KAANAPALI, MAUI >> As a second-generation Japanese-American born to traditionalist parents, Niki Nakayama grew up being told all the things she couldn’t do as a girl.
All the while, the chef/owner of the acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant n/naka was thinking, “I’ll show them.”
And so she has, while bearing no ill will toward those who underestimated the tenacity that drew her to the male-dominated world of kaiseki dining, the centuries-old Japanese tradition of artful, seasonal dishes served over many courses.
It seemed to be a no-win situation. Mentors interviewed for the Netflix “Chef’s Table” episode about Nakayama spoke of doubting that such a tiny, pretty woman would amount to much in the kitchen. When n/naka was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award and Nakayama was named a 2014 Los Angeles Rising Star Chef by StarChefs, she said detractors claimed the recognition came only because she’s a woman with a rarefied specialty.
Nakayama lets all the criticism roll off her back because there’s no room for ego or hubris in her world. There is only the relationship between chef and diner, and the happiness that flows from mutual satisfaction.
She had the opportunity to show local diners firsthand what that means during the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival’s opening weekend on Maui. She joined chefs taking part in Sunday’s Lucky 7 event at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, where she served up Big Island abalone with light dashi and poached foie gras.
“I really love that the kaiseki’s multicourse experience brings so much happiness,” she said. “I want to give happiness through food.
“There are some chefs who say, ‘I enjoy making this. I don’t care if you enjoy it or not.’ The Japanese have a word for that, ‘namaiki.’ It means having too much confidence, not recognizing our faults.
“For me, food is not a one-way street. It’s not art. It has to be reciprocal. It only works when the producer and the receiver both enjoy the experience, because it’s such a wonderful thing to share food with somebody.”
Her attitude about food was shaped in childhood. Although her parents hosted few dinner parties, those that took place were a big influence on their sensitive, impressionable daughter.
“There was something appealing about being surrounded by family and friends, eating, talking, spending hours together. It’s such a wonderful way to connect.”
At 19 she had the opportunity to visit the ryokan, or inn, of a cousin in Tokyo, where she was tasked with helping in the kitchen, dressing up dishes with herbs, greens, flowers and other ingredients, her introduction to the nature-centric world of kaiseki.
Long before farm-to-table became the mantra of contemporary chefs, kaiseki practitioners were focused on expressing the beauty of their ancient environments through regional and seasonal ingredients prepared in a way that showed respect for their natural essence and integrity. It remains the highest expression of Japanese cuisine, and in Japan chefs devote up to 15 years in formal studies, though Nakayama said the learning continues over a lifetime.
“Kaiseki has been a constant teacher for me. It’s taught me how to be grateful, how to show respect for ingredients, toward nature and fellow human beings. It allows you to take a step back from day-to-day stresses. There’s so much about the philosophy behind it that’s so meaningful and deep.”
Her appreciation led to culinary studies back home in California, and work alongside sushi masters Takao Izumida and Morihiro Onodera.
When it came time to strike out on her own, her family was willing to back her but called the shots on opening a sushi restaurant that seemed to be of little risk in trendy L.A. But where kaiseki calls for creativity and invention, there was a roteness to creating sushi that left Nakayama unfulfilled. And although her Azami Sushi Cafe, opened in 2000 on Melrose Avenue, proved popular, she noticed that old-school Japanese men who walked in often walked out when they saw her behind the counter, because of the notion in a patriarchal society that great sushi can be made only by men.
By 2008, she said, she had gotten to a point where she needed a break and closed the restaurant.
Not knowing her next move, she said, “I thought I would be at home getting fat on pizza, growing a beard.”
But her thoughts kept coming back to kaiseki. She had no guarantee that Western diners would understand the 16th-century Japanese concept, but she called it her “field of dreams,” comparing the act of opening the restaurant to the 1989 baseball fantasy film.
“I thought if I built it, they would come,” Nakayama said. “At some point you have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself for once. It’s easy to do when you put on really big headphones and isolate yourself from everybody else’s opinions.”
She financed n/naka herself, opening in 2011. To avoid the specter of men walking out on a female chef, she had shoji screens installed between kitchen and dining room, hiding herself to avoid distracting patrons.
“I’ve been very fortunate. Because kaiseki is relatively new (on the mainland) and hasn’t had much of a face, people didn’t have a preconceived notion of who can and cannot make kaiseki.”
At n/naka she keeps detailed dossiers of patrons and their meals so she can customize dinners with new dishes each time they visit. On any night she might have five to six different menus in the works, each one comprising nine to 13 courses running about $165 to $185. Reservations must be made three months in advance, and those who wanted to visit this month were completely out of luck.
Due to commitments at a food festival in Ireland, as well as in Hawaii, she said n/naka will be open only four days this month. Although she’s anxious to get back to her kitchen, she said travel is necessary.
“Vacations are important to chefs because we work in a bubble with constant stress. Travel helps creativity.”
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Related story:
Hawaii Food & Wine Fest spurs special wine dinners
Oahu Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival events begin Nov. 1 and include five days of dining events, wine seminars and cooking competitions at several venues. For a schedule and to purchase tickets, go to hawaiifood andwinefestival.com. See next week’s Crave for more.
