Fans of flavor in Fayetteville, N.C., are already familiar with Chef Yohei Kamiya (Chef Yohei), the powerful personality behind Ichi-Kaku 一角 Ramen Japanese Restaurant.

Since opening its doors in March of 2022, Ichi-Kaku has been providing authentic Japanese street food, tonkotsu ramen and teppanyaki, bringing inspiration and tastes from his original home in Nagoya, Japan, to Fayetteville. 

Yohei originally got his start at another ramen restaurant in Fayetteville with the intention to buy it. After relocating his family to Fayetteville from Charlotte, N.C. in April of 2021, Yohei was one of thousands who had their industry disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Yohei worked for the previous restaurant for a time, preparing to take over. After going back and forth with the owner, the deal eventually fell through, leaving Yohei with the choice to either return to Charlotte or establish his own restaurant here in Fayetteville. 

“I used to live in Charlotte, right? It was a good restaurant, I got a good salary, but I'm trying to find a restaurant here. Nobody can pay me that much money, so I'm like, ‘Oh, now I really have to open the business,’” recalled Yohei. “Because I’ve already moved with my family, I have to do it. Then I found a spot at the last minute. I bought the restaurant, and I restarted. I really had to, because I couldn’t go back to Charlotte again." 

That spot, 350 N Eastern Blvd, in Suite 200 near downtown Fayetteville, would become the longtime home for Ichi-Kaku. Starting with just Yohei himself, the restaurant has grown to employ 17 staff members to keep up with increasing customer demand. 

“When I started the business, I started by myself. It was the first day; I thought that nobody would come, [but on] the first day a lot of people came. I was really confused. It was really hard at the time. So I did everything: cashier, making food, running food, clean up, washing dishes. All the process I did by myself until like four months in,” recalled Yohei. “Fortunately, we’re growing every month, just gradually. At the beginning it was just myself, next I hired one person, next two people, then four, five, six so we just keep growing.” 

Social media has also been very kind to Yohei and his restaurant. Since starting the restaurant, Yohei has primarily utilized the Ichi-Kaku Facebook page to advertise his food. Today, the page has grown to over 12,000 followers and is the main way word has gotten around. 

“Some media hooked me up, and he posted on the Facebook Foodie page. He interviewed me on the phone because it was COVID time anyway. And I told my story; I’m from Japan, my job history, I worked in restaurants for 25 years, and it was a good post. So people were curious [about] my restaurant. I made my Facebook page from zero, but after that post I got 5,000 followers,” shared Yohei. 

Now the restaurant is celebrating four years in business and a recently hit milestone of 1,000+ Google reviews with 4.8 stars speaking on behalf of the menu and dining experience before customers even walk through the door. 

“Google reviews are like our report card. Sometimes people ask friends to leave a five-star review; I don’t do anything like that. So now we have 1,000 reviews, and I’m really happy about that,” shared Yohei. “Four years, it’s a really small restaurant. I just keep going and doing my best, so I’m really happy about that.” 

Yohei has certainly made a name for himself in Fayetteville, with regular customers he recognizes and orders he can recall from memory. 

“That’s my service and my personality. I’m always friendly, I’m always welcoming. They are customers, but they’re also our community. I’m always telling my team, ‘It’s about the community.’ It’s casual, welcoming vibes; that’s what we need to create,” shared Yohei. 

Chef Yohei is inviting the community to join him for the fourth annual Ichi-Kaku Ramen Eating Contest and block party returning to 350 N Eastern Blvd on Sunday, Nov. 15. 

Applications will open from Oct. 1- 23 for five challengers ready to eat their hearts out to be crowned the champion for 2026. More information will be available in the coming weeks on the Ichi-Kaku Facebook page. 

Learn more about Ichi-Kaku on their website here.