Norman Van Aken

Norman Van Aken

Keynote Speaker: Norman Van Aken founded a visionary way of cooking called New World Cuisine, giving new meaning to an entire region of the Americas.

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Norman Van Aken Biography

Van Aken melds the exotic ingredients and rich cultural heritages of Latin America, the Caribbean, the southern United States and even touches of Asia. Serving as the catalyst for a new culinary paradigm, Van Aken has earned a place as one of America’s greatest chefs.

Raised in the bucolic, rural town of Diamond Lake, Illinois, Van Aken remembers the hours spent alongside his mother, grandmothers and sisters canning homegrown vegetables and turning freshly picked berries into fragrant preserves. The aroma of Midwestern favorites like his mother’s strawberry jam and his Grandmother’s Irish cookies created a sensory foundation that would be excited and inspired by the powerful scents of saffron and cumin that are now so closely associated with Van Aken’s name.

Armed with an insatiable appetite for adventure, Van Aken hitchhiked across the country as a young man, working at sundry jobs—from Ferris wheel operator to breakfast cook. His travels eventually brought him to Key West, where the laid-back lifestyle, tropical produce, alluring spices, and multicultural traditions awakened his culinary passion. A self-taught chef with a voracious appetite for reading, Van Aken studied the works of culinary masters as he worked his way up in the kitchen. He formed a life-long friendship with Charlie Trotter after Trotter joined him in his kitchens for Trotter’s first cooking job. Following the early years of self-education and hard work, Van Aken achieved a startling moment of clarity: while the wisdom and artistry of European cuisine formed a fine foundation, he needed to cook in a way that expressed the dynamic experience of living in South Florida—where Spanish, African, and Anglo influences converge. He presented these ideas in a speech in Santa Fe entitled, “Fusion” - the first chef to utilize this term that has criss-crossed the world in the past twenty years.

In 1986, Van Aken embarked on a gastronomic journey, revisiting his favorite haunts—from local Cuban cafés and Bahamian snack shacks of Key West to the lush orchards and bountiful waters of Florida. Fusing local Latin and Caribbean recipes with traditional European technique and his own innovative spirit, Van Aken’s New World Cuisine captivated diners and elevated him to the forefront of the national culinary scene.

Van Aken transformed a number of Florida ’s restaurants into international culinary destinations before he opened Norman ’s in Florida ’s historic Coral Gables section of Miami in 1995. In 2004, Van Aken opened three new restaurants: Mundo, a 10,000 square foot café/bar at Merrick Park in Miami ; Norman ’s at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes and Norman ’s at Sunset Millennium in Los Angeles California.

He has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation as the “Best Chef in the Southeast” and is the only Floridian to have ever won entrance into The James Beard Foundation “Who’s Who.” He has received several accolades including the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence, and the Food Arts Silver Spoon Lifetime Achievement Award. Norman’s, in Coral Gables, has been honored as one of “America’s Top Tables” for four consecutive years by Gourmet Magazine, and has earned the title of “Best Restaurant in South Florida” from the New York Times and “Best Restaurant in Miami” from Food & Wine Magazine. Van Aken has also been featured on numerous television programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Emeril Live, the Food Network’s My Country My Kitchen, and Eating Out Loud with Ruth Reichl.

The author of four cookbooks: Feast of Sunlight 1988, The Exotic Fruit Book 1995, Norman’s New World Cuisine 1997, and New World Kitchen 2003, in addition to being an award-winning chef, Van Aken is highly regarded as a culinary educator and cookbook author. He shares his passion for cooking by teaching classes at Norman’s and at culinary schools across the country.

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How do I book Norman Van Aken to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Norman Van Aken for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Norman Van Aken, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Norman Van Aken or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Norman Van Aken for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Norman Van Aken, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. For the most current speaking fee to hire Norman Van Aken, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Norman Van Aken speak about?

Norman Van Aken is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Television & Film and Celebrity Chef.

Who is the agent for Norman Van Aken?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Norman Van Aken for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Norman Van Aken for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Norman Van Aken or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Norman Van Aken is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Television & Film and Celebrity Chef. Please contact us for live or virtual event fee details. Norman Van Aken can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Sheldon Simeon, Tre Wilcox and Ben Roche. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Norman Van Aken for an upcoming event.

BOOK NORMAN VAN AKEN

  • How do I book Norman Van Aken to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Norman Van Aken for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Norman Van Aken, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Norman Van Aken or any other speaker of your choice.

  • How much does it cost to book Norman Van Aken for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Norman Van Aken, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. For the most current speaking fee to hire Norman Van Aken, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Norman Van Aken speak about?

    Norman Van Aken is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Television & Film and Celebrity Chef.

  • Who is the agent for Norman Van Aken?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Norman Van Aken for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Norman Van Aken for your next private or corporate function.

  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Norman Van Aken or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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