Food & Beverage News: Insights, Safety, and Dining Trends
- Rasheeda Purdie reimagined asa ramen into New York-style breakfast ramen, blending shoyu broth with familiar breakfast ingredients.
- Ramen by Ra became America’s first Black woman-owned ramen shop, a four seat counter turned social media sensation and James Beard nominee.
- Rasheeda Purdie uses reservation and preorder systems, a walk up window, and upcoming ramen kits to preserve quality and broaden access.
Soup lovers across America have graduated from the instant ramen and cup of noodles they enjoyed as children or college students. Today, many of them prefer to dine at ramen noodle restaurants found in their cities and towns. In New York City, one of the most sought-after bowls is served at Ramen by Ra for breakfast.
“Having something so soulful and savory can be a great jumpstart to your day, even if it is as simple as a cup of broth versus a cup of coffee,” says Rasheeda Purdie, chef/owner of Ramen by Ra. “Breakfast was intriguing to me because it’s one of the important meals of the day. It’s also a time of day when Americans usually don’t eat soup. But you have other cultures that do.”
The tiny boutique shop in East Village is the place to go for a cup of broth, a bowl of breakfast ramen or a bite of breakfast bao. Chef Purdie shares why she chose to bring two breakfast cultures together. “A lot of people enjoy both cultures, Japan and New York, for the same reasons, whether it’s fashion, food, culture or lifestyle,” she says.
“I was able to create this menu connecting both, and people are interested because they are familiar with the offering, like a bacon, egg and cheese.”
A Ramen Noodle Restaurant First
In 2021, Chef Purdie introduced New Yorkers to breakfast ramen inspired by asa ramen, Japan’s morning ramen culture, reimagined through the lens of a New York breakfast. That was done with ramen kits and pop-ups during the COVID pandemic.
Two years later, Chef Purdie opened Ramen by Ra at The Bowery Market in NoHo, which was America’s first Black woman-owned ramen shop. The intimate four-seat counter quickly became a social media sensation.
“I knew what it meant to me was bigger than being the first. It was, and still is, an opportunity to push the envelope so that those coming after me can see themselves in my story and be inspired by it. Maybe it gives someone else the courage to step out on faith, believe in their own dreams, and do something different and uniquely their own.”
Her love of soup and deep exploration into Japan’s ramen culture sparked the creative genius Purdie pours into her breakfast and brunch concept. Asa means morning in Japanese. The chef’s Bowery Market menu captured the essence of asa-ra, the abbreviated term for the morning bowl of ramen broth and noodles enjoyed by Japanese people for more than a century.
“Asa ramen or breakfast ramen broths are usually on the lighter side. Because the shoyu broth is so light, I knew this was something that would be special based on several different creations,” says the ramen noodle restaurant owner.
Purdie’s most popular creation combines the traditional Japanese straight noodle and soy sauce-based broth with ingredients familiar to New Yorkers and other breakfast fans.
“It connects to asa ramen in Japan, where there’s a bowl that is made with pork belly and egg. We use thick-cut bacon and a soy egg, similar to what we eat in America,” explains Purdie. “We freshly grate Parmesan on top of the ramen, which gives it a creamy richness. On top of the cheese is crushed black pepper.”
The bacon, egg and cheese ramen bowl is one of the menu staples that made Ramen by Ra the top pick among NYC’s ramen noodle restaurants reviewed on the rating app Beli. The chef expresses what it means to have so many devoted patrons.
“There’s a sense of freedom that wakes me up every day, to know that I am creating food experiences for people to feel connected and a part of Ramen by Ra. One of my proudest moments is seeing how diverse our customer base is. That’s a job well done because it’s a menu that brings us together.”
Ramen by Ra Relocates
By April of 2025, Purdie was ready to move to a brick-and-mortar space for customers to enjoy her asa ramen dishes with unique New York twists. The chef spent seven months preparing the new location at 70 E 1st Street to welcome guests to a place that would feel like coming home. The exterior resembles a brownstone, and Purdie designed the interior to provide a cozy, intimate atmosphere.
“It’s a kitchen that is more home-driven with cabinetry, archways and very subtle lighting. The interior is very reminiscent of a brownstone, as if you were eating on somebody’s island countertop in the middle of a kitchen,” she says.
The jazz tunes coming from a vinyl record player, the smell of burning incense and the sparkle of antique crystal glassware give Ramen by Ra a calming vibe that encourages diners to slow down and enjoy the moment.
