This Columbia pop-up restaurant's chef adds cultural influences to every bowl of ramen

Vinnie DeBono invests so much of himself — his personal history, his pop-culture preoccupations and interests — in every bowl of ramen.

The Columbia chef behind Kiki's Noodle Bowl is a person of both art and science; the son of a family which enfolds multiple cultural expressions. DeBono considers every shaping force, and more, whenever he accentuates fresh noodles and steaming broth.

The taste, he says, is "uniquely Vinnie — there’s a Korean influence, there’s an Italian influence, there’s a little bit of Mexican influence in there." Each meal pays due respect to these cultures while attaching to a dish somewhere beyond them.

Kiki's Noodle Bowl, named for DeBono's corgi, will hold its next pop-up event Monday evening at Beet Box, the restaurant where the chef works by day.

The chemistry of ramen

Born in South Korea, then adopted into an Italian-Hispanic household that put down Midwest roots, DeBono said his background naturally precedes his culinary bent.

"Fusion to me is just me," he said.

Moving from Chicago to Columbia in 2016 to attend the University of Missouri, DeBono finished an engineering degree, then waded into the business start-up world. But his motivation soon dimmed.

In a very gentle rebellion, he eschewed his parents' advice to avoid kitchen jobs and began working with Peachtree Catering and Beet Box. His first kitchens were the right ones — chefs there consistently showed a willingness to teach DeBono, and to offer him freedom as soon as he mastered the fundamentals.

"Thinking on my feet and being creative is something I feel like I can definitely attribute to working where I have," he said.

Seeking his own appetizing canvas, DeBono came to ramen as "something that inspires me." Again, passions and reference points gloriously collided.

The "25-cents-a-pack (ramen) experience" nearly every college student enjoys met the beautifully drawn food DeBono witnessed in his favorite anime films. He wanted to pull those gorgeous noodle bowls out from the screen and into 3-D life, he said.

Experience cooking fresh Italian pasta at home spurred his curiosity as to what made ramen and other Asian noodle dishes so different. Here, DeBono's science background kicks in as he describes "the chemistry" of ramen.

Ramen distinguishes itself from more European styles of noodles that start from an egg base, he said. And the sparing but significant use of sodium carbonate changes the noodles' pH, creating a unique texture and lending them "more chew," DeBono added.

Which varieties of ramen are on Kiki's plate

Monday's menu reflects the cultures that define DeBono's family and thoughts about fusion.

He will offer four varieties of ramen: a traditional Japanese tonkotsu ramen, which features pork broth, fried pork, green onion and other flavors; Mexican birria ramen, where pork broth and braising liquid make a home for braised beef, red onion, Cotija cheese and lime; Italian cacio e pepe ramen, featuring chicken-based broth, roasted porchetta, Romano cheese and black pepper; and a vegan miso ramen, which rounds out the offerings.

Side dishes include a focaccia shrimp toast, which plays on a popular Chinese takeout dish but features "pillowy" Italian bread, DeBono said; and a kimchi rice arancini, which moves an Italian appetizer toward Korean cuisine, combining sushi rice made "risotto-style," kimchi and mozzarella cheese, then breading and deep frying the ingredients. In these dishes, each ingredient, each culture works back into the other.

One of DeBono's current fascinations is finding an absolutely perfect recipe for kimchi. Being raised outside Korean culture, his interest in exploring and understanding this staple dish has ramped up with time, he said.

DeBono, of course, credits one other essential source of inspiration: Kiki herself.

Named for the main character in Hayao Miyazaki's playful 1989 film "Kiki's Delivery Service," the corgi remains squarely in her "rambunctious" phase, full of "lovely, 1-year-old puppy energy," he said, while narrating the toys she brought to his feet as he talked.

"She really has been a light in my life," DeBono added.

As of earlier this week, remaining reservations for Monday's event were limited, but DeBono has plans for future pop-ups, with an eye on late January for the next installment. Check availability and learn more about the project on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kikisnoodlebowl/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Ramen fusion pop-up Kiki's Noodle Bowl reflects chef's personality