Chef Norman Van Aken is known internationally as “the founding father of New World Cuisine,” a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African and American flavors and for introducing the concept of “fusion” to the culinary world in a symposium on American cooking in 1988.
He is the only Floridian inducted into the prestigious James Beard list of “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage.” Van Aken is the Chef and Director of Restaurants at The Miami Culinary Institute as well as the Chef/Owner of NORMAN’S (the highest Zagat-rated restaurant in Orlando) at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lake, Orlando”. The New York Times deemed his fine dining restaurant, NORMAN’S, “the Best Restaurant in Florida and Norman Van Aken its best Chef.”
Whoever said you can’t please all of the people all of the time must not have met Norman Van Aken.
-Miami Herald
Chef Van Aken is one of five chefs working to help promote Florida strawberries through Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s Chefs Advisory Board where he works with strawberry farmers to spread the word about the state’s winter strawberries. He shared his recipe for an incredible Florida Strawberry-Ancho-Asian Plum Sauce with us this spring. You’ve gotta try it!
His fifth book—My Key West Kitchen will be published in 2012, meanwhile check out his other cookbooks. Van Aken recently opened TUYO, the crown jewel sitting atop Miami Dade College’s new Miami Culinary Institute, offering a spectacular view of the bay and Miami skyline.
If you ever find yourself in Miami, you must give TUYO a try; soak in the view while enjoying the best food Miami has to offer. I recently had the opportunity to dine at one of his restaurants, but that is another post entirely!
Keep up with Chef Norman Van Aken through his blog and his popular Twitter account. You can also become a like his Facebook page.
You can download a copy of Chef Norman Van Aken’s beautiful recipe card by clicking the download button below.