“It comes off as a balance between dark and light, whether it is through the hardwood, soft walls or the dried flowers,” adds Purdie. “It is truly a canvas that expresses the feminine side of cooking and being a part of the ramen culture. That’s how it should feel while eating something so soothing, whether it is through a cup of tea, a cup of broth or a bowl of ramen.”
The launch of the new Ramen by Ra in November 2025 gave the chef/owner another opportunity to market her four-seat boutique shop specifically as a breakfast-and-brunch ramen noodle restaurant. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The counter service requires placing a preorder and landing a hard-to-get reservation for one of the three seating times at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m. New reservations are snatched up almost as soon as they are released at 9 a.m. on the 1st and 15th of every month.
Fortunately, the new East Village location has a walk-up window where people craving a savory taste of Japan and New York for breakfast can place an order. Purdie notes that the to-go service already accounts for the bulk of her business. “In the new shop, we now offer broth cups, breakfast bao and ramen cups. The pairing of a broth cup with a breakfast bao is a familiar pairing similar to coffee and bagels.”
RELATED: Tips for African American Travelers in Japan
Making Breakfast Ramen Her Way
Chef Purdie describes her ramen noodle restaurant as a place that honors history “while expanding its language through Southern memory, New York rhythm, and a deep respect for Japanese technique. Ramen by Ra’s founder figured out how to combine the soul of slow-and-low cooking with the patient use of fresh ingredients to develop signature bowls of breakfast ramen.
“In all those bowls, I use shoyu broth. But each one has a different oil that distinguishes the taste. When you have bacon, egg and cheese, the fat is the lard rendered from the bacon. With the cheese and pepper added, the taste changes completely. Those ingredients enrich the soy sauce broth,” Purdie suggests.
In addition to the bacon, fried egg and cheese breakfast ramen, the menu offers these variations: everything egg drop; bacon and cheese or bacon, soy egg and cheese; bacon roasted tomato; lox or lox and soy egg; maple sausage and soy yolk; and steak or steak with a fried or soy egg.
“The steak is a thin-sliced rib-eye with a bright, citrus chimichurri on top. It is a bright yuzu chimichurri that marries into the broth and takes it to a whole other level of taste. That is what makes the broth and bowl unique and delicious,” comments the chef.
The maple sausage breakfast ramen is the newest addition to the East Village menu. Purdie points out the connection to her Southern roots and a popular asa ramen bowl in Japan. “The maple sausage with the cured yolk connects both Japan and the Southern culture of a sweet breakfast. In Japanese culture, there is a dish called mazeman. It is a brothless ramen and is usually served with ground pork and a yolk. I was inspired by that, as well as the sweet sausage from the South.”
Ramen by Ra’s chef likes to introduce holiday-themed breakfast ramen as a special-occasion option. “For Thanksgiving, I would make collard greens and preserve the pot likker to create the ramen broth. Then, we add smoked turkey, soy egg, bean sprouts and scallions,” says Purdie.
Window Service also features Chef Purdie’s take on classic New York breakfast sandwiches, presented as breakfast bao. The menu includes Bacon, Fried Egg & Cheese; Everything Egg Salad; and Lox with Nori Cream Cheese, all served on soft, steamed bao buns.
“It’s the trio that carries the morning in New York. Whether you’re going to a bodega, bagel shop, or coffee shop, chances are you’re ordering some version of one of those three. I wanted to take those familiar New York breakfast flavors and make them complementary to a cup of broth,” Purdie remarks.
Pandemic Inspires Ramen Noodle Restaurant
As a seasoned New York City resident, Purdie spent little time in her own kitchen before becoming a chef. She preferred “traveling the world without a passport” by dining out. “The creative side of me came not only through my own personal interest, but also the number of different restaurants you can enjoy in New York. It really allows you to see where food can go in the future based on the many options you have here,” she says
The arrival of the COVID pandemic gave Purdie more time to explore and experiment in her kitchen. Her partner and Ramen by Ra co-owner, K. Jones, got to taste the Japanese ramen she taught herself to make, sticking to traditional lunch and dinner recipes. “When I was doing traditional ramen, my creativity was muted because I was more focused on making sure I was respecting the culture and different recipes. But there was a side of me that was yearning to develop my own ideas for ramen,” the chef admits.
When Purdie became more familiar with the shoyu-based ramen broth, a light bulb went on, prompting the chef to research Japan’s morning ritual of asa-ra. She could envision how the more delicate shoyu would pair better with other flavors than the heavier broths used in ramen bowls served later in the day.
Ramen by Ra’s chef/owner indicates the reason. “For example, a tonkotsu broth is heavy, creamy and more pork-focused. That’s a dominating taste, and you really can’t infuse other flavors into it too much because the pork taste will still dominate.”
Chef Purdie’s journey into creating her signature breakfast ramen turned the pandemic into a blessing. In 2021, Chef Rasheeda Purdie introduced New Yorkers to Ramen by Ra through ramen kits and pop-ups. The new business gave the novice entrepreneur a way to transition from high-pressure restaurant kitchens.
“I had been in professional kitchens several years after graduating from culinary school in 2016. During that time, there were long hours, late hours, no holidays and just about no life,” she recalls.
Her research into asa ramen got Purdie thinking about how the Japanese culture of making the savory soup for breakfast would shift her work hours to the early morning. That is the time of day when she has the most energy to pour into cooking and hosting.
“Through Ramen by Ra, I found myself getting back to enjoying what I do, which is cooking and aging gracefully through it. I’m so grateful that the Plan B for me was ramen. I found a new life in doing this,” Purdie declares.
Journey from Fashion to Ramen Restaurant
Becoming the proprietor of a ramen noodle restaurant is not Purdie’s first major career change. She moved to New York from the Washington, D.C. region in 2008 and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. For nearly a decade, she worked as a stylist for Henri Bendel, helping high-profile clients make fashion choices, including Michelle Obama and her family.
By age 30, she knew it was time to pivot. Internet shopping was shaking up the retail business, and Purdie wanted to do something different. “I went to culinary school at 30 years old. I was at a place in life where I needed to learn something new to fill the next chapter of my life,” says Ramen by Ra’s owner.
Attending NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education prepared Purdie to begin developing and refining her craft working at Duane Park, The Whitney Museum and with acclaimed chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Melba Wilson and JJ Johnson. The chef found that some of the creative skills she honed in the fashion industry could be applied to culinary challenges.
“It allowed me to creatively think of new dishes, with the same mindset that I used to think of different outfits or jewelry combinations for the people who were shopping. I applied the same exact mindset to food pairings and storytelling. The creative sides of both worlds are similar,” says Purdie.
Now at 41, Ramen by Ra’s chef/owner is well-equipped to run a ramen noodle restaurant with two hosts assisting her. Purdie’s background managing boutiques taught her how to design operating systems that promote success. Establishing a reservation-only, preorder requirement for her restaurant’s four-seat counter is one of them.
“I was able to control my supply costs and food waste off the strength of people ordering in advance. It gives me the confidence as a business owner to know what is ahead because it’s already in the books,” Purdie acknowledges.
Perfecting a Breakfast Ramen Noodle Restaurant
The accolades that began pouring in after Purdie served her first bowls of breakfast ramen appear to signal more critical acclaim and customer devotion ahead. In addition to winning the hearts of some 90 million Beli restaurant app subscribers, Ramen by Ra achieved top rankings with Eater New York, Time Out, Infatuation and Bowery Beat. Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation nominated Purdie for the Emerging Chef Award. The selection confirms her extraordinary culinary talents and creative impact on the restaurant industry.
“It means the world to me. To create and stay relevant through ramen soup is truly remarkable. I take pride in waking up and knowing that I’m pushing myself to be better every day,” says the restaurateur.
The New York City chef’s vision for the future centers on perfecting what Ramen by Ra offers its customers. Purdie expects the menu to remain the same, except for some returning items or specials.
“Tried and true is where we are at. So many people are happy with what we’ve created that we can’t take anything off the menu,” Purdie insists. “For the most part, we’re very grateful and fortunate that people enjoy our food. We just want to continue to build on our consistency and become the place to go for breakfast.”
This coming fall, Ramen by Ra will offer ramen kits. Purdie views the addition as a continuation of the idea she developed during the pandemic. The availability of the kits could ease the pressure on customers competing to get a seat at the chef’s East Village counter. Window service patrons would also have more options for enjoying their breakfast ramen at more convenient times.
“When you let ramen sit too long, it dissolves into something where the quality of the noodles is not ideal. We’re bringing back kits so that you can enjoy the ramen on your schedule in your way, especially at home,” Purdie confirms.
While the ramen kits represent a step toward growth for Ramen by Ra, the owner sees the greatest avenue for fulfillment in the boutique breakfast shop’s influence on other entrepreneurs. Chef Purdie hopes they will gain faith from seeing the light of her success in opening a Black-owned breakfast ramen restaurant, a first she accomplished by looking up to other achievers.
“I can inspire them to dream big and dream high, stay focused and know that you can achieve dreams that may seem impossible. They are all possible, and I am dedicating my business and accomplishments to the next generation. It’s always about who is next and how we build on that future.”
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