The Edit with Norman Van Aken

on Key West, Cooking and Stashing Memorable Ephemera in Cookbooks

with Norman Van Aken

My experience with IACP tracks back to April 1992. I remember loads of the restaurant industry's "who's who" in town for the IACP conference, many of whom came to my restaurant, a Mano. At the opening reception for the gathering, we did 500 portions of one of my creations at the Intercontinental Hotel and I taught a master class that morning. Then, the next night, some of the guests from the IACP conference who came in for dinner included Joe Baum, Molly Chappellet, the ‘Chef of Commander’s Palace’ Jamie Shannon, Lisa Ekus and others.

I have been a published author since 1988 when my first cookbook, A Feast of Sunlight came out under a Random House imprint. I have written six cookbooks and one memoir. IACP member and literary agent Sally Ekus’ mother Lisa Ekus was my first public relations agent. Each of my books have been published by different companies. This is educational as each experience had its rhythms and sometimes its rhymes. In my case it was almost always because the lead editor of each publishing house loved my food from having dined at one of my restaurants. They were almost always surprised to learn that writing the book’s headnotes and chapter introductions was as important to my creative process as my recipes. In fact, I think they propel one another.

My point of view is that I want each aspect of my books to tell a compelling story, one with flavors and instructions, the other, as in my memoir especially… the extraordinary human tango I have lived in a time of American cookery getting to meet and know some of the most accomplished people in the business. This includes so many creative people: actors, authors, musicians, political activists, artists of various mediums. From princes to Presidents, from Jim Harrison to Toni Morrison, From Jacques Pépin to Julia Child: they have dined at my restaurants.

I lived for the first 20 plus years as a chef coming of age and eventually some acclaim in the charming, raffish island town of Key West. That experience formulated the foundation of not just my cuisine but the magical, mystical charms of a place that is older than many others and has the blood and ink stains of pirates and poets. To be young and making my way long before “Margaritaville” stereotypes highjacked, (unintentionally I believe), the vagabond, bohemian power of “Cayo Hueso,” (aka... Isle of Bones).

I have grown my Substack by reading others who are doing Substack in a