Ilan Hall began cooking in high school while working at a local fish market. His passion led him to land an externship in Italy at 17 and, ultimately, to the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating CIA, Ilan worked at several renowned kitchens in New York City including Aureole, Craft, and Casa Mono.

While at Casa Mono, Ilan was chosen for the second season of Top Chef, which he went on to win. With his winnings from the show and the support of his family and friends, Ilan opened his first restaurant, The Gorbals, in Downtown Los Angeles and soon expanded to Brooklyn, New York. While in Brooklyn, Ilan and Rahul imagined the concept for Ramen Hood. They opened it soon after and never looked back.

Rahul Khopkar was born in Manhattan and grew up just outside of Boston, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After a short stint as a bartender at a French restaurant in Maine, and spending two years as a line cook at a restaurant in Wellesley, Rahul decided to follow his love of film and moved to Los Angeles. While attending school in LA, Rahul took a part time job working for free at The Gorbals in Downtown Los Angeles, which eventually evolved into a full time job. That’s where he and Ilan met in 2010.

Rahul graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley in 2013. After time spent working at Lucques in Los Angeles, and at Torc and Archetype in Napa Valley, Rahul moved to Copenhagen to work at the restaurant Noma. While in Copenhagen, Rahul received a call from a longtime friend, Ilan Hall, who wanted to bring Rahul on board for a vegan project he was planning in Los Angeles. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Rahul partnered with Ilan and opened Ramen Hood in downtown Los Angeles.