"In mid-2019, a 'secret ramen house' in East Nashville started popping up all over Instagram. Black Dynasty Ramen — the account, and no one wanted to spill the beans about the name of the chef who was leading the crusade of impressive-looking coursed ramen dinners in private homes. An exclusive secret ramen party advertised via quirky cut-and-paste graphics on Instagram — there were bowls of piping hot tonkotsu, Instagram-perfect soft eggs, and spring-y salads — all accompanied by fun rock ‘n roll tunes. The chef went on to stage at Jessica Benefield and Trey Burnette’s Two Ten Jack, where he recalls watching the shaking of noodle baskets, the coveted recipes for tares (the seasoning of ramen soups) the heavy huge stock pots with chicken feet and pork heads, the smell of seaweed and dried fish. Most recently, Rooney worked at chef Andy Little’s essential 12 South restaurant, Josephine. After a few weeks settling into the new routine of takeout, a menu featuring daily-changing ramen bowls (including vegan options), gyoza, and miso caramel banana pudding." - Delia Jo Ramsey
