THE ASIAN CONNECTION AND ITS REVERBERATIONS One of the most intriguing elements in this evolving cuisine has come from the cooking of the people who came to the New World from Asia and of how the products of the New World have caused culinary reverberations throughout their countries. There are…
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LOOK HOMEWARD, ANGEL
When I was 19 I discovered a few very old hardcover books in my grandmother, “Nana’s” collection. They were in excellent condition unlike her battered paperback detective novels she had taken a fancy to late in life. She had always been more than happy to share any part of her…
A Word On Food: Moonshine
The stories of moonshine and moonshiners have a mystical appeal to many. The practice seems entwined with dark magic. One episode in the history of American Blues music depicts the dangers of moonshine and had to do with the poisoning death of one of the chief architects of that stream…
A Word On Food: Maida Heatter
In 1992 while working at the Betsy Ross Hotel, now renamed the “Betsy” to make it less tied to the past and shooting for the future, I had found out that Maida Heatter had quietly been in and had dinner the night before. How I found this out I’ll get…
A Word On Food: Pastrami
First we mourn. We all miss the legendary Miami delis of the past. We need to name them to honor them. Corky’s, Pumpernik’s, Wolfie’s and The Rascal House. I’m sure my New York City born and raised mother took me and my sisters into a few if not all of…
A Word On Food: Pit Beef & BBQ
Some chefs start their careers in humble places and then work their way up the ladder to more and more fancy and complex places. And for some that is the goal. But some of them get up on that perch and say something that rhymes with “Tuck It”! And they…
NORMAN’S Orlando. “One Door Closes and Another Opens”.
Courtesy: Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel: Amy Drew Thompson “It was Saturday night in the ritzy enclave of Coral Gables and the board was full of tickets. Chef Norman Van Aken was expediting orders, hands flying fast, when a gentleman strolled into the madness of the kitchen and introduced himself. Van Aken didn’t know…
A Word On Food: Anthony Bourdain
My introduction to the world of Anthony Bourdain began with the sound of hearing my mother laughing while reading a book in her favored chair. Not a minute passed before she was laughing again. I was getting ready for work and between trips to my coffee cup, I stopped and…
A Word On Food: The Mother Sauces
Growing up I didn’t have anything one might refer to as received scripture. Our church tried. And I tried with them. I did my Methodist best but it just didn’t stick with me. And though I had hero’s … in sports, there was Muhammad Ali … who we first knew…
Lost Kitchen Supper Club Event in Key West!
Lost Kitchen Spotlight Dinner: Chef Norman Van Aken Saturday, August 24 6:00pm “Meet and Greet” Reception 7:00pm Dinner Lost Kitchen Supper Club is proud to present an evening with Chef Norman Van Aken, a James Beard Award semifinalist for the “Best Chef in America.” His namesake restaurant NORMAN’S, was nominated as…
A Word on Food: Food Festivals
With Summer here I’ve been noticing some of the various Food Festivals coming up.Sadly we just missed the Eau Claire, Michigan July 4th weekend Intercontinental Cherry Pit Spitting Championship. This popped up … sorry … in 1974 for the first time. Who knew something like that could be so ……
Moving On Out Party!
As George Harrison put it so well, “All Things Must Pass”. So, after 16 award-winning years we are going to go out in style with some of our dearest and most talented friends. On Saturday, August 3rd we will gather with the following folks and a roomful of guests who will…
A Word On Food: Julia Child
I didn’t grow up watching Julia Child on television the way many people of my generation did. My television hours were not inclined toward any aspects of cooking, though we did cook in our home. My mother was a both a restaurant worker and also (for a time) a Girl…
A Word On Food: Po Boys
Crazy long days of work and not assured of getting a meal later I went for a bigger sandwich for lunch… much different than the meals I typically split with my wife, Janet. Two men sat down right next to us at the neighborhood place we were ensconced in. A…
A Word On Food: Cheeseburgers
Is it just me or has every major food magazine in the country had a cheeseburger on the cover as we gear up for summer? One of the magazines asked the question, “Did you have a happy meal?” and goes on to report how McDonald’s had experienced a state of…
Full Moon Saloon Fish Sandwich
FULL MOON FISH SANDWICH, ‘FULL MOON SALOON’ Norman Van Aken © All rights reserved. No sandwich in the history of Key West was consumed by more drunks on premise than this one. No sandwich saved more people from a certain, potentially lethal, hangover. Essentially it is a fresh as can…