Chef Norman Van Aken

Norman Van Aken, hailed by numerous sources as “Florida’s Culinary Icon,” is acclaimed for introducing “fusion” into the lexicon of global cookery. He is also known as “the founding father of New World Cuisine,” a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian,  American and African flavors, pioneering a new, visionary way of cooking in America. He is the only Floridian chef inducted into the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s list of “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage.”  

Chef Van Aken is a James Beard semi-finalist for “Best Chef in America” and his original namesake restaurant, NORMAN’S, was a finalist for “Outstanding Restaurant in America.” He founded the second outpost of NORMAN’S in Orlando in 2003, which was a semi-finalist for “Outstanding Restaurant in America” in 2019. He is a James Beard semi-finalist for his cookbook, New World Kitchen, and his Orlando restaurant was voted “Best New Restaurant in Florida” by Southern Living magazine and “Best in Orlando” by Orlando magazine.  

He has received a myriad of accolades over his storied career and has represented the United States with international recognitions, including being honored alongside Alice Waters, Paul Prudhomme and Mark Miller as one of the “Founders of New American Cuisine” at Spain’s International Summit of Gastronomy, Madrid Fusión, in 2006. He represented Florida at the USA Pavilion at EXPO Milano/World’s Fair.  

Chef Van Aken has shared his cooking and career, authoring a memoir and six cookbooks, hailed by the late Anthony Bourdain, Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, Emeril Lagasse, Dr. Jessica Harris and more. His memoir received a finalist nomination from the prestigious IACP/Julia Child Award committee. His latest  book, Norman Van Aken’s My Florida Kitchen, was selected to represent the USA in the local category of the Gourmand International World Cookbook Awards and was awarded the Florida Book Award’s Gold Medal. 

In 2020, he began donating his personal collection of papers, menus, photographs and letters to the Otto G. Richter Library’s special collections at the University of Miami. He serves as the Culinary Director for the non-profit Get Cooking, an endeavor to help food insecure families of Florida. In 2025, Chef Van Aken became the newest board member of The Trotter Project, a non-profit focused on developing the culinary, hospitality and agricultural talent of the future.  

He is the co-creator of the streaming series Norman’s Florida Kitchen, airing on Amazon Prime and Blackstone YouTube. Chef Van Aken has appeared on various television shows: CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Emeril, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.  He is cited as a culinary expert in publications including The New York Times and Saveur. He co-stars with Emeril, Wolfgang Puck and Grant Achatz in the James Beard award nominated documentary, Love, Charlie, on the life of his dear friend, Charlie Trotter.  

When he is not in the kitchen, he can be found spending time with his wife, son and granddaughter. For more information, visit  www.normanvanaken.com.