NIKI NAKAYAMA

Niki Nakayama is a renowned chef who found her voice through food.

Opening with an illustration of Nakayama in her restaurant kitchen, her story is told in 13 “bites,” each depicted as a double-page spread, beginning in Los Angeles, where Niki was born. Mixing cultures, her Japan-born parents fused their Japanese culture with American food. As she grew up, she desired to make her own life story through imagination, exploration, and invention. No one believed she, a girl, could be a success. Her response was “Kuyashii!” (translated as “I’ll show them!”), a frustration with these doubts that drove her to work harder. She traveled to Japan, where she discovered kaiseki—a multiple-course meal that told a story, which steered her toward the culinary world. Using her creativity and hard work, she finally opened up her own restaurant, where she was free to cook in her own way, sharing her life story through her dishes. Niki Nakayama set out to show her family and the world what she could do, and she did. This brief biography captures Nakayama’s sense of exploration and her determination to follow her passion and dreams. The meticulously detailed illustrations highlight the food, experiences, and Japanese culture. Included at the end are a timeline of Nakayama’s life, deeper explanations of the concepts of kuyashiiand kaiseki, and a recipe for wonton pizza.(This book was reviewed digitally.)

A flavorful, inspirational biography of a woman who showed the world what she could cook up.