As the owner, head chef, and mastermind behind her restaurant n/naka, Chef Niki Nakayama serves up coveted kaiseki dinners, a structured multi-course meal that emphasizes seasonality and extreme technical prowess. Niki truly straddles the line of tradition and innovation, sourcing local ingredients and employing centuries-old techniques. And she just may be the only woman in the world who does it. But while Niki is the master of her kitchen and craft, getting here was a struggle. In this episode, we tell the story of how she risked it all to launch her restaurant in one of the most cutthroat industries: food. And we learn that a commitment to your creative vision, even if it’s doing it the hard way, can sometimes take you to the top.
The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte
This episode features:
Niki Nakayama, owner and head chef at n/naka restaurant
Carole Iida-Nakayama, sous chef at n/naka restaurant
Besha Rodell, restaurant critic at LA Weekly
Eric Rath, history professor at The University of Kansas
Special thanks to:
Dan Allen, Farmscape
Sarah Rathbone, Dock to Dish LA
To learn more about The Venture, go to
virginatlantic.com/theventure
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAs the owner, head chef, and mastermind behind her restaurant n/naka, Chef Niki Nakayama serves up coveted kaiseki dinners, a structured multi-course meal that emphasizes seasonality and extreme technical prowess. Niki truly straddles the line of tradition and innovation, sourcing local ingredients and employing centuries-old techniques. And she just may be the only woman in the world who does it. But while Niki is the master of her kitchen and craft, getting here was a struggle. In this episode, we tell the story of how she risked it all to launch her restaurant in one of the most cutthroat industries: food. And we learn that a commitment to your creative vision, even if it’s doing it the hard way, can sometimes take you to the top.
The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte
This episode features:
Niki Nakayama, owner and head chef at n/naka restaurant
Carole Iida-Nakayama, sous chef at n/naka restaurant
Besha Rodell, restaurant critic at LA Weekly
Eric Rath, history professor at The University of Kansas
Special thanks to:
Dan Allen, Farmscape
Sarah Rathbone, Dock to Dish LA
To learn more about The Venture, go to
virginatlantic.com/theventure
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
podcastchoices.com/adchoicesAs the owner, head chef, and mastermind behind her restaurant naka.com/">n/naka, Chef Niki Nakayama serves up coveted kaiseki dinners, a structured multi-course meal that emphasizes seasonality and extreme technical prowess. Niki truly straddles the line of tradition and innovation, sourcing local ingredients and employing centuries-old techniques. And she just may be the only woman in the world who does it. But while Niki is the master of her kitchen and craft, getting here was a struggle. In this episode, we tell the story of how she risked it all to launch her restaurant in one of the most cutthroat industries: food. And we learn that a commitment to your creative vision, even if it’s doing it the hard way, can sometimes take you to the top.
The Venture is hosted by Ashley Milne-Tyte
This episode features:
Niki Nakayama, owner and head chef at naka.com/">n/naka restaurant
Carole Iida-Nakayama, sous chef at naka.com/">n/naka restaurant
Besha Rodell, restaurant critic at LA Weekly
Eric Rath, history professor at The University of Kansas
Special thanks to:
Dan Allen, Farmscape
Sarah Rathbone, Dock to Dish LA
To learn more about The Venture, go to virginatlantic.com/theventure
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
