Meet Rasheeda Purdie, a New York City based chef whose innovative cooking and cultural perspective continue to turn heads in the culinary world.

She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology before beginning her career with fashion icon Betsey Johnson and later at the legendary Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue, where she became a top stylist working with high-profile clients including Beyoncé and the family of Michelle Obama.

In 2015, she shifted her creative path to food, attending the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. She honed her craft at Duane Park and Untitled at The Whitney Museum before refining her technique under celebrated chefs Melba Wilson, JJ Johnson, and Marcus Samuelsson.

During the pandemic, she launched Ramen by Ra in partnership with Ada Supper Club, celebrating Black and female expression through food and storytelling.

Her work has earned national recognition including being named by Ebony Magazine as one of their “Black Chefs You Should Know”, receiving Dine Diaspora’s Black Women In Food “Culinarian of the Year’’ honor, appearing on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, awarded the People’s Chef Choice Award powered by Pepsi Dig In, and being featured in Klancy Miller’s cookbook, For The Culture.

In 2025, Chef Rasheeda Purdie opened the new home of Ramen by Ra in the East Village, an intentional evolution of her morning ramen counter and the next chapter in a story built through craft, intimacy, and discipline.

This culinary chapter builds on the success of her four seat shop at The Bowery Market, where Ramen by Ra became the first Black woman owned ramen shop in America and introduced New York to its first breakfast brunch ramen experience. The Bowery counter quickly became a destination for its intimacy, technique, and soulful approach to ramen. Guests sat directly in front of the chef, watching bowls form through morning ritual and precision, with curated tea pairings that created a sense of calm in the middle of the city.

In the East Village, that spirit remains. The shop preserves the closeness and intention of the original counter while deepening the ceremony around broth, soy eggs, and breakfast bao buns.

The space also introduces a window service offering Broth by Ra cups and breakfast bao inspired by New York’s morning coffee and bagel culture. Warm broth in place of coffee, bao in place of a bagel, a familiar rhythm expressed through a new language.

What began as four seats has evolved into a refined morning driven experience rooted in patience, care, and connection to the chef, elevated without losing the soul of the original shop.

The term asa ra combines the Japanese word for morning (asa) and ramen, with origins tracing back to early 1900s Shizuoka, Japan.

Ramen by Ra honors this history while expanding its language through Southern memory, New York rhythm, and a deep respect for Japanese technique. Chef Purdie recognizes the shared soul between Southern cooking and ramen broth, both grounded in patience, whole-ingredient respect, and low-and-slow preparation.

“I started my culinary career rooted in my Southern upbringing. During the pandemic, I was drawn to ramen as a form of comfort and warmth during such an uncertain time. I immediately began to draw parallels between Southern food and ramen broth. Both draw from the soul, using all the ingredients with the low and slow cooking method. I’ve been inspired to explore this fusion and excited to explore these worlds in my new shop.”

Each bowl begins with a classic shoyu foundation, enhanced with infused oils or pastes to develop layers of comfort, familiarity, and innovation. Some signature offerings include bacon, soy egg and cheese, everything egg drop, and lox ramen, made with noodles developed in partnership with Sun Noodle Inc.

Ramen by Ra is a culinary experience inspired by the past, grounded in the present, and evolving into the future — honoring tradition while shaping a new expression of ramen in New York City.