Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites is a picture book biography that tells the story of the powerhouse female Japanese-American chef and her rise to fame As a child and adult, Niki faced many naysayers in her pursuit of haute cuisine. Using the structure of a traditional kaiseki meal, the authors Debbi Michiko Florence and Jamie Michalak playfully detail Niki's hunger for success in thirteen "bites" - from wonton wrappers she used to make pizza as a kid to yuzu-tomatillo sauce in her own upscale Los Angeles Michelin-starred restaurant, n/naka. To anyone who tells her a woman can't be a master chef, Niki lets her food do the talking. And oh, does it talk. Niki was featured on the first season of Netflix's culinary documentary series Chef's Table. And Chrissy Teigen proclaimed that Niki's restaurant was one of her absolute favorites. She's currently a featured teacher on MasterClass. A smart, strong woman with starpower, Niki is only just getting started - like the young readers who will devour this book, featuring illustrations by Yuko Jones!

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 4 years.

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published in 2021 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc .

Debbi Michiko Florence is a third generation Japanese American, and has many fond memories of her family's traditions and growing up in California. Debbi now lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two ducks, Darcy and Lizzie.