Episode
Ivan Orkin - The American Who Became Japan’s Ramen King
- Podcast
- The Go To Food Podcast
- Published
- Apr 2, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2663
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://shows.acast.com/the-go-to-food-podcast/episodes/ivan-orkin-the-american-who-became-japans-ramen-king
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Summary
Ivan Orkin joins Mise en Place for a brilliant, wide-ranging conversation on ramen, restaurants, and the realities of hospitality. Recorded in London over bowls of tonkotsu, fried chicken and aubergine, this episode finds the New York-born chef reflecting on the journey that took him from Manhattan to Tokyo, where he became one of the most unlikely success stories in modern food: an American cook opening a ramen shop in Japan and earning the respect of one of the world’s most exacting food cultures. Across the episode, Ivan talks about his first life-changing bowl of ramen in Shibuya, the obsessive craft behind a great broth, and why ramen is one of the most misunderstood dishes in the business. He explains why a proper bowl has to be eaten fast, why the details matter so much, and how he built a style that was rooted in tradition without ever being trapped by rules. From oven-roasted tomatoes and deep umami to the pressures of pricing, labour and running restaurants across Tokyo, New York and London, it is a masterclass from a chef who has truly lived every side of the industry. It is also a deeply personal conversation. Ivan opens up about loss, reinvention, moving back to Japan, and the path that led him to build Ivan Ramen into a global name. He speaks candidly about the challenge of opening in Tokyo as an outsider, the moment the queues started forming, and how Chef’s Table changed everything. What comes through most is his honesty: about the hardships of the trade, the economics of hospitality, and the responsibility restaurant owners feel towards the people who make service possible. Along the way there are plenty of gems: his love for London, his thoughts on Tokyo neighbourhoods, his dream 48-hour food trip, his views on “bad customers,” and the pizza place he…