I first discovered Niki Nakayama through the NetFlix show Chef’s Table which my oldest child gushed about and insisted that I watch. I love food documentaries in general, but Chef’s Table is my favorite because it shows how adversity plays a huge role in each person’s story.
Niki Nakayama’s story is no different. She had a triple stigma to overcome in her profession: she was female, Japanese American, and queer. But she goes about breaking boundaries in a “head-down, don’t complain, work hard and prove them wrong” kind of way. It’s very Japanese.
I was thrilled to be able to experience her food and meet her in person. My oldest child stalked N/Naka’s reservation system to get us in when we were in California. We took the 10 pm reservation and while we did not get home until 1 am, it was worth it! She’s an Asian-Pacific American hero to me who inspires me and my daughters to pursue your creative vision.
Did you know that was a looong journey for Niki Nakayama to finally be able to create the kind of food that she wanted to?! All this and more in Asian Pacific American Heroes. It’s available on the Scholastic Website and through Scholastic Book Clubs flyers.
p.s. All my Asian American Book Lists for Kids are here with some specific ethnicities broken out.
40+ Asian American Book Lists for Kids
- Asian American
- Korean American
- Japanese American
- Chinese American
- South Asian American
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
