A nearly forgotten cold case continues to haunt members of San Francisco’s culinary community . What happened to Masa Kobayashi on the night of November 13, 1983? The murder of the world-famous chef remains unresolved , nearly four decades after it happened.
Despite some compelling leads, the case hasn’t moved forwards in years — and with few new leads in recent years, hope is fading fast that the murder will ever be solved.
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Kobayashi was one of the hottest names in San Francisco’s culinary community.
Masa Kobayashi was born in Japan and moved to San Francisco in the early ’80s following successful stints as a chef in Paris, New York, and California’s Napa Valley.
He opened a restaurant under his own name.
Masa’s Wine Bar & Kitchen , located in Union Square, first opened its doors in 1983. Kobayashi specialized in French cuisine but offered an intriguing fusion of rich French dishes with lighter California fare.
He didn’t get to enjoy his success for long.
Kobayashi was lauded for his abilities and Masa’s became a hot spot in short order. But he was only able to run his own restaurant for four months before the fateful night of November 13, 1983.
He finished his shift and went home.
He lived at 111 Pine Street, just a ten-minute walk from his restaurant. He arrived at home in the early morning hours of November 13th. After waving to a building manager and going into his third-floor apartment, a neighbor reported sounds of a possible fight.
The next day, he was found dead.
When he failed to show up at work the next day, concerned colleagues came to his apartment. After the building manager unlocked the door to Kobayashi’s unit, his body was found in the entryway.
Police immediately had a strong lead.
According to retired San Francisco Police Department homicide inspector Frank Falzon, one of Kobayashi’s neighbors had an obsession with Kobayashi’s underage son. Kobayashi and his wife decided to send their son to a school outside the city to get him out of the building.
Kobayashi was home alone at the time of his murder.
His wife and kids were on a vacation in the Dominican Republic when the murder took place. Falzon says he believes the neighbor, already upset that Kobayashi’s son was moving, was waiting for Kobayashi when he got home that night.
“[The person of interest] even admitted that he was there and there was an exchange of heated words,” Falzon said.
There was no known weapon involved.
While Kobayashi carried a gun, it wasn’t fired in the scuffle. The cause of death was a broken bone in Kobayashi’s neck.
“It’s our belief that when the individual grabbed him around the neck, he caused a bone around the neck to break,” Falzon told SFGate.
The person of interest was interviewed.
He failed a polygraph test, and investigators were certain they had him dead to rights. But since polygraphs aren’t admissible in court and police only had circumstantial evidence, there wasn’t enough to bring murder charges against the man.
The investigation fizzled out.
With a person of interest that they couldn’t find more evidence on, police had their hands tied. Kobayashi’s restaurant continued to operate up until 2013 and his family moved away from the spotlight.
Anyone who thinks they may have information on the death of Masa Kobayashi can contact the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 553-1145.
h/t: SFGate
