TUCSON- Arjuna "BladeWhisper" Wiratama, a West Sumatra, Indonesia native and silat Minangkabau legend, has been staying with a cousin in Tucson for undisclosed reasons for a few weeks. Just a few days ago, when fully cloaked and mysteriously walking on 4th Avenue, he heard a local mention a "Knife Fight" competition being held downtown. He immediately went back to grab his Karambit knife and started sparring in a garage while his cousin tossed miscellaneous Food City meats in his general direction for an immediate and terrifying display of lethal poetry.
Chef Gary Hickey of Charro Steak and Del Rey and Chef Michael Elefante of Mama Louisa's kicked off their 6th year of Knife Fight (All-Stars), an annual tournament 'by chefs for chefs' to raise money for local causes on Monday night. The crowds gathered on the Charro Steak patio on the corner of East Broadway and 5th Ave. when Arjuna effortlessly swam through the chaos of the party crowd to approach Chef Gary and Michael with a very determined demeanor.
"At first I thought someone was bringing me a knife that I dropped to be used for the competition table but then I saw that it was absolutely NOT a kitchen knife." said Chef Gary Hickey. "I had to lean in to hear what he was saying because he spoke in a very soft but vicious tone and the DJ was playing 'Turn Down For What' on like volume 11." Chef Michael Elefante continues: "We sorta figured out that he was asking about who he was going to be fighting and I asked him if he sent us an email and what restaurant he was associated with but he just kept staring at us."
Reportedly Chef Gary and Michael had to recuse themselves from the conversation slowly and carefully while getting back to hosting duties as Arjuna stood against the brick wall observing. His visual mood quickly transitioned from deadly determination to sad, solemn defeat as he witnessed one chef pour olive oil into a pan for his Beef Wellington and another slice and dice some rambutan fruit. After the first round ended, he gave a slight smile as if to, perhaps, signify his newfound appreciation and potential purpose in the culinary world...if it were to accept him. He soon dissolved back into the shadows and disappeared into the hot, night air.
"Knife Fight" continues for many weeks. More information can be found on their Instagram page @tucson_knife_fight.
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