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"When I first opened Portland’s original Afuri—the first U.S. shop—I watched people ask for knives and forks for their bowls of yuzu shio. Since then I've grown Afuri into several Portland outposts, sometimes as dumpling-and-noodle bars and other times as full-on izakayas; the chain now operates ramen shops in cities such as Los Angeles, Singapore, and Vancouver, B.C., and continues to expand. I'm also developing a large-scale Slabtown 'ramen-ery' where visitors can watch chefs make noodles and dumplings for the area's shops." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden