To Sarah Gavigan, ramen has always been a comfort food. Those first feel-good hits of umami came at the peak of her career as an agent, in the LA music and film industry. A steamy bowl of ramen for lunch became an instant reprieve from the hectic workday and important part of Gavigan’s weekly routine.

Fast forward to the next chapter in her life, Gavigan and her husband Brad Gavigan took a leap of faith to move back to her hometown of Nashville, TN where ramen was nowhere to be found. From there, she knew she was onto her next weird, wild, adventure, and quickly found herself boiling fifty pounds of pork bone broth in her backyard at 2 a.m. After a special guest, award-winning chef Erik Anderson visited for dinner and tweeted, “COMING SOON: The best bowl of ramen Nashville has ever seen,” her life was instantly changed forever.

From there, the sails were set for charting a sea of ramen goodness. Gavigan announced the date for her official first pop-up, and sold 225 tickets in less than a week. From there, she was hosting ramen pop-ups at restaurants and markets all over town. After 3 years as a pop-up shop, her husband officially joined the team and Otaku Ramen opened the first brick and mortar location in Nashville’s the Gulch neighborhood in December of 2015, which became Nashville’s first dedicated ramen shop. In 2018, the group extended their reach by opening Otaku Ramen East, an all pickup and delivery model in East Nashville, and most recently a counter service shop in West Nashville.

Gavigan’s goal from the very beginning has always been mastering the oft-secretive art of ramen making and share its history, tradition, and above all deliciousness. And, as Otaku continues to expand and evolve, with new markets and shops on the horizon, her mission to give ramen to all people will continue to be the driving force that fuels the brand’s growth.