Liong Mah Design

“Mah is a first rate designer of custom knives. His emphasis is on the functional knife, working with some of the top names in custom knives to bring his vision to life."

Liong Mah was born in Malaysia in 1974 (year of the tiger in Chinese astrology). His family immigrated to the US when he was nine and he grew up in New York City.

He developed an interest in cooking in his mid-teens and gained a prestigious scholarship to study culinary arts in New York City. While he was in school he also studied in Germany and France to perfect his skills. Since graduation, he has worked in many four star restaurants in New York City including Bouley, La Caravelle, La Cirque 2000 and even the historic Windows to the World that was once located at the top of the World Trade Center. Currently, he is cooking at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel specializing in deserts and pastries.

Mah has always had a interest in knives. He would see a production knife and ask himself, “Why isn’t this design different? or “This could be done better in a way?” After reading the legendary book, “How to Making Tactical Folding Knives” by Bob Terzuola he took his designs a step further. He made design templates to insure practical functionality. He now uses autocad software to draw designs and visualize them before working with a knifemaker. His designs are influenced by the overall flow and functionality of a knife, in a merger of form and function.

His first knife design was made by Eddy Baca of New Mexico. Mah has since worked with some of the top names in custom knifemaking; Allen Elishewitz, Howard Viele, Sal Manaro, Jeff Hall, Phil Boguszewski, Mike Obenauf, Warren Thomas, John W. Smith among others.

Most Mah designes are limited editions of 10-20 knives marked with the both the makers logo and his special design logo. The Mah logo is a variation on the Japanese god of war symbol.