Our Story
The Story of Ramen started as a community dining pop-up to provide a unique ramen dining experience. Instead of standing in line and sitting at a crowded restaurant to eat a bowl of ramen, we offer an enjoyable experience for you to actually learn and experience making your own ramen noodles and then enjoy a three-course ramen dinner. Over the years, our concept has evolved from a community dining concept to a team-building experience among co-workers and friends.
Currently, we are looking to expand our successful concept to other cities. If you are interested in hosting The Story of Ramen in your city, please click here to complete a brief application for franchise opportunity.
Manville Chan
Founder and
Chief Experience Officer
Having both a technical and marketing background, I am a veteran product manager with several tech start-up firms.
I began cooking more than 20 years ago as a hobby. I hosted dinner parties for friends and family. About four years ago, some of them encouraged me to pursue my passion in a food/cooking career. I started by hosting dinner events via EatWith regularly.
I have always had a love for ramen, my ultimate comfort food. Many years ago, I self taught myself how to make ramen at home. I later attended the International Ramen School in Yokohama, Japan, a school to formally train chefs to open ramen shops worldwide. After graduation, I didn't want to open up a restaurant like everyone else does. So I came up the idea of The Story of Ramen - having my guests experience turning flour and water into ramen with some ramen stories along the way.
Over the past year, The Story of Ramen has been popular with visitors, couples, date nights, birthday events as well corporate team building offsite activity.
Jeff Parsons
Chief Marketing Officer, Co-Owner and Special Event Host
My background in media and interest in food create the perfect intersection to help launch this exciting new food experience in the Mission District of San Francisco. To be clear, we are not a "cooking school" or just a "cooking class". Our goal is to offer everyone who visits a chance to learn about the very interesting history of ramen, some helpful tips on how to make it at home and an engaging experience for you, friends, co-workers or sometimes even strangers who may come together for lunch or dinner. I believe that your experience should include great tasting food and an overall experience that gets you excited about such a popular food around the world.
As a hobby, I have studied in food courses in Italy, Japan, Thailand, Rwanda and Zanzibar. Food is a passion (not a job). My goal when I help create an experience for you to learn about ramen is to ensure you walk away from dinner or lunch in the restaurant with excitement for something you've learned. In my media career and in my hobbies, I always enjoy seeing someone smile when they learn something new. I hope you're smiling after eating hand-made, fresh ramen!
Angelia Parsons
Event Host, Charlotte
Angelia helps The Story of Ramen bring a new experience to the Queen City. The ramen event experiences offer great opportunities for friends, birthday parties or team-building events with co-workers.
Angelia brings great attention to detail in her cooking, having experimented with food from different regions. She brings her organizational and multi-tasking skills from her work in the financial industry into the kitchen where ramen has become a creative food outlet! The Story of Ramen experiences allow Angelia to combine her love of teaching others and her love of ramen.
"I have an obsession with Asian cuisine in general and in the last year Ramen has been at the top of the list. I had the opportunity to train with Chef Manville Chan earlier this year and learn how to create that perfect bowl of Ramen. It gives me a sense of satisfaction when I see participants leave satisfied and excited about the possibility of making their own Ramen."