Basil Yu, a first-generation Chinese American, began his culinary journey in his parents' Chinese restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire. Starting off as a host and server, he realized he wanted to be in the kitchen. That's where his real magic started.

Fresh out of college with a health science degree, Basil dove headfirst into the culinary game, starting off at the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine. But it wasn't until he landed a spot at the Vanderbilt Hotel in Newport that he really hit his stride. Inspired by the flavors of New England, Basil unleashed a culinary tempest with his Noodle Night pop-up at The Narragansett.

Looking for a change, he moved to Dolores, Colorado in 2016 to work at Dunton Hot Springs Hotel. The Relais & Châteaux property was a culinary playground, with a major emphasis placed on whole animal butchery, foraging, and preservation, as well as pushing out new menus daily. Yu also teamed up with a local brewery to continue running his noodle pop-up in the off season.

Wanting to be closer to home, he moved back to Rhode Island in 2019 and started to dive deeper into East Asian cuisine, going on to study ramen making in Singapore and Japan. Back in Newport, Rhode Island, Yu continued his noodle pop-up, and when the pandemic hit, pivoted to doing full-time takeout, which evolved into his brick-and-mortar, Yagi Noodles. Building on a foundation of freshly milled, local wheat noodles, Yu serves his expression of noodle soups, as well as other Asian-inspired comfort food.

Now, with locally milled wheat noodles as his canvas, Basil crafts a culinary masterpiece of noodle soups and Asian-inspired comfort eats. And the accolades? Yagi Noodles has been awarded Rhode Island Monthly's Best of RI 'Best New Restaurant 2022' and 'Best Asian Restaurant 2022 and 2023'. In 2023, he was awarded StarChefs Rising Star Coastal New England, and in 2024 he was nominated as a James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Northeast. 

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