Three scents wake me. Not wake me initially. An alarm did that. These are the wakings of an appetite as they are touched by the brewing coffee, the emanations of ripening mangoes…but the third scent is more subtle than the first two. It comes from the tomato my knife and…
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Peaches
There are ingredients that are so closely associated with a geography they seem inextricably tied to them and their terroir. The great Georgia born writer Flannery O’ Connor wrote this about the craft of storytelling, “When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs as you do, you…
Food & Wine Magazine/Time Out Market Miami
Courtesy: Food & Wine
Thank You Clarissa Buch and Food & Wine Magazine! Readers. Please hit the link to access the whole article by Ms. Buch. “In addition to the 18 food stalls, the 18,000-square-foot space in South Beach includes three bars, an art gallery, and a demonstration kitchen.” CLARISSA BUCH Updated May 07,…
Conch
Those of us who have lived here in South Florida for some time may remember when conch, freshly harvested from the sea was available in the grocery stores and fish markets. My first recollection of conch was watching young boys pulling them up on to the pier at Higg’s Beach…
Orlando Magazine Critics Choice Award, Norman’s!
Courtesy: Orlando Magazine
2019 Dining Awards: Critic’s Pick 1 Our annual guide to great cuisine, with 20 picks from Dining Critic Joseph Hayes, selections by readers in 57 categories, and four new inductees into our Dining Hall of Fame….
Okra
We didn’t grow up eating okra. It was not part of the Midwestern table. At least not the ones I was sitting at. It didn’t enter my field of vision until I moved to the sunny southland. And the first time it really made an indelible print on me was…
“Who Let the Cool Chefs Write Cookbooks”. TASTE by Andrew Friedman
To my great surprise I was offered the chance to write a cookbook in 1987. A vice-president for Ballantine Books, (a division of Random House) by the name of Risa Kessler came down to Key West for a getaway from Manhattan where she lived and worked. Fate (or providence) shined…
Pizza Joints
A friend pointed out that today’s date; 4.20 was perfect timing for my show titled, “Pizza Joints”. It took me a second or two… but now I get it. Heads up! Hit the “Listen” button to hear the remainder. Thanks All! “A Word On Food” airs on WLRN every Saturday…
Chocolate
Almost everything in life seems to have two sides. Its ups and its downs. Love almost inevitably suffers loss. Salt finds its way into the sugar bowl. Men are from Mars and Women from Venus. The apple Eve gave Adam was the fruit that spoiled a Celestial Garden. Where oh…
Steak Sauce
When I was a little boy I spent a lot of time holding my breath. I was at a difficult age and in a difficult time. Our mother and father had split up. It was a long stretch of confusion. One of the ways I tried to escape it was…
Beurre Blanc
From the Intro: Those among you who speak French or are culinarily ‘in the know’ know that beurre blanc means “white butter”. Beurre blanc is one of the mainstay tools in many chefs repertoire. It is a classic sauce and one cannot know haute cuisine without beurre blanc. I had…
“After Love, There is Only Cuisine.”… The Charlie Trotter Documentary
Courtesy: PR Newswire
“After Love, There is Only Cuisine”… Charlie Trotter From the Press Release: “Renowned chef and restaurateur Charlie Trotter didn’t come from a food-focused family, attend culinary school, or start working in kitchens when he was 14. In truth, it wasn’t until college that Trotter discovered his passion for fine cuisine…
Brown Sugar
Yes it is that time of the week for my WLRN/NPR radio show… “A Word On Food”. We air it originally on WLRN 91.3 or 91.5 every Saturday around 8:30 a.m. Did you ever think you’d hear ‘Brown Sugar’ on this station? You all know me as the “Word on…
Books & Books, A Florida Treasure
I am very happy to read this New York Times article about Mitchell Kaplan and his beautiful bookstores, “Books & Books”. I have admired them from the small original one in Coral Gables to the others from Miami Beach to Key West and beyond. I’m also very happy that on…
The Big Dog: A Podcast by Marion Kane
Courtesy: Marion Kane, Food Sleuth
Marion Kane came to Miami to interview me for her podcast. We met at our cooking school, “In the Kitchen with Norman Van Aken”. The link will take you to the podcast. But first some words about Ms. Kane. Marion Kane has been a leader in the world of food…
Caviar
You don’t eat caviar because you’re hungry. But the portion set before us at a dinner in the late 1990’s was capable of staving off a serious quantity of pang. Hit the link to read or listen! My radio show, “A Word On Food” airs originally on WLRN 91.3 and…