Noodle Lane: Where dreams come true and stereotypes die
Through a red door at 230 7th Ave. is a modern, narrow interior of stained pine floors with two and four-top tables of wood, their place settings illuminated by miniature lamps. Past the mural of a fat red cat slurping noodles is a wall of white brick, adorned with framed photos, opposite a plaster wall of white, with photos and small shelves that are home to many tiny plants. Recess lighting extends to the end of the room where a bar fills a nook and the modernist aesthetic is belied in back by a steaming kitchen sequestered behind Plexiglass.
From the kitchen of Noodle Lane comes the culinary vision of Lane Li, executive chef, founder, and a woman with a remarkable story. Fleeing abject poverty in China, Li’s family settled in America where seven relatives shared a two-bedroom apartment. Through struggle and perseverance, Li became the first member of her family to graduate college, from where she entered the financial sector.
Her passion, though, was the food of her homeland, and Li spent her off hours perfecting her mastery of Chinese cuisine, while also traveling extensively around Asia, and eventually earning a degree at NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education. In 2011, she landed a stand at Brooklyn’s original Smorgasburg food bazaar where she remained as a popular mainstay until her brick and mortar American dream came true late last year.
