Prologue: The Triangle
Chapter 1: Pre-Chef
Chapter 2: Carnival Rides
Chapter 3: The Fireside: Hainesville, 1972–73
Chapter 4: The Midget: Key West, 1973
Chapter 5: The Deerpath Inn: 1973–1974
Chapter 6: The Holiday Inn: Greeley, 1974
Chapter 7: The Gale Street Inn: Diamond Lake, 1975
Chapter 8: The Fox Lake Country Club: 1975–77
Chapter 9: 700 Duval: Key West, 1978
Chapter 10: The Pier House: Key West, 1978
Chapter 11: Shit Happens
Chapter 12: The Port of Call: Key West, 1979
Chapter 13: Chez Nancy: Key West, 1979–80
Chapter 14: The Port of Call (Reprise): Key West, 1980–82
Chapter 15: Sinclair’s: Lake Forest,1982–84
Chapter 16: Sinclair’s American Grill: Jupiter, 1985
Chapter 17: Louie’s Backyard: Key West, 1985–88
Chapter 18: Mira: Key West, 1988
Chapter 19: Boca, Boca, Boca!: Boca Raton, 1989–90
Chapter 20:a Mano: Key West, 1990–92
Epilogue: The Triangle Comes Full Circle
Norman Van Aken is known as the founding father of New World Cuisine, a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African, and American flavors. He is also known internationally for introducing the concept of “Fusion” to the culinary world. Van Aken is the only Floridian inducted into the prestigious James Beard “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage”; his restaurant, Norman’s, was nominated as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Restaurant in America.” He has also been a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist for “Best Chef in America.” Van Aken has published five cookbooks: Feast of Sunlight, The Exotic Fruit Book, Norman’s New World Cuisine, New World Kitchen, and My Key West Kitchen (with Justin Van Aken). He lives in Miami, Florida.
This is not your mother’s cookbook, and it’s not truly a cookbook,
at that, although recipes are slapped in as palate cleansers
between restaurant-themed chapters detailing chef and cookbook
author Van Aken’s escapades. Yet this might just be the book to
hand to nearly every raffish, wanna-be-something male in sight—a
rowdy, fist-pumped-in-the-air memoir of a guy who found his way
chopping, dicing, and wreaking havoc. Van Aken’s story starts in
the 1970s, so there’s hitchhiking, Volkswagens needing push starts,
and fired-up grills (and girls) around every corner. Though his
kitchen mates tend to serve f-bombs with every meal, Van Aken seems
like a pretty good guy, gamely trying his hand at many
non-food-related jobs, marrying the young lady he truly loved, and
his enthusiasm for his life is evident in every exclamation point.
Like Forrest Gump with a carving knife, the chef serves up tales of
hearing Jimmy Buffet in a little Key West dive, partying at
Tennessee Williams’ house, and more, all in an era before celebrity
chefs truly sprouted. Come and get it while it’s hot—bad language,
good times, fine dining.
*Booklist*
Cookbook author, award-winning chef, and restaurant owner Van Aken
(Feast of Sunlight; The Exotic Fruit Book) details his journey from
Diamond Lake, IL, to Key West, FL, and back again in this
entertaining memoir. He guides the reader through his early years
as a cook and, later, a chef, in what feels like a conversation
around the hot line on a slow night, with a bit of gin in a mug.
(Don't end up wearing the sauce, though.) Van Aken's relaxed tone
will draw in readers, and colorful language abounds (one memorable
chapter is titled 'Shit Happens'). He hilariously describes an
intriguing cast of characters, including a sprinkling of celebrity
chefs in their early years and the unusual figures that populated a
wild Key West and even a not-so-wild Illinois. Each chapter
concludes with a recipe (e.g. 'Flame on Shish Kabob,' 'Bicycle
Sammy's Potato Salad'). VERDICT: Those who love food, food culture,
South Florida, and biographies will enjoy this romp through the
1970s and 1980s as Van Aken evolves from entry-level cook to a
famous chef, with many stops in between.
*Library Journal*
[In] vivid prose, Van Aken’s narrative speeds through restaurants,
anecdotes, and oddball characters. Each chapter ends with a
flourish: a recipe from a particular stage of his career. . . . Van
Aken has crafted an unlikely tale of a hippie kid who helped raise
Margaritaville to a culinary destination.
