Way of Ramen Podcast

"A humble ramen shop coming to Logan Square in 2023" by the one and only Ramen Lord. This shop could be the most anticipated ramen shop of our lifetime. In this episode, I candidly chat with friend, fellow ramen freak, and soon to be King of ramen in Chicago. Be prepared for a long episode. No edits, no cuts, just raw Ramen Lord cooked to perfection.

Follow Ramen Lord: https://www.instagram.com/ramen__lord

Follow Akahoshi Ramen: https://www.instagram.com/akahoshiramen

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

Today's guests are Chef Daisuke Watanabe of Ramen Feel in Tokyo, Japan and Chef Erik Bentz of Cafe Mochiko in Cincinnati, OH with a special appearance by everyone's favorite apprentice, Jeffrey The Wang. On January 8, 2023, two incredible ramen chefs from two completely different backgrounds came together through the power of ramen and made our ramen dreams come true. I was fortunate enough to be there and it was undeniably a top 5 ramen experience in my life up until now. This is the story of how an 8-course collab popup came to be, told by the chefs themselves. Please listen when you get the chance.

Follow Ramen Feel: https://www.instagram.com/ramen_feel

Follow Cafe Mochiko: https://www.instagram.com/mochikocincy

Follow Erik Bentz: https://www.instagram.com/erik_bentz

Follow Jeffrey Wang: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreythewang

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

Today's guest is Chef Esther Choi, Owner and Executive Chef of Mökbar, a Korean-inspired ramen shop in New York City. Esther has appeared on several TV shows such as Iron Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chopped. In this episode she provides insight on navigating a successful women-owned and operated ramen shop in the city while also pushing her own brand as a celebrity chef.

Follow Esther Choi: https://www.instagram.com/choibites

Follow Mökbar NYC: https://www.instagram.com/mokbar_nyc

Follow Ms. Yoo Cocktail Bar: https://www.instagram.com/ms.yoo

Follow Sessy Oil: https://www.instagram.com/sessyoil

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

Recently I’ve had a few past guests reach out to me asking if they can be on the podcast again. I feel like that’s a great thing because who doesn’t love a “where are they now” update. Our first guest in this series is Kyle Humphreys better known as @thekylemachine who went from ramen school in episode 16 to now shoyu shop Indy.

Follow Kyle Humphreys: https://www.instagram.com/thekylemachine

Follow Shoyu Shop Indy: https://www.instagram.com/shoyu.shop.indy

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

An episode that really needs no introduction. Mike Satinover aka the Ramen Lord joins the podcast to talk about the brand new noodle machine that has taken residency in his cush Chicago apartment. Mike and I have been friends for years now and it's always a pleasure to listen to him talk about ramen in such a brain-stimulating way. Unedited and unabridged, as it should be. Thanks Mike!

Follow Ramen Lord: https://www.instagram.com/ramen__lord

Yamato Noodle machine https://www.yamatonoodle.com/

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

In this episode I interview my good friend Tak Abe from Kodaiko Ramen in Sacramento, CA. Tak and I met in Tokyo during my Bassanova days and I have been one of his biggest supporters ever since. As a hapa (half Japanese-half American) he approaches ramen with respect from two cultures and loves to create new bowls without boundaries. A great conversation with a great friend. Please visit Kodaiko when visiting Sacramento and tell Tak I sent ya.

Follow Kodaiko Ramen + Bar: https://www.instagram.com/ramenkodaiko

Follow Tak Abe: https://www.instagram.com/therealal_bumen

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

On this episode, we spend time looking back on our brief 10-month residency at Ramen Shack in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Joined by four key members of the kitchen staff, I also discuss my health issues that led to our decision to close. Please take a listen and laugh with us as we keep things positive and reminisce about the good times.

Follow Jeffrey Wang: https://instagram.com/jeffreythewang

Follow Alex Park: https://instagram.com/darth.gastrameny

Follow JC Salazar: https://instagram.com/its.jcs

Follow Perry Lau: https://instagram.com/perryloud

Shack Sunday Crew:

Pinkusaru https://instagram.com/pinkusaru

Dine.and.drink https://instagram.com/dine.and.drink

Kennyoyama https://instagram.com/kennyoyama

Ramenosaur https://instagram.com/ramenosaur

Yolodiabetic https://instagram.com/yolodiabetic

Ramen_nomad https://instagram.com/ramen_nomad

Ramen_fiendd https://instagram.com/ramen_fiendd

Ramen_zac https://instagram.com/ramen_zac

Shio_bae https://instagram.com/shio_bae

A_wild_kamen https://instagram.com/a_wild_kamen

Mennealy_ceramics https://instagram.com/mennealy_ceramics

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

On today's episode, I welcome Steven Pursely from Menya Rui in St. Louis, Missouri.  You may not know this but Steven has been studying ramen for close to a decade and has patiently weaved his way of ramen-making into one of the most anticipated shop openings of 2022. Menya Rui is a serious "craft" ramen shop where everything, including noodles, is made in-house.  Steven's journey invokes memories of my own and it was a pleasure to find out more about him and what the future holds for ramen in the midwest and beyond.

Follow Steven and Menya Rui: https://www.instagram.com/menyarui_stl

Mentioned in this episode is the film Ramen Dreams by Michael McAteer.

https://youtu.be/oeFEeJi91Kk

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

Back in 2019 when Ramen Shack had an opportunity to do a pop-up at New York City's oldest ramen shop--Rai Rai Ken, I was lucky to have 5 of my closest ramen friends join me. In this episode, we reminisce about that time and reflect upon the last three years of hardship and the joys of owning our own ramen shop. The pop-up was a celebration of First We Feast's Gochi Gang Season 1 and was coincidentally filmed as a documentary by Alvin Zhou for Tasty, which has now garnered millions of views on YouTube.

What It Takes to Make 400 Bowls of Ramen From Scratch • Tasty

https://youtu.be/aagyuWlHyUI

A Ramen Expert Breaks Down the Three Styles You Need to Know | Gochi Gang

https://youtu.be/Wtb6c5hUCRY

Follow Eric Yoo: https://www.instagram.com/menyahosaki

Follow Vinh Thai: https://www.instagram.com/ramen512

Follow Erik Bentz: https://www.instagram.com/mochikocincy

Follow Scott LaChapelle: https://www.instagram.com/pickerel_ri

Follow Jeff Wang: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreythewang

Music by Ariel Loh http://lohmusic.com (https://www.instagram.com/lohariel)

Follow Keizo on instagram: https://instagram.com/goramen

Music by Ariel Loh https://lohmusic.com

The Way of Ramen podcast is back with a brand new host! In this episode, our new host Keizo Shimamoto interviews me, Ryan. In this episode, I pass the torch to Keizo who will take over podcast duties. We cover where I've been, why I disappeared, and our shared vision of what we see for the greater ramen community.