My Key West Kitchen: Recipes and Stories - Softcover

Van Aken, Justin; Van Aken, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1909487775 ISBN 13: 9781909487772

Publisher: Kyle Books, 2017

Synopsis

Award-winning chef Norman Van Aken has been cooking in Florida for 40 years. My Key West Kitchen is his love letter to Key West, where he first found the passion to cook, and where the unique cultural makeup of the island influenced his cuisine today.
Follow Chef Van Aken as he strolls through Key West, reminiscing and re-creating dishes from "little joints" and restaurants both past and present. Norman includes recipes for his own take of the first foods and drinks he experienced in Key West and how they seemed "different than ordinary American fare," from the Sunday Fish Fry at Capt. Tony's to the Rib Sandwich and Dark & Stormy from the Bahama Village Elk's Club.
Norman also focuses on the home cooking of Key West, whether it's "Yard Bird" Fricasse with Collard Greens and Pot Likker from the Tropical American South, Plaintain Soup from the Spanish Caribbean, or Nassau Grouper in Banana Leaves with Coconut "Run Down" from the British Caribbean. The colorful stories behind the recipes make My Key West Kitchen essential reading both in and out of the kitchen.

About this title

About the Author

Norman van Aken is the chef behind NORMAN'S in Orlando, which was nominated as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation's "Best Restaurant in America," as well as 1921 by Norman Van Aken at the Mount Dora Modernism Museum. The author of five cookbooks and one memoir, Van Aken is currently at work on founding a cooking school in Miami. Justin Van Aken, his son, is a culinary consultant and a chef as well, specializing in food preservation techniques.

Review

“Norman is one of the most gifted chefs I know and a dear friend. It's pretty incredible to get to see Key West through the eyes of Norman and his son Justin. This book gives you a great understanding of the charm, culture, and food of Key West that they fell in love with and thankfully share with all of us.” (Emeril Lagasse)

“My Key West Kitchen is a brilliant tour of one of the most special places in America, the intersection of the South and the Islands. The cuisine of Key West is a delicious conflation of cultures that only Norman Van Aken, the king of the island, could adequately teach.” (Mario Batali, chef, author, entrepreneur)

"A culinary Valentine to the land of spectacular sunsets, conch fritters, and key lime pie.... The sweet and nostalgic stories behind the recipes make My Key West Kitchen essential reading both in and out of the beach house." (Paula Disbrowe Southern Living)

“My Key West Kitchen is a wonderful collection of recipes that perfectly demonstrates how one place can influence, create, and shape an authentic chef.” (Marcus Samuelsson, co-owner of Red Rooster Harlem)

“The energy and feel to Key West seems unlike any place else; don't be surprised if you have the urge to book a flight down after reading this book. But in case you can't, you'll be glad you have the recipes in hand to enjoy a little taste of the Conch Republic.” (Esther Sung Epicurious)

About this edition

• Publisher: Kyle Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1909487775
• ISBN 13: 9781909487772
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192