Nov. 5—CENTRAL LAKE — Daniel Mabie recently moved to northern Michigan from Hawaii. The longtime chef said he was introduced to ramen in Maui, where he lived for about four years.
Mabie is officially launching his business Full Send Ramen with a pop-up event at Providence Farm and CSA in Central Lake next weekend. He said he aims to host pop-ups throughout the winter to “build a local base” and possibly expand during the summer months.
“It has a place up here in northern Michigan — the closest would be Grand Rapids,” he said of a dedicated ramen shop. “I’ve been thinking about it for the last year, with the local farms and having a food that’s soul-warming for a cold day.”
He is making and serving two bowls at the Nov. 12 event. Mabie said the first option is a Shoyu ramen, a soy-sauce based dish that incorporates local vegetables, lard, a garlic oil mixture and ramen noodles. It is topped with pork, fried garlic, toasted sesame seeds, scallion and ajitama (a soft-boiled ramen egg).
“It’s a double soup — the broth is from the land and sea,” Mabie said. “It’s an oceanic cut. It balances out the unctuousness.”
The second bowl features a three-miso blend with a local chile and ginger paste, scallion oil, a kombu (kelp) and mushroom dashi (stock) and noodles. The dish also includes whiskey mushrooms, nori (seaweed) and fennel. Mabie said the noodles can be substituted to make it gluten-free.
The creation process can be complex, but to Mabie it is worth it. Mabie said many places in Japan outsource their noodles, but he found equipment that can help make them by hand for his pop-up.
At least a week ahead of time, he started preparing the elements that will go into each bowl.
“One ingredient may take a week to mature,” he said, mentioning the broth in particular. “We use close to 50 ingredients, most of them local. We’re not cutting corners.”
Mabie said he learned how to make the Japanese noodle dish from his friend and mentor Christian Savage, who also works as a chef.
The pair has explored ramen eateries together, starting in Hawaii when they both worked there. Savage is currently in college in Florida but said he is flying to Michigan to assist with running the event.
“I’m helping him get started for that first week,” he said. “It’s a great product [the ramen]. It’s just getting people aware of it.”
Mabie added that he named his business after a phrase he heard while in California. “Full send” means “being true to yourself by giving all your effort,” he said.
“We’re putting a lot of effort into having a locally-focused mentality,” he said.
Full Send Ramen serves farm-to-table meals from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 12 at Providence Farm in Central Lake.
The ticket presale is available at fullsendramen.com. Those who are part of the Full Send Ramen newsletter are guaranteed a bowl if they purchase before event day.
Tickets are $20 via https://providence-organic-farm.square.site/product/ramen-pop-up/2256.
