Niki Nakayama, “memory keepers,” and Mori Onodera’s return

Hosted by Evan Kleiman Mar. 30, 2019 Food & Drink

Niki Nakayama is one of the few elite American practitioners of kaiseki, considered the apex of Japanese cuisine. Photo credit: Zen Sekizawa

Against big odds, Niki Nakayama is one of the few elite American practitioners of kaiseki, considered the apex of Japanese cuisine. Plus: the stories of women who are keeping alive family memories of the Japanese-American internment camps. Also, a visit with a women-owned seaweed farm in the Bay Area.

From this Episode:

Kaiseki her way: Niki Nakayama’s journey

Recently the New Yorker profiled Niki Nakayama, calling her Palms restaurant n/naka the most prominent kaiseki restaurant in America.

11 min

Memories of Japanese-American internment

In a haunting photo essay for Vogue called “The Memory Keepers,” Bridget Read spoke with women survivors of the Japanese internment, plus their descendants who have...

11 min

Market Report: Green Garlic

Schaner Family Farms in Valley Center sells green garlic this time of year at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The green garlic is pulled from the ground in early spring...

8 min

Mori Onodera’s return to the sushi bar

The rise of sushi in Los Angeles can be seen through chef Morihiro Onodera’s professional arc, including stints at Katsu, R-23, Matsuhisa, and his own restaurant Mori...

11 min

Garrett Snyder on Sushi I-Naba

LA Magazine food editor Garrett Snyder is always on the hunt for superlative sushi.

6 min

A women-owned company champions California’s seaweed

Seaweed has been referred to as the new kale, and has been fashionably floating onto restaurant menus everywhere. It may be as much of a superfood as blueberries and chia...

9 min