting.
> Will think of KC whenever I shave chives.



Every time I cut chives, I always think of KC. Somehow, I think he'd appreciate that.


----------



## Eamon Burke (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow. That is a bummer.


----------



## ajhuff (Nov 26, 2012)

Sad to hear, though I have no idea who he was. But so many of you seem moved. That's nice.

-AJ


----------



## JBroida (Nov 26, 2012)

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/26/3079511/sherman-oaks-man-idd-as-i-5-motorcycle.html


----------



## Dave Martell (Nov 26, 2012)

Jon, do you know what his YouTube account name was? I'd like to see those chive cutting vids again.


----------



## Dave Martell (Nov 26, 2012)

JBroida said:


> http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/26/3079511/sherman-oaks-man-idd-as-i-5-motorcycle.html




That sounds awful


----------



## tk59 (Nov 26, 2012)

I can't believe it. The guy was an icon on the forums and he was so young. I feel bad for the wife and kids.


----------



## labor of love (Nov 26, 2012)

the article states that he had a female passenger who hasnt yet been identified. was she his wife? is she okay? it says she was admitted to the hospital. i was also a little surprised he was only 33 years old. he spoke about knives with such authority i figured maybe he was in his 40s...again, kcma will be missed.
RIP


----------



## lumo (Nov 26, 2012)

I wasn't close but he helped me along the way, very grateful! My condolences to his family and friends.


----------



## TamanegiKin (Nov 26, 2012)

This is very sad. I never got a chance to meet KC but he sounded like a real stand up guy.
When I first got back from Texas I went to JKI to catch up with Jon and Sara. The topic of local forum members came up and Jon mentioned that I'd have to meet KCMA soon. I'm sad the opportunity didn't come around. My deepest condolences to his family and all those who knew KC


----------



## JBroida (Nov 26, 2012)

i think he closed his youtube account a while back


----------



## JBroida (Nov 26, 2012)

yeah... that was his wife... i just talked to her... she's in the hospital, but doing ok for now (ok is maybe too nice of a word for how she is, but i dont want to share too much personal info)


----------



## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 26, 2012)

What a terribly sad situation. I always enjoyed reading his posts on the other forum. My heart goes out to his family and friends.


----------



## Marko Tsourkan (Nov 26, 2012)

Damn , it's terrible... 

RIP


----------



## heirkb (Nov 26, 2012)

Here you go, Dave: http://s74.beta.photobucket.com/user/kcma_2nd/library/food/knives/knife cuts


----------



## stevenStefano (Nov 26, 2012)

Beat me to it heirkb. On kc's Photobucket page there's also a lot of photos of his knives if anyone is interested. Also here is a direct link to his famous chive shaving video


----------



## steeley (Nov 26, 2012)

My Condolences to his family and friends
rest in peace Kai-Chun Ma .


----------



## knyfeknerd (Nov 26, 2012)

Very very sad. I know nothing of the guy, but my heart goes out to his family-especially the wife and kids. 

Damn motorcycles! I wrecked mine a long time ago(my own stupidity)
My dad got T-boned on his Guzzi a long time ago and spent forever in the hospital with broken vertebrae and compound fractured leg, punctured lung, etc. etc. etc. (not his fault, some idiot that ran a stop sign)
They are so awesome, if you've never driven/rode one, you wouldn't understand. But ever so dangerous at the same time. 

I'm sure riding was something he loved, and I honestly can say I would be happy to go out doing what I love.
I hope the wife is going to be okay.
Jon, let us know if there is anything we can do to help.


----------



## Dave Martell (Nov 26, 2012)

heirkb said:


> Here you go, Dave: http://s74.beta.photobucket.com/user/kcma_2nd/library/food/knives/knife cuts




Excellent - thank you Ehsan


----------



## JBroida (Nov 26, 2012)

knyfeknerd said:


> Very very sad. I know nothing of the guy, but my heart goes out to his family-especially the wife and kids.
> 
> Damn motorcycles! I wrecked mine a long time ago(my own stupidity)
> My dad got T-boned on his Guzzi a long time ago and spent forever in the hospital with broken vertebrae and compound fractured leg, punctured lung, etc. etc. etc. (not his fault, some idiot that ran a stop sign)
> ...



i wish there was, but at this time i cant think of anything


----------



## Don Nguyen (Nov 26, 2012)

Wow, he sounds like a wonderful person, and so young too.

My condolences to his family - that's so tough....


----------



## GLE1952 (Nov 26, 2012)

Always read his posts, knew it would be informative, humorous or both!
Such a shame.


----------



## dough (Nov 26, 2012)

as soon as you posted the article and read there was a women my heart sunk even more.

atleast both parents werent lost but geez.


----------



## RRLOVER (Nov 26, 2012)

RIP........To a brother Biker....Cage Free is a lifestyle of love......RIP


----------



## markenki (Nov 27, 2012)

So sad indeed. RIP KCMA.


----------



## Schtoo (Nov 27, 2012)

I can't believe it, but must.

Rest in peace KC.

Stu.


----------



## Lefty (Nov 27, 2012)

Am I the only one going back and reading some of his great, entertaining commentary? Man, this is brutal....


----------



## Canadian (Nov 27, 2012)

RIP Kai-Chun Ma aka KCMA.


