"A Greenpoint soba maker run by Shuichi Kotani who supplies noodles to restaurants such as Yakitori Torishin and Momokawa and has instructed Eleven Madison Park chefs on how to make soba noodles. Kotani called soba “the impossible noodle,” and the coverage notes that soba is particularly revered partly because buckwheat is a gluten-free whole grain that’s difficult to work with." - Melissa McCart