Audio By Carbonatix
Keep Miami New Times Free
We’re aiming to raise $7,500 by April 26. Your support ensures New Times can continue watching out for you and our community. No paywall. Always accessible. Daily online and weekly in print.
Norman Van Aken is a culinary legend. Check his stats in our archive.Including this blog post, his name has appeared 149 times in New Times since 1990, when the archives start.
Ever heard of New World Cuisine, “The Mango Gang,” a Mano, or Norman’s? Van Aken is that dude.
He left Dade to go do his thing elsewhere, but news of his triumphant return to our fair metropolis broke in February, He’s opening a new joint in the Gables, and that should add heat to a Miami food scene that’s set to take the world by storm.
Apparently Van Aken is a technology-minded chef, his personal website (which is not without glitches and was probably made by the chef himself) and twitter presence serve as a testament. His first tweet dates back to December 4, 2008, which is practically decades in meta-years, and most of his 140 or less character thoughts not surprisingly center on gastronomy. Most recently (April 27) he wrote “Just got the most delicate/shiny Mahi Mahi from a local guy in Key West. I think they will cook in less time than it takes to pull a cork!”
And here’s some breaking news from an April 23rd tweet, “Just got invited to do South Beach Wine /Food Festival 2010 “Bubble Q” by “Brother” Emeril. Mind now wandering happily on what to “que”.
Check out Norman Van Aken’s thoughts on food and his textual interactions with fans, chefs, friends and others at twitter.com/normanvanaken
