Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites by Jamie Michalak and Debbie Michiko Florence, illustrated by Yuko Jones

Niki Nakayama grew up in Los Angeles in a traditional Japanese family. As a child she loved creating her own recipes and trying new foods.  When she expressed a desire to go to culinary school and become a chef, she was told she was too small and delicate to work in a restaurant kitchen. It seemed like people at every turn were telling her that a woman couldn't be a professional chef. 

Not only did Niki prove the doubters wrong about her ability to stand toe-to-toe with the best Japanese sushi chefs, she eventually decided to fulfill her ultimate dream of becoming a kaiseki chef, which is a type of cuisine that focuses on quality ingredients, technique, and story-telling. 

This picture book biography is a feast for the senses. As I read the book I became more and more intrigued by the idea of kaiseki and even sought out the episode of Chef's Table that Nakayama was featured on so I could learn more about her and the type of cuisine in which she specializes. If you have a budding chef in your life or just want to learn more about badass women busting glass ceilings, I highly recommend this wonderful book. 

Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites by Jamie Michalak and Debbie Michiko Florence, illustrated by Yuko Jones

Published: September 14, 2021

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Pages: 40

Genre: Picture book biography

Audience: Primary/middle grade

Disclosure: Library Copy

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Slurping Turtle Ann Arbor

Last night my husband and I drove to downtown Ann Arbor, as we often do on Friday nights, and decided to give a brand new restaurant a try. And when I say brand new, I mean brand new. It only just opened on April 21st in what used to be the Borders flagship store. The restaurant is called Slurping Turtle, a unique, memorable name for a unique, memorable restaurant.

Chef and owner Takashi Yagihashi who has competed on shows like Iron Chef America and Top Chef, opened the original Slurping Turtle in Chicago but decided to expand his concept to Michigan. The menu consists of Asian tapas, ramen, and sushi. Just like the communal tables at Slurping Turtle, the menu is designed to be shared, as evidenced by their gigantic bowls of ramen that easily serve two. My husband and I decided to order a few tapas and then shared a bowl of ramen and I was more than satisfied with the amount of food we had. Of course, that might also have something to do with the fact that we ordered THREE desserts as well. But with a dessert menu like this, it was really hard to choose just one:

Well, I'm not so sure about the Iron Chef Egg Shooter, but everything else sounds delicious. ;) 

All of the dishes we ordered at Slurping Turtle are ones that I will crave until the next time we eat there. The pork belly bao were soft and pillowy and had just the right amount of sweet and sour. The homemade ramen noodles were perfectly al-dente. And then there was the desserts. We ordered the macarons, black sesame ice cream, and the green tea cream puffs. All three of them were delicious, but my favorite were the green tea cream puffs. More than anything else, those cream puffs are what I will be craving until  our next visit.

Left to right: Slurping Turtle, green tea cream puff, roasted chicken shoyu ramen, my husband slurping said ramen, black sesame ice cream, macarons (kafir lime, sesame chocolate, and raspberry-wasabi), and bao (shrimp, chicken, and pork belly)

Slurping Turtle isn't quite up to full speed yet: they currently only have a dinner service and they have yet to procure their liquor license, but even operating at less than 100%, the food and service were wonderful. I would go back in a heartbeat, and most likely will over and over again. If  they continue with their wonderful food and great service, most likely Slurping Turtle will be added to my list of favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor.