Chef Norman Van Aken
Legendary chef Norman Van Aken is known internationally as “the founding father of New World Cuisine.” This fusion of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African and American flavors initially came into prominence in the mid-1980s, when Van Aken led a quartet of top South Florida chefs, referred to as the “Mango Gang,” and they placed South Florida’s New World Cuisine on the international culinary map. He is also known as the man who introduced the term “Fusion Cooking” to the world.
NORMAN’S of Coral Gables, Florida, was deemed “Best Restaurant in Florida” by The New York Times and one of “America’s Top Tables” by Gourmet magazine for four consecutive years. He was recently named to the James Beard Foundation’s National Advisory Board.
