How Cooking Teacher Sonoko Sakai Is Helping People Connect Through Ramen | Eater

"A compact two‑bedroom Highland Park bungalow that doubles as an intimate, hands‑on cooking studio where a Japanese noodle specialist teaches small classes. Lessons are tactile and communal — students stomp dough in gallon Ziploc bags, roll and sheet noodles on eBay-sourced pasta machines, and finish outdoors at multiple burner stations that produce egg crepes and boil ramen for a cold hiyashi chuka topped family‑style with thin egg crepe, shrimp, teriyaki chicken thighs, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and a ginger‑soy dressing. The cramped living and backyard spaces, wooden tables and shared equipment are deliberately arranged to foster connection across mixed skill levels; the instructor also operates a small in‑home “store” stocked with custom pantry items and baking mixes, invites students to use her machines after class, and rebuilt an active teaching practice in person after offering popular Zoom workshops during the pandemic." - Meghan McCarron