Fine dining isn't all about wine pairings and tableside service. Today, on the latest episode of MUNCHIES: The Podcast, we're diving into the art of kaiseki cuisine, one of the most unique styles in the genre of elevated dining. Combining hyper-local, foraged ingredients with refined Japanese technique, trailblazing chef Niki Nakayama is at the center of redefining the traditional, multi-course Japanese meal at her acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant, n/naka.Kaiseki's structure is a formal procession of courses rooted in ancient Buddhist ritual. It's also prepared almost exclusively by men. Tune in as I head over to n/naka to speak to chef Nakayama, her life-partner and sous-chef Carole Iida-Nakayama, and renowned forager Pascal Baudar as we explore the past, present, and future of this mythic culinary tradition.So subscribe to the podcast on iTunes if you can dig it, and tell your friends to do the same. And check back in two weeks for the next episode, because we're taking your ears to Copenhagen, where we'll hang out in the free town known as Christiania—an autonomous community—to speak to chef Matt Orlando about how weed, anarchy, and Copenhagen inspire his cooking.
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