Niki Nakayama facts for kids
| Born | 1975 (age 49–50) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | kaiseki |
| Education | Southern California School of Culinary Arts |
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Current restaurant(s)
n/naka
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Previous restaurant(s)
Azami Sushi Cafe
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Television show(s)
Chef's Table
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Award(s) won
Michelin stars
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| Official website | |
| https://n-naka.com/ | |
Niki Nakayama (born 1975) is a famous American chef. She owns a restaurant in Los Angeles called n/naka. This restaurant is very special because it has received a Michelin star. Chef Nakayama is known for her modern Japanese cooking style called kaiseki.
Contents
Early Life and Culinary Journey
Niki Nakayama was born in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Her parents were from Japan and worked with fish. When Niki was 12, her parents divorced. She later went to a cooking school in Pasadena. After school, she worked at a restaurant called Mori Sushi.
Niki wanted to learn more about cooking. So, she traveled to Japan for three years. There, she learned a lot about traditional Japanese food. She even cooked at a Japanese inn called Shirakawa-Ya Ryokan. This inn was owned by her cousins and was famous for its kaiseki meals.
When Niki came back to California, she opened her first restaurant, Azami Sushi Cafe. It was special because it had an all-female staff. Later, she opened her very famous restaurant, n/naka, in Los Angeles. She works there with Carole Iida, who is her partner and also a chef.
Restaurant and Cooking Style
Niki Nakayama's restaurant, n/naka, serves a special Japanese meal with many courses. This style of cooking is called kaiseki. It uses fresh ingredients that are in season. Some vegetables and herbs even come from Niki's own garden!
A kaiseki meal at n/naka usually has 13 dishes. Each dish flows naturally into the next. The courses are arranged to show off the ingredients in different ways. For example, you might have a raw dish, then a grilled dish, then a steamed dish, and so on. It goes from light to heavy and then back to light.
Kaiseki cooking started a long time ago in Japan. It was simple vegetarian food for tea ceremonies. Over time, it became a fancy feast. Niki Nakayama creates "modern kaiseki." She believes that the chef should always respect the ingredients. She also wants every guest to have an amazing experience at her restaurant.
In 2019, n/naka was one of the top restaurants in Los Angeles. It received two stars from the Michelin Guide. Food & Wine magazine also named n/naka one of the 30 best restaurants in the world that year.
Chef Nakayama often cooks in kitchens where guests cannot see her. She does this so people focus only on the food. She believes it's better if guests don't judge the food based on who is cooking it.
In 2024, n/naka received one Michelin star. This meant it lost one star compared to the previous year. Niki Nakayama said she was disappointed but also grateful. She said it made her and her team even more determined to keep making excellent food.
Television Appearances
In 2015, Niki Nakayama was featured on a Netflix show called Chef's Table. In this episode, she talked about her career. She shared the challenges she faced and the people who inspired her. She also helped as a cooking expert for the 2019 Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe.
Personal Life
Niki Nakayama is married to Carole Iida. Carole is also a chef and Niki's partner at the n/naka restaurant.
In 2014, Niki Nakayama won the StarChefs Rising Star Chef Award. This award recognized her great work at n/naka.
