Niki Nakayama

ABOUT THE CHEF

Niki Nakayama is the talented chef and owner behind n/naka, the 2 Michelin star restaurant in Los Angeles. She specializes in a modern version of kaiseki, the most formal way to dine in Japanese cuisine. Through this approach, Chef Nakayama pulls from different cooking methods throughout the meal to highlight an ingredient that speaks to the season and its beauty. With each dish, she makes the kaiseki tradition her own by featuring local California ingredients and influences.

In 2022, Chef Niki Nakayama and Dom Pérignon meet in a creative encounter inspired by mutual respect for nature, harmony, and contrast.

I remember when I was first introduced to Dom Pérignon Plénitude. The incredible feeling of lightness will always be etched in my mind.
Niki Nakayama

Plénitude 2

In a word: nature.

For Chef Nakayama and Dom Pérignon, this single constraint offers an endless array of inspiration and emotion to explore.
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Dom Pérignon’s creative process is founded on the constraint of nature; it can only be produced from the grapes of a single and same year. Expressing the essence of each year, however challenging, requires audacity and a willingness to take risks. The creative act is reinventing itself with each vintage.

Chef Nakayama’s cuisine emulates this appreciation for a moment in time and nature. In practicing the art of kaiseki, she emphasizes the seasonality of a dish in a show of gratitude for nature.

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I love Dom Pérignon’s approach to nature and building harmony. Capturing a certain year in this environment, in this bottle… it really represents that moment in time like a time capsule. We try to emulate those experiences within our philosophy of cuisine.
Niki Nakayama

FOOD PAIRING

In a word: juxtaposition.

Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 proposes a dialogue around the duality of wine. Its harmony invites gastronomical experiences that explore three trajectories: from primary to developed, from elementary to elaborate, and from transparency to black or dark.

Chef Nakayama leans into juxtaposition and extremes of experience in her modern interpretation of sashimi with two very different and opposing sauces, paired with Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 – Plénitude 2.

“The lightness and depth of this sashimi course enhances the lightness and depth of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 – Plénitude 2. I love how the Plénitude can withstand something very simple, and yet also pair with the complexity of the sea salt and roasted chili pepper sauces. For me, it’s the perfect pairing.”
Niki Nakayama