*Publishers Weekly*
…I’m struck for this cook’s passion to be fed. This culinary memoir
includes a smattering of recipes mostly derived from kitchens of
Van Aken's colorful past, like a gin and tamarind tea cocktail he
once served to Tennessee Williams so delicious it will now become a
summer staple in my home. But the book’s main focus is on the
sacred friendships Van Aken formed with the late Charlie Trotter
(whom Van Aken took from busboy to the kitchen) and Emeril Lagasse.
He also pays tribute to other mentors and friends that have since
passed; had this book gone to print just a few months later, his
devoted friend Charlie—who died this past November—would have been
included on that list.
*Saveur*
Peppered liberally with Floribean recipes from his namesake Orlando
restaurant and full of salty anecdotes, the James Beard Award
winner’s confessional cookbook offers an inside-the- kitchen view
of a celebrity chef’s career. Van Aken’s misadventures with Emeril
Lagasse and Charlie Trotter are the stuff movies are made from.
*Orlando Magazine*
It is hard to think that as much a “melting pot,” “salad bowl,” or
whatever other food analogy is used to describe this country, it
has only been recently that its ethnic cuisines have been embraced
by the oppressively high standards of the culinary world. Chef
Norman Van Aken is one reason why...In his recently published
memoir, No Experience Necessary, Van Aken writes about his
unconventional journey of becoming a chef and the experiences
leading up to the discovery of this American cuisine.
*Smithsonian Magazine*
This yarn is peppered with the savory characters Van Aken came
across on his adventures, including Emeril Lagasse, Anthony
Bourdain, and even Julia Child. Then there are the unsung heroes of
his adventures, such as ex-Navy man, Fred Boomer, who with two
broken arms, taught Aken to make soup.
*Short Order, The Miami NewTimes blog*
[A] great read from the man who's called 'The Father of New World
Cuisine,' and a must-read for anybody with aspirations to not only
work in a kitchen but to live the most romantic chef's life
possible.
*FoodRepublic.com*
No Experience Necessary chronicles his thrilling journey, along
with great recipes interspersed between each chapter.
*Orlando Style Magazine*
It is a rollicking story, full of near-misses and worthwhile
achievements, and Van Aken tells it with gusto.
*Virtual Gourmet*
Van Aken is a terrific storyteller.
*Palm Beach Post*
Norman Van Aken is the Jimmy Page of his profession—a man who was
THERE at almost every important moment in its history. The OG of
South Florida, New World cuisine, and a guy who knows where every
body is buried . . . many of them to be found in No Experience
Necessary.
*Anthony Bourdain*
Not only is Norman Van Aken's culinary career astonishing, but his
personal journey is perhaps even more amazing. He is completely
self-taught as a chef, and he is perhaps the most literary-focused
culinarian in America. This wonderful book brilliantly documents
his extraordinary odyssey.
*Charlie Trotter, James Beard Award–winning chef and author*
For Norman Van Aken, being a chef is a passion that has taken him
on an incredible journey that he’s artfully poured into No
Experience Necessary. His brilliant, witty storytelling will leave
you inspired and hungry for more. It’s a must-read for aspiring
chefs across the globe.
*Emeril Lagasse*
Fasten your seat belts—No Experience Necessary is here. Anyone
wondering what it’s like to live as a chef, and anyone who is
wondering if they should, must read this book. Best stories since
Kitchen Confidential: everything from an ‘Orgasmic. Lethal.
Righteous’ steaming rice raised to Charlie Trotter’s lips to the
hilarious story of local gadfly and bartender (‘a notorious flamer
even by Key West standards’) failing to kill himself in two feet of
Caribbean sea water. I adore this book.
*Jeremiah Tower, chef, author, architect, adrenalist*
No career path is straightforward, but some are fated. Norman Van
Aken took a circuitous route to the kitchen, but it is where he was
meant to be. The American culinary landscape would not be the same
without his vision, his authenticity, and his highly personal and
remarkably provocative food—and his food would not be as delicious
if not for his story and the recipes in this essential tome.
