Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Chanchaleune.
Jeff, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when I was born. My father is now retired from the kitchen life but was an executive chef in various hotels and restaurants in and around Oklahoma City my entire life. He finally slowed down and opened a little mom and pop diner. I was practically born into and raised in the restaurant. I remember learning how to cook steaks, over easy eggs and roux for gravy as a kid. I did everything from scrubbing potatoes to bus tables and literally running to the grocery store a few suites down in the shopping strip we were in. I did this every single day after school and all day Saturday-Sunday. I was a restaurant brat. Experiencing all that as my childhood made me not want to get into the food business in my future. However, I did stay in the industry, working throughout high school and college in what was OKC’s best Japanese kitchen at the time. I stayed in the kitchen because that’s all I knew and it came naturally to me. I finally graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2010 with a B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication for Advertising. I’ll try to make this long story short.
After I graduated, I moved to Portland, Oregon, to help my aunt with her Japanese restaurant while job searching a position in advertising. I had a short stint there before moving back to Oklahoma City, where I took a position at a local advertising agency in the creative department doing graphics, web design, and social media. I spent two and a half years there before realizing I missed cooking and that I was really passionate about it. I took the leap and quit a stable, salaried career to move to Chicago. I staged (unpaid working audition) at Japanese restaurants Slurping Turtle, Sumi Robata, and Oii Star before finally accepting a position at Arami. My goal was to learn more Japanese cuisine and eat more food outside of what Oklahoma had to offer and bring it back home to be a part of the constantly growing and evolving city and food landscape. After my stint in Chicago, I moved back to Oklahoma City to open a ramen food truck with a former partner to test the idea of a ramen restaurant. We gained national attention as Eater.com “22 Hottest Food Trucks Across the US” and “14 Hottest Ramen Shops Across the US.” Towards the end of my food truck journey, I then reconnected with a long-time friend and now business partner who owned and operated a rad pizza shop at the time. We hosted pop-up dinners in OKC to further test the idea of ramen in a seated, full-service atmosphere. We completed 15 sold-out dinners (32 seats) in one year before finding a brick-and-mortar spot for what is now Goro Ramen which opened in July 2016.
Fast forward three years to July 2019 and we opened Gun Izakaya in the Paseo Arts District. It was a concept that brought a different style of Japanese cuisine that didn’t exist in Oklahoma. Shareable drinking food and yakitori. This is where I earned a James Beard Foundation semifinalist nomination for Best Chef Southwest. My goal is to introduce and educate all that is great in Japanese cuisine. There’s more to it than just sushi and hibachi. Gun only survived seven months before the pandemic hit the US and Covid shut it down permanently. Since then, we’ve moved Goro Ramen to Gun building for more space to accommodate social distancing. We combined the Goro and Gun menu as best we could and added ‘Izakaya’ to our brand – Goro Ramen & Izakaya. We then turned the old Goro location into an Asian-American fried chicken shop called Tori Tori!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been mostly smooth. I just kept my head down, tried to stay humble and worked hard. Opening restaurants isn’t easy. It requires a lot of work and time but it is rewarding. Readapting to the new restaurant lifestyle after advertising was a struggle but I survived and I think I came out pretty strong. Covid is probably the most recent obstacle which made as have to pivot a lot with food. Service, etc. I give a lot of props to my business partner for handling the pandemic so that I could focus on the food.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a chef and have been cooking since I was 16 years old so 19 years now! I own and operate two Japanese restaurants – a ramen shop and a fried chicken shop. I most known for my ramen. I’m really proud of Goro and our beautiful new space, which was once an upscale Japanese restaurant that is now shuddered due to Covid-19. Goro & Gun were the restaurants that earned me a 2020 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for best chef southwest. We are different from other restaurants and other Japanese shops because of the food we produce. We offer and introduce dishes that haven’t been seen in Oklahoma City. We focus on quality and creativity. I’m also proud of all the brands. Coming from advertising, I’ve been able to create all four logos for the food truck, Goro, Gun and Tori Tori, as well as shoot most photos, and manage the social media as best as I can when I’m not in the kitchen.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
The best way I’ve found to network is to get out and meet people. Talk about food. It brings people together and creates conversations. Attending industry-related events is very helpful.
Contact Info:
- Website: gororamen.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gororamen, instagram.com/cheff_jeff
- Facebook: facebook.com/gororamenokc
Image Credits
Portraits of me are taken by Chris Nguyen. Sandwich photo by Karlye Price.