----------



## mhlee (Nov 27, 2012)

Lefty said:


> Am I the only one going back and reading some of his great, entertaining commentary? Man, this is brutal....



When I was about to meet KC in person for the first time, I thought that he would be the outspoken, sarcastic person I read on the forums. I couldn't have been more wrong. 

I would say, it took about 10 minutes for him to open up over a bowl of ramen and a beer that I bought for him, of which he only drank about 1/4th of because, according to him, alcohol just makes him fall asleep. He was a coffee guy, not an alcohol guy. We ended up talking very little about knives - mostly about ramen, the ramen we were eating (Tsujita), other restaurants, his restaurant, his (then) relatively new motorcycle, and, of course, his then fiance, Ivy. He couldn't stop talking about Ivy. 

I would say, only after a few more meals did a hint of his online persona come out in real life. But, he was generally, really easy going, generous, and a really funny person. 

KC also had unbelievable amount of knowledge of Chinese restaurants in the LA area. Because of him, I'm now obsessed with Chinese dumplings - primarily pan fried or steamed; KC detested the thought of boiled dumplings and I agree completely. Dude loved to eat and he ate a LOT. 

I always looked forward to trying a new Chinese restaurant with him. For the two of us, we would usually have at least 3 to 4 huge dishes of food; if we had dumplings, there would be at least 4 to 5 plates of dumplings alone. And he was one guy you could almost always count on to go eat out with. 

I went to one place he introduced me to this past Saturday and I thought to myself, "I need to call KC to see if he wants to grab lunch" since it had been a few weeks since we last had lunch. I also found one place that makes awesome xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and their pan fried dumplings are like soup dumplings in that they have TONS of juice in them. I wanted to share this place with him to see if he had been there, and to get his opinion. I was going to call him yesterday to see if he wanted to meet up for lunch again. 

If I had one more meal with that dude, instead of him out-eating me and calling me a "p*ssy" for eating so little (compared to him) and laughing at me like most times, I would have forced myself to eat more than him, so, just once, I could call him a "p*ssy." And, as usual, we'd just end up laughing at each other. 

Rest in peace, KC. You are missed.


----------



## [email protected] (Nov 27, 2012)

Mike-
That sounds like the KC we know as well. Anytime I talk about getting a small toy poodle or going shopping, I will think of KC. You know why? It's because he was always encouraging me to do something that Jon desperately tried to avoid. If I wanted to have some cheer and support, KC was always there  

It really breaks my heart. I'm at the point where I don't want to hear how the accident happened and what really happened to him. Someday I have to hear it again so I'm really facing his decease, but for the time being, I guess I'm just not ready. It was such a relief that Ivy is alive and getting treated at a hospital. I do think she is one of the important legacies KC left for us. As an immigrant myself, I'm hoping to be a help for her any way I can. 

Mike, thank you so much for checking in on Jon yesterday. It's been very rough and sad time for both of us. We see KC and memories with him in our store, in restaurants, on FB, on Forum, and millions of other places. KC is a pain in my butt even after he is gone - maybe this is the way for him to say "hi" to us. 

It's funny that I realized more how kind and thoughtful he was after he is gone. wish I thought more about it when he was here with us.


----------



## Mingooch (Nov 27, 2012)

Very sad news. Best wishes to his family


----------



## EdipisReks (Nov 27, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> It's funny that I realized more how kind and thoughtful he was after he is gone. wish I thought more about it when he was here with us.



a good friend of mine recently died in a car accident. i went through the same thing.


----------



## mpukas (Nov 27, 2012)

WHOAA!!! I'm floored! What a terrible loss. 

I never met KC, but he was one of the first people I really started paying attention to when I came into the J-knife world. I learned so much from him, and had some great off-line chats as well. 

He will be dearly missed. My thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP Brother KC MA. :-(


----------



## sudsy9977 (Nov 27, 2012)

I met kc once and he was a very cool guy....extremely knowledgable on my subjects.....he will be missed for sure.....Ryan


----------



## mhlee (Nov 28, 2012)

Sara - 

Thank you and Jon for the updates and taking time to talk with me. I really appreciated it. 

I was very happy to hear that Ivy survived. I had lunch with KC and Ivy twice. They were really, really happy together. I was really concerned about her after I read about KC because she and KC were inseparable. 

Please know that I'll be happy to help Ivy in any way that I can.


----------



## DwarvenChef (Nov 28, 2012)

I remember from the other forums the long debates about sharpening LOL He loved his system and used it much to the dismay of others bad mouthing his ideas, he was a charicter 

Sorry to hear of his accedent, and in my back yard. Best wishes for his family who are going through some hard times now.


----------



## JBroida (Nov 28, 2012)

http://www.latimes.com/features/foo...a-killed-in-accident-20121127,0,1620673.story


----------



## DwarvenChef (Nov 30, 2012)

Thanks for the link Jon.


----------



## rdm_magic (Dec 4, 2012)

R.I.P


----------



## Keith Sinclair (Jan 9, 2013)

Very sorry,bought a stone fr. him.Enjoyed his posts,deff. learned a few things.In between lanes on a Ninja,not the faint of heart.Had alot of knowledge for a young guy.Sad news indeed I know people will miss that guy.


----------