*Mario Batali, chef, author, entrepreneur*
Norman Van Aken was a true pioneer of the American food movement in
the 1980s, when chefs began to combine regional inspirations with
modern cooking techniques. He was the first to blend Florida and
Caribbean flavors with a classically trained approach to fine
cuisine, and the first meals I ever ate in his restaurant were
revelations and are still memorable today. One of the best things
about dining experiences with Norman is his warm, kind-hearted,
good-humored personality. It comes through in this book, just as it
does in his cooking to this day.
*Wolfgang Puck*
Norman Van Aken’s memoir is as byzantine as a Russian novel but
lots more fun. It’s bawdy, bizarre, and often brilliant, with an
abundance of marquee names. Appearances by Tennessee Williams,
Jimmy Buffet, Julia Child, and, behaving badly, Burt Reynolds and
Prince Stefano of Monaco. (Queen Victoria gets a mention, but
posthumously.) One of the most delightful menu-writers of his
generation, Van Aken has crafted an exhilarating groaning board of
uninhibited culinary writing. It spans the length of the American
food revolution, historically and geographically, and could have
been titled Continental Confidential.
*Alan Richman, GQ Magazine*
Although best known for bringing New World Cuisine into the
culinary spotlight, Norman Van Aken has also managed to write one
of the most compelling and page-turning memoirs I've read. No
Experience Necessary is pure Norman as I have come to know him as a
friend—revealing, funny, and brutally honest. And just as a
memorable dish leaves you wanting more, so too will the pages of
this delicious book.
*Thomas Keller, The French Laundry*
Anyone contemplating becoming a chef has got to read Norman Van
Aken’s new book. As someone who entered the profession when it was
not even remotely glamorous, Van Aken offers a personal odyssey of
hard work, low pay, high anxiety and comic relief before he
achieved recognition as one of America’s most innovative chefs who
became an inspiration for many to follow. Van Aken gets to the
heart, soul and belly of the matter and does so with a mixture of
justified pride and rigorous attention to detail.
*John Mariani, food and travel columnist for Esquire Magazine*
Nobody says ‘rollicking’ anymore, but that's the perfect word to
describe Norman Van Aken's highly entertaining
memoir-with-recipes—a sort of nonfiction picaresque novel as full
of color and spice and wit as his celebrated cooking.
*Colman Andrews, editorial director, TheDailyMeal.com*
Norman Van Aken has written a memoir as wild, lovely, and free as
the winds off the Florida Straits. Studded with remarkable
characters and places, as well as unforgettable dishes, No
Experience Necessary is a marvelous piece of culinary history. The
story of one man’s transformation into chef and innovator, this
memoir also paints a portrait of a cultural zeitgeist—a defining
time in the national food scene. Van Aken writes with the heart of
a chef and the soul of a poet, delivering a rich, vital image of
America as seen through the kitchen door.
*Diana Abu-Jaber, author of The Language of Baklava and Birds of
Paradise*
Part Kitchen Confidential, part On the Road, and completely Norman
Van Aken, No Experience Necessary is a picaresque tale of a life
well-lived, in which food has played a major role. It is a
delectable view of the education of a culinary star and comes
complete with recipes that round out each chapter. So pull up a
chair, pour a glass of the good red and savor! Bon appétit!
*Jessica Harris, food historian, professor, lecturer, and author of
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America*
No Experience Necessary is a rollicking tale of a kid with heart
who dives headfirst into cooking, and into life.
*Nathan Myhrvold, James Beard Award–winning coauthor of Modernist
Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking and Modernist Cuisine at
Home, and author of The Photography of Modernist Cuisine*
Norman’s life with food transcends that of a chef. He has brought
us all a great gift with his craft, passion, and commitment. How
wonderful to finally have this amazing journey documented for
everyone to enjoy.
*Steve McPherson, president, ABC Television Network, and owner of
PROMISE Wines*
‘I was hungry’ is how Chef Norman Van Aken explains his incredible
journey as one of America’s best-loved chefs. His memoir is an
energetic and entertaining read. It’s a tale of naughtiness,
niceness, and deliciousness as he invites the reader to experience
his travels as a teenager responding to a ‘no experience necessary’
ad to becoming a James Beard Award–winning chef. His life story is
both romantic and tantalizing. As he shares many of his favorite
recipes tied to the colorful personalities in his life, he left me
hungry for even more recipes and stories!
