From The Jacques Pépin Foundation. A recap!
February 18, 2025 at Sereia in Miami, FL
Diners at the beautiful Sereia restaurant were treated to an incredible six-course meal crafted by Miami’s top chefs, including Henrique Sá Pessoa, Norman Van Aken, Miguel Massens, Michael Beltran, Danny Ganem, Michael Schwartz, and Soraya Caraccioli-Kilgore. The menu of dishes inspired by Jacques included Vichyssoise with Corn and Caviar, Paupiette of Dover Sole, and Roasted Breast and Roulade of Capon. The packed dining room enjoyed hearing emotional testimonials from the chefs, and the great Chef Norman Van Aken had this to say about the night:
“I feel very lucky that I get a chance to invite my dear friends, the chefs–the best chefs in the city, really — to participate in this event tonight. It just gives me an amazing thrill that the Jacques Pépin Foundation is doing the work that Jacques believes in, which is … about fine dining, but it’s more than that. It’s also about community building, lives being saved, … all kinds of things that are really important to the ongoing future of the United States of America and the world in general. I am very grateful to be here.”
February 28, 2025 at Norman’s in Orlando, FL
Chef Norman Van Aken wasn’t finished with the 90/90 fun after ‘Sereia’, and hosted a second spectacular gala dinner at his eponymous Norman’s restaurant. The sold-out evening featured a select group of Orlando-area chefs preparing various courses and hors d’oeuvres, including Chefs Andres Mendoza, Carlos Robles Molina, Kyle Rhodes, Camilo Velasco, Stefan Riemer, and Gloriann Rivera. The elegant menu included Poulet Au Vin Jaune, Pork Terrine with Pistachios, and Foie Gras Tart, all with beautifully paired wines. The convivial evening was a perfect way to close out a month of warm and meaningful celebrations.
In the Press
These 90/90 events also made quite a stir in their local media outlets:
- Orlando Sentinel’s food editor Amy Drew Thompson published a lovely piece about Norman Van Aken’s connection to Jacques.
- Orlando Weekly’s Faiyaz Kara wrote up a nice feature for the Norman’s dinner.
- Tasty Chomps Orlando Food & Travel Guide interviewed Chef Norman in advance of the Norman’s dinner.
- Broken Palate (Laine Doss) wrote about both the Sereia and Norman’s events.
- Food, News, and Views podcast connected with Chef Miguel and Chef Norman ahead of the Sereia dinner.