Dinner with Norman Van Aken
On the set of the Food Network's At the Table With series.
Join me for a vicarious dinner with Norman Van Aken in Key West, Florida where the food is as sunny as the chef and the weather.
I’d had the pleasure of dining at the bastion of New World Cuisine- Norman’s in Coral Gables (an historic neighbourhood in Miami, Florida) not once but twice. But I never got the opportunity to meet the esteemed Chef Van Aken on either excursion. Given what I’d tasted, seen and heard about the man however, I knew I would enjoy meeting him one day.
One day turned out to be this past summer when I was assigned the task of directing the Norman Van Aken episode of “At the Table With…” for the Food Network Canada. Maybe it’s Norman’s Midwestern roots, or perhaps it’s because he started working as a carnie and eventually a short order cook before reaching chef stardom that keeps him firmly grounded.
When I spent time with the Van Akens recently, Justin told me that Norman feels “deeply and intensely, especially when it comes to love.” That sentiment seeps into his South American, South Florida, Caribbean with a hint of Asian-inspired cuisine. We filmed with Norman and Janet at Fishbusterz – a seafood market and fishery where we saw just-picked shrimp and fish of every stripe get hauled off boats. That night, some of that local seafood made it into Norman’s version of Spanish Paella. Norman layered flavours into some of the best paella I’ve ever had adding fresh, chopped pepper, scamp (a local fish), grilled lobster and Spanish Chorizo.
His latest venture, Tavern N Town at the Beachside Resort in Key West has recently opened to the public. If you find yourself in Key West, stop in for cuisine inspired by the tropics, made by one of the best chefs working in North America today. Oh and tell Norman I say hola!