*Susan Ungaro, president, James Beard Foundation*
Norman is an inspiration to chefs everywhere. His story and drive
to make a name for himself as the Father of New World cuisine not
only put the rich flavors of the Florida region on the map, it
provided insight and universal attention to our craft.
*Marcus Samuelsson, co-owner of Red Rooster Harlem*
Reading No Experience Necessary was an unexpected surprise. I had
always known and admired Norman Van Aken as a chef, but was unaware
of his skills as a riveting and wonderful writer. His passion for
food is artfully woven with his remarkable career and rich
experiences—seasoned with influences from around the world—without
losing insight on his fascinating personal life. I, for one, cannot
wait to see the widescreen version of this book!
*Ken Hom, OBE, BBC-TV presenter, and author of 100 Easy Chinese
Suppers and many other titles*
Who knows when we start out on the journey of life where it will
lead. But when there’s passion in your heart, you’re gonna follow
your dreams no matter what obstacles may be in the way—you keep
pressin’ on and when you look back and see where you’ve been and
how you got to where you are, you just smile and say ‘what a ride.’
Norman’s been blessed—he was given a talent and a gift and has
shared them, letting others ‘enjoy the ride.’ What can one say but
mmm, mmm, good. No, great!!! Thanks from one who has had just a
little ‘taste’ of that talent.
*Richie Furay, founding member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and the
Souther Hillman Furay Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee,
and pastor of Calvary Chapel*
With sturdy charm and addictive aplomb, Norman Van Aken traces his
remarkable, wholly unconventional culinary education. ‘I was hungry
for a lot of things,’ Van Aken admits early in his picaresque
primer, and instantly you believe him, and start rooting for his
younger self—a long-haired, hitchhiking kid from Illinois—as he
sets out to fill that void with a hard-earned passion for
cooking.
*Monique Truong, author of The Book of Salt and Bitter in the
Mouth*
Norman has a great story and tells it so well—it's smart, funny,
soulful, engaging. Let this be an inspiration to anyone who wants
to become a top chef without going into insane hock for cooking
school.
*Regina Schrambling, gastropoda.com*
Norman and I go back over thirty years. He was the first chef I met
who could combine a unique, sometimes crazy blend of fresh, local,
premium ingredients to create extraordinary flavor. This book
shares his remarkable journey, from a myriad of odd jobs to line
cook to eventually becoming the Father of New World Cuisine. It
just goes to show you that you may have to make a few detours, but
you inevitably reach your destiny. Norman tells a great story . . .
lives a great story . . . IS a great story.
*Dickie Brennan, New Orleans chef/restaurateur*
Norman Van Aken has had an incredible journey in the world of food.
I think anyone interested in how great American chefs do it, this
memoir is for them.
*Paula Wolfert, James Beard Award–winning cookbook author*
No Experience Necessary is a fun read by a truly spirited chef.
Norman’s recipes bring the stories to life and will have you taking
a trip down your own memory lane. A must-read for anyone who’s ever
worked in the restaurant industry!
*Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin, New York*
Norman's memoir-with-recipes, No Experience Necessary, takes
readers behind the scenes as he develops his culinary philosophy
and unique cuisine while shattering the glamorous myth of the life
of a celebrity chef. This book shares the heartbreaking,
heartwarming, and occasionally hilarious struggles of one of the
country’s leading New American chefs to reach his destiny.
*Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, two-time James Beard
Award–winning authors of The Flavor Bible, What to Drink with What
You Eat, Culinary Artistry, and Becoming a Chef*
An honest and compelling life story interspersed with a lifetime of
great recipes—this pioneering chef's journey from short-order cook
to stardom is one terrific read. I enjoyed every minute!
*Barbara Fairchild, writer, educator, and former editor-in-chief of
Bon Appetit*
This is one of those equally sacred and profane (well OK, lots more
profane) memoirs of life in the kitchen told by one of America’s
greatest chefs. As with Jimmy Buffett’s music, you absolutely can’t
get hungry anywhere tropical without lusting after Norman Van
Aken’s food. After this book, we’ll lust after his anecdotes as
well, many featuring the likes of Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse
and other genre-busting food personalities. In this fast-paced
memoir, as in a kitchen when you’re slammed, tenses and time zones
shift shamelessly along with quick bursts of memory, and the dish
you’re cooking now becomes the dish you first cooked 25 years
ago—with the now-dead guy who taught it to you looking over your
shoulder again, probably frowning. To crib from some of the book’s
first words, No Experience Necessary is as ‘as a la minute as
humanly possible.’
