Recently I was interviewed by three of the key folks at FIU. Here is what they introduced me by, “Happy Anniversary to the FIU podcast 2 Barstools and a Knife. One year of amazing guests and great stories. To celebrate this Milestone they are joined by Chef Norman Van Aken, restaurateur, celebrated…
Interviews with NVA
It is an interesting experience to be interviewed. I realize that in the presence of a good interviewer I can learn a lot even though they predominantly asking me questions about my life. It is in the way of asking that sometimes new insights are found that I had not realized or realized in the same way about myself. And then on the other side… . It can be a very effective way for people who wish to know the more personal side of me and the life I have lived with my family, friends, colleagues and co-workers to be illustrated. Each interview can offer a new angle on the mystery of our shared time on earth.
Category: Interviews with NVA
An Interview; Norman Van Aken by Marion Kane
Introduction: NORMAN VAN AKEN: There was no Internet and almost no cookbooks on the subject of Latin and Caribbean cooking so I began to go to the little restaurants that I’d known for a number of years – eating the food, enjoying the food but now “food sleuthing.” (Laughs). MARION KANE: You’re…
Forever Oceans Interview
Recently I was interviewed by Forever Oceans. They are a group intent on helping people have delicious and sustainable seafood. I first came to know of them via my friend and long time Chef Rick Moonen. Many know of Rick’s work already but if you don’t he’s become famous for his work…
City & Shore Feature and Interview
Journalist Greg Carannante of City & Shore Magazine asked some fun questions to me for City & Shore Magazine. I appreciate the fun he injected into the interview format! Have a read. “Let’s not allow the huffing and puffing of the current celebrity chef trend drown out the bellwether contributions of Florida’s…
The Orlando Sentinel and Florida Foods
“When you’re the Eagles…” Chef Norman Van Aken begins, “you’ll have one fan yelling for ‘Desperado’ and another for ‘Tequila Sunrise’ and the band has to deal with that, of course, but they’re also artistic in nature. And they have to evolve so they don’t feel like a lounge act.” I smile….
FLAMINGO MAGAZINE ON NORMAN VAN AKEN
NORMAN VAN AKEN The founding father of New World Cuisine has been busy tackling several new projects during quarantine. Photography courtesy of Norman Van Aken Chef Norman Van Aken has no shortage of accolades. You can find his name in the list of Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage from the James Beard…
An Interview with Norman Van Aken
A kind friend of mine came across this interview I did a few years ago when the cookbook, “My Key West Kitchen” had come out. I wrote that book with our son Justin. Justin was born in Key West in 1980 and resides there now with his loving wife, Lourdes and their…
Pérez Art Museum Gala
Courtesy: PAMM Portraits (Pérez Art Museum Miami)
PAMM is gearing up for its fifth annual Art of the Party on March 9, 2019, the museum’s largest fundraiser event of the year presented by Valentino. This year, PAMM has the privilege of honoring artist Christo, whose work spans over a monumental six decades, alongside Miami philanthropists Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst. The…
Star Chef Questions
What is American Cuisine? “Take a boy from the Midwest, Have him work in hash house to haute, with Frenchmen, Italian, Japanese, East Philadelphians, Latinos, other American kids and let him sweat for 15 years or so. …now pop him into the oven of your wildest imaginations and then cool with classical…
Student Interview
1. I know that you love to cook and create dishes from a lot of Latin and Caribbean countries, but have you traveled to most of the places that you are inspired by? And which places were the most inspiring? We haven’t been able to travel as much as we’d like to….
An Interview with Norman Van Aken
Tell us about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to become widely known as ‘the founding father of New World Cuisine’. NVA: My ‘formative years’ eh? I first must tell you that I wrote a memoir on this which goes into some length on…
13 Questions With Norman Van Aken, Founding Father Of New World Cuisine
Written/Posted By Faiyaz Kara When Norman Van Aken talks, people listen. The Illinois-bred and Florida-honed chef’s influence on modern-day cookery is undeniable, but the celebrated “Founding Father of New World Cuisine” isn’t done yet. Van Aken plans to open a yet-to-be-named restaurant in Mount Dora in early 2016, an announcement that came…
Interview with Norman Van Aken
What inspired you in the search of new flavors? how was your culinary style born? People inspire me. Food is about the love of people and families and the never-ceasing exploration of our globe. My style was born in my childhood in some ways but it took flower in Key West, Florida…
Why We Have Norman Van Aken to Thank for the Way We Dine Out Today
Witten by Shaylyn Esposito The James Beard Award winner tells us, and gives us recipes, about the early days of fusion food Prior to the 1980s, the American restaurant scene was dull. French cuisine dominated the menus of the country’s best restaurants, reigning supreme for decades, but now the varieties of cuisines…
An Interview: No Experience Necessary
There are some strong words of endorsement for your book. Here’s a few. “. . . One of the most compelling and page-turning memoirs I’ve read. . . . Revealing, funny and brutally honest . . . ” —Thomas Keller, The French Laundry “Norman Van Aken is the Jimmy Page of his…