Meet Bobby Seales | Owner & Cutler of Kirei Knives

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bobby Seales and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bobby, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is something that I rarely take unless someone pushes me. Anything that took away from a stable income, location, and routine is a giant risk to me. I am incredibly fortunate to have people in my life who pushed me outside of my comfort zone to shape who I am today.

When I made the big decision to move to Los Angeles in 2013, it was to be with my girlfriend (and now wife), Sarah. During that time, I was working as a long-haul truck driver in East Alabama living 2 weeks on a truck and then a few days home, cycling over and over again. When I moved to LA, I had no idea what I was going to do. I remember Sarah saw that I liked to cook so she suggested that I should pursue culinary arts. I went to a small school specializing in Japanese cooking and upon completion, Sarah suggested I should try to find a job at a place called “Nobu” in West Hollywood. Sarah informed me that they were not going to be open, but there will be people there working in the kitchen- so just walk to the back and look for someone. Now, I’m from the south, and I had no idea what Nobu was, and I would never be so forward as to trespass to the back of a restaurant and hope to find someone- but, I went to the back and met Chef Jason- the Executive Chef of Nobu LA, and humbly asked for a job. Little did I know, but that moment changed everything.

During my decade at Nobu, on top of learning about cooking and restaurant culture, I got married, had my daughter, moved from West LA to the Long Beach area, a pandemic hit, and soon after my son was born. To say that I was stressed is an understatement. I was working non-stop, never saw my kids or wife, and my mind and body were on the cusp of total burnout. But, we had a stable income, a place to live, and a routine.

Enter the biggest risk I have taken to date: starting Kirei Knives. Sarah actually brought it up. She is the one that handles our finances, and she knew that I had a deep obsession with Japanese Kitchen Knives and I have been sharpening for my coworkers for years. In March of 2022, she came up with a plan to start a business importing knives from Japan and offer sharpening services. She convinced me that we would be able to self-fund it- with literally every dollar we had saved. The benefits were that I would be home more, we would be working for ourselves, and able to make our own schedule. We have always fantasized about doing something with Japanese Knives but it never seemed tangible. With everything to lose, we jumped right in.

A million doubts flood the mind when taking big risks. Even now, we are frightened at the possibility of Kirei Knives being unsustainable- but, together, we have overcome a lot of obstacles. If we fail, we will pivot. We are excited about the journey. Also, we saw our son take his first steps a few weeks ago which really solidified that the risk we are taking is worth it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Kirei Knives is a Los Angeles-based Japanese Kitchen Knife shop. We do hand sharpening on whetstone as well as make custom wooden sayas (knife sheaths) and hand-sewn fabric/leather knife rolls. Kirei Knives has been on our minds for many years. Simply put, we love Japanese knives. We believe the workmanship, level of technical sophistication, and artistry are unrivaled in the world. We are dedicated to sharing our growing passion with you and in a small way contribute to the culture, benefits, and welfare of the skilled makers in Japan. We thoughtfully select which makers and brands we offer our customers, paying special attention to craftsmanship, reputation, and aesthetics. We aim to carry a wide variety of well-known, recognized makers as well as lesser-known blacksmiths because we understand that great products come from passion and not just experience. We are excited to grow and meet more makers and introduce them to you. Our goal is to have the perfect knife for everyone no matter the budget, skill level, or maintenance required. Our young business has been well-received and we are so grateful for the fringe benefits of owning a knife company- meeting chefs and people who share our interest.
There have been many challenges since the conception of Kirei Knives. Not only has this absorbed our life savings, but we have worked harder and longer than ever before. We are having to learn so many new programs associated with owning a business, learning to design our sayas and knife rolls, and then ultimately executing. We have made SO many mistakes that took days/weeks of our time. But with every mistake, we were one step closer to figuring it out. To our benefit, my wife and I are very different- which makes problem-solving challenging, but offers us different perspectives to come to a solution. At the end of the day, there are no other people in this world that wants Kirei Knives to succeed more than us.
We want the world to know how much we put ourselves into this business. Bobby is a chef, not a sales person, so our agenda isn’t to sell, sell sell. We truly care and obsess over our products and will nerd out about knives to anyone who is willing to listen. We celebrate every sale (and inquiry). We fret over every detail for our customers- we are cutting, sanding, and polishing each saya with our hands as we watch our kids. We think about what our customers were looking for when deciding which knives to carry next. We remember if they are left-handed- if they like Japanese or western handles, which restaurant they work at, and even what types of food they like to cook at home. We hand-write a thank you note with every online order. We want to be their knife people for life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dinner and Drinks at Cabra in DTLA Natural Wine from Good Clean Fun in DTLA
Food and shopping at Smorgasburg on Sundays
Coffee at Be Bright on Melrose
Hangover soup at Jinsol Gukbahp in Koreatown
Macau pork chop buns at Pearl River Deli
cant go wrong with Lawrys Prime Rib

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to dedicate our shoutout to all the people who support us by following us on social media, coming to our pop-up events, and actually using us for sharpening or trusting our opinions and buying knives from us. Without the credibility that our customers give us, we wouldn’t exist. When we first started Kirei Knives, we had no idea that our customer base would be so energetic and actually show us that there is a need and want for us in LA. We also want to give a shoutout to Zach Brooks, GM of Smorgasburg LA. We wouldn’t be where we are without the exposure that he granted us by choosing us to be at the largest open-air food market in the country.

Website: www.kireiknives.com

Instagram: @kireiknives