*John DeMers, journalist, author, and host of radio’s “Delicious
Mischief”*
Everybody knows that Norman can cook, but who knew he was such a
talented storyteller? No Experience Necessary is packed with so
many unexpected twists and turns—and boasts so many vivid
characters—that it reads more like a thriller than a chef's
autobiography. Cooks and noncooks alike will have a hard time
putting this book down.
*Sara Moulton, host of Sara's Weeknight Meals*
One of the best memoirs you will ever read. Norman’s odyssey
through life and through the kitchen not only touches me
personally, but it illustrates his role as a true pillar in the
evolution of culinary culture in America. This book will forever
hold an elevated spot in my library—as Norman does in my life.
Norman’s writing brings to mind the Key West of Hemingway—he makes
me want to pick up, move, and start my own adventure.
*David Myers, chef/ founder of Hinoki & the Bird, Comme Ça, and
Pizzeria Ortica*
Even after enjoying so much of Norman's delicious, innovative food,
I am amazed at what it took to become a chef. This is an enticing
odyssey indeed, rich with success and failure, collegiality,
loyalty, and most of all dedication.
*Mimi Sheraton, food journalist and former restaurant critic for
the New York Times, Time, and Conde-Nast Traveler*
Norman Van Aken, in this brilliant and witty biography, tells us to
stick to our gut instinct—to do what we want to do, and to work
hard and unceasingly to reach our goals. Norman, throughout the
course of his challenging journey with the support of his wife,
Janet, eventually grew and enriched himself enormously both
professionally and personally. Everyone, not just those who are
heading to a culinary career, will learn that life can be wonderful
if you face it seriously and fearlessly and work, work, work on
it!
*Hiroko Shimbo, award-winning cookbook author and consulting
chef*
Norman's adventure from prep cook to rock-star chef, with all its
hair-raising pit stops is hilarious. Fasten your apron strings—it’s
a thrilling ride!
*Mary Sue Milliken, chef-owner of Border Grill restaurant and
truck*
Norman Van Aken remembers highways, hotels, cars, bosses, kitchens,
bars, accolades, smells, critiques, employees, sunrises and
sunsets. He holds such info near to his heart and knows that
creativity comes from all experience, not select moments. Here we
have a former carny, vagabond and horndog weaving us around ovens
and tables full of perfect salads, exquisite fish and . . . corn
dogs. Poignant and ribald, through lean times and green times, this
author cooks—and he can write, too! Spicy details are the essence
of a fine meal, and details are the truth and soul of a good tale.
Norman’s story is captivating—you’ll keep reading and forget to
eat.
*Tom Corcoran, author of The Quick Adios (Times Six)*
Reading Van Aken is like being a fly on the wall during the
American food revolution of the last thirty years.
*Dorothy Cann Hamilton, founder and CEO, The International Culinary
Center*
A compelling story of how life shapes, forms, and influences the
person we are and ultimately the person we become. Even more, it is
a story of how we make the most of what we have and the most of
what life gives us. From an aimless wanderer to a James Beard
awardee and celebrated restaurant owner, Norman invites us to
follow him in the pursuit of himself. This is a must-read for all
aspiring cooks.
*Bradley Ogden, James Beard Award–winning chef and president of
Bradley Ogden Hospitality*
This is the vivid, true story of what restaurant life used to be—as
America was coming of age in many ways, including in its culinary
scene. The restaurant life was wildly mobile, deeply crazy and
often seriously inebriated by booze, adrenaline, endorphins and
rage. But there’s a deep innocence and real passion, for survival,
living, learning, loving, sharing and making a difference—to the
people we love and those we’ve barely met.
*Clark Wolf, restaurant consultant, TV/radio personality,
columnist, and avid blogger*
I very much liked reading the history of Norman Van Aken. Reading
the details of his life is a great education for any young man or
woman planning to become a chef. No Experience Necessary is a
well-written and engaging life story.
