Mayuko Takata Daily Show Mango Banana Bell Pepper Eggplant King Tokyo X Kobayashi fish Episodes of the Week Rice Mushrooms mochi umeboshi natto sushi Fukui Mini Moni Pumpkin Crab Chocolate Spinach Broccoli Liver Turnip Beijing tuna overtime Lobster Beyond Kitchen Stadium potato Eel Specials Mushroom Nakamura BKS Iron Chef Yomigaeru Morimoto Kobe Michiba Chen Sakai Eps of the Week iron chef
This past month was no doubt one of the saddest times for Iron Chef fans. If you’re on this site and reading this, then I’m guessing you already know, but on March 11th, Kenichi Azama, who we all know and love as Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi, passed away from interstitial pneumonia at the age of 67.
Iron Chef fans will readily tell others that he was the only Iron Chef to serve throughout the entire series, the leader in career battles fought and battles won and also the runner-up to Sakai in the King of Iron Chefs series finale. Watching him strive to live up to the legacy of his father, Chen Kenmin – the one who popularized Szechuan food in Japan and known as the country’s deity of Szechuan cuisine – and succeed while also proving himself to be a true Iron Chef was and is amazing to watch. I have a lot of great memories of him, especially one of the most amazing battles in the show’s history and the battle Chen himself remembers the most: the legendary Battle Prawn against his old coach and Kenmin’s top apprentice Takashi Saito. Adding yet more to it, both chefs recreated Kenmin’s classic prawns in chili sauce, and Kenichi’s canapé style reproduction of the modern version including ketchup was both Takeshi Kaga’s favorite of the first 2,000 dishes and helped Chen win the only battle he fought in front of his mother Yoko.
According to a Shisen Hanten press release, Chen’s funeral is or was for close relatives only according to his will, and his family also declined receiving flowers, condolences and such, but a farewell party in his memory was also planned. Even writing this now, I still felt myself getting misty-eyed, but I want to make sure I pay my respects and I’d like to open this up so others here can share their memories and tributes. I also like to think I speak for Iron Chef fans the world over when I say that we thank him for all the memories and good food and will miss him dearly.
PS – It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Chen and Kobe, who was gone too soon, have already battled again in heaven with judges including Asako Kishi, Tamio Kageyama and maybe even Kenmin himself.