*Alain Sailhac, Master Chef of France, dean emeritus at the
Culinary Center in New York City*
Norman Van Aken is the quintessential Floridian: a wanderer turned
native son. As a chef, he commands the nuance of natives, as well
as the broad-strokes perspective of adventure-seeking travelers. On
the plate, Van Aken captures the essence of Florida—the Cuban soul,
the Southern roots, the South American echoes and Haitian
exclamation points, they all share space, deliciously so. In No
Experience Necessary, Van Aken invites us to ride shotgun along the
back roads of America’s steamiest food region. He delivers an
irreverent, salsa-fied take on the road film that has been his
culinary career. Buckle up!
*Liz Balmaseda, Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist, and food and
dining editor, Palm Beach Post*
In his exquisitely penned memoir, we travel with Norman Van Aken
through years of personal reminiscing that never ceases to delight.
We are with him as he searches for meaning, and for the inspiration
that still feeds his unending hunger for flavor and for life. His
words are witty, irreverent, riveting, and poignant. I enjoyed
witnessing the moments of epiphany when, through his genius and in
spite of many of life's tumultuous detours, Norman found his
culinary destiny and the world finally met the chef who would
change the way we eat. In my view, his story is still unfolding in
an exciting and delicious way, and I, for one, can't wait to see
what comes next!
*Sandra A. Gutierrez, author of The New Southern-Latino Table*
No-holds-barred here: No Experience Necessary is a truly amazing
and well-written book. It is a real glimpse into our culinary
world, complete with profanities. This book is so refreshing that
an old-soul chef shows his depth and character through his writing,
and his life experiences. A great book to read for all, especially
for the next generation of chefs. Congratulations Norman—this is a
masterpiece!
*Alan Wong, James Beard Award–winning author and restaurateur*
Norman Van Aken looks at sunsets differently than most, which is as
good a reason as any for why he wound up in Key West with all the
other restless and relentless seekers, the inquisitive
head-scratchers, and members in good standing of the wonder brigade
self-recruited from America’s less-questing climes. Norman wants to
know. He wants to show. And share. And he’s done this all with
food—his world. His story is straight ahead (with detours).
*Jim Poris, Food Arts magazine*
As this humorous and insightful memoir makes clear, Norman’s has
been the life of an artist. In his creations as in his rise to
culinary stardom, he has made adventure an everyday part of his
life. Rethinking a planet of sensations, Norman has made the world
taste great.
*Ricardo Pau-Llosa, poet and art critic*
Norman's writing gives readers all the magic ingredients necessary
to make the journey of life delicious, comforting, and fun. Follow
these pages to live Van Aken style—with brilliance, generosity, and
without a dull moment. I am a fan of Norman’s: his food, and now,
this engagingly readable book.
*Suvir Saran, author of Masala Farm and Indian Home Cooking and
owner of Sacred Monkey*
An amazing story from one of the true culinary heroes of America.
This book will keep you up all night!
*Vinny Dotolo, chef, cofounder of Animal, Son of a Gun, and Trois
Mec*
This book is a captivating record of a turning point in American
history when young chefs were discovering their talents and passion
for food. Norman’s part in that movement is fascinating.
*Daniel Boulud, chef/owner, The Dinex Group*
Norman Van Aken is among the seminal American chefs who brought
American cooking into its own, and No Experience Necessary is a
classic chef memoir in the Kitchen Confidential, no-holds-barred
style appropriate to a chef who came of age in the 1970s. I am
truly grateful for this excellent, bawdy record of America's
restaurant kitchens in the late twentieth century.
*Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef, and many other
books*
No Experience Necessary isn't just about the food—it's Norman's
remarkable journeys that preceded it, and earned him a very special
place in American cuisine. It's food worth eating and a story well
worth reading.
*Peter Greenburg, travel editor, CBS News*
Van Aken recounts scores of hilarious escapades from his mad, mad
career. With such an exciting, unexpected path, one might be
tempted to retitle No Experience Necessary to The Accidental
Chef—but that would mislead, for it's no accident that Van Aken has
done more than survive those escapades. Instead, he has risen to
the top of his profession and his art, as this book chronicles both
humbly and amusingly. No Experience Necessary is a must-read for
soul searchers, whether in the kitchen or out of it.
*Juliette Rossant*
Norman's story is a full-throttle roller-coaster ride, so strap
yourself in and witness how an unbridled journey can lead to
culinary greatness. His food, like his journey, is bold, brazen,
delicious, and totally uncompromising; an American original.
*Sanford (Sandy) D'Amato, chef and author of Good Stock: Life on a
Low Simmer*
To quote Norman, ‘every journey is part of the life we live.’ No
Experience Necessary embodies the journey one takes when they
become enamored by the restaurant business. It’s about the friends
and family we take with us, and the friends and colleagues we meet
along the way. Long before there were ‘celebrity chefs,’ one simply
cooked for the love of cooking—it's not for the money; God knows
that’s true. It's for the love of it, all of it, and for the joy
and appreciation for the art of hospitality. Norman has proved
himself a master of it; he is a true virtuoso!
*Tony Abou-Ganim, founder and proprietor, The Modern Mixologist,
and author of The Modern Mixologist and Vodka Distilled*
While the Food Network and reality cooking shows are entertaining
and interesting, No Experience Necessary goes a lot further. It’s
an insider’s look at the revolution in food the last 30 years by
one of the most passionate players on that stage. It delves into
the heart and soul and mind of what it means to be a chef—an epic
tale of a culinary life full of passion, bravado, endurance, skill,
and luck, sprinkled with some misfortunes. Norman’s commitment to
truth is intimidating. This biography is completely captivating and
entertaining; by far the most emotionally accurate read of what it
means to live a life as a chef, told by the Huckleberry Finn of the
food world.
*Mark Miller, chef, writer, culinary adventurer*
As Van Aken (My Key West Kitchen: Recipes and Stories, 2012, etc.)
readily admits in his delightful, oftentimes laugh-out-loud memoir,
his journey into the life of restaurant cooking occurred by
happenstance: He needed a job, and a diner needed a cook, no
experience necessary. What unfolded over a 20-plus-year span was
the slow maturation of a teen into a man and of a clumsy and
untrained novice into a chef who rode the edge of the New American
cuisine wave as it broke on the shores of America. From Illinois to
Key West, Van Aken takes readers behind the scenes and deep into
the hearts of the restaurants for which he worked, where the
kitchen life was energized, hectic and often swelteringly hot. With
no formal schooling in the culinary arts, the author watched like a
hawk, asked numerous questions and read cookbooks by some of the
best chefs in the world while learning the ins and outs of French
cuisine, ethnic Latin American, Italian and Japanese foods, as well
as the new fusion style of American cooking. At first, however, he
did it all with a certain amount of reluctance, as he writes: 'A
kitchen job again? Oh my God! What crimes did I do in a former life
to merit this role again?' Nicely intertwined with the fast-paced
antics of the kitchen are Van Aken's reflections on his romantic
life with his wife and son. The author pays homage to the many
chefs who influenced him in his career and recounts moments with
some of the greats, like Julia Child, Charlie Trotter and Emeril
Lagasse. As an added bonus, Van Aken includes a wide variety of
recipes mentioned in the text. A lively romp into the frenetic life
of a significant American chef.
*Kirkus*
…[A] rollercoaster on two wheels — hilarious vignettes of real-life
kitchens and a lowly cook’s life from sun-up to sun-up again.
*Florida Weekly*
No Experience Necessary is not in any sense a wine book, but its
lessons are relevant to anyone who loves wine, food and life.
*Wine Spectator*
Van Aken’s story of his evolution from short order cook to
acclaimed pioneer of new world fusion cuisine is frank and raucous.
His vivid writing, in which small, sharp details bring to life a
first encounter with a new hire, a crisis on the line, or a
slow-motion car crash of a meal in an august restaurant, elevates
this far above the run-of-the-mill dutifully respectful career
chronicle. Very worthwhile. And a blast to read.
*Kitchen Arts & Letters*
The book breaks down the vast experience Van Aken ended up with,
burn by burn, kitchen by kitchen.
*Miami Herald*
For lovers of great food, great restaurants and great tales, No
Experience Necessary is a must-read.
*Salt Lake City Weekly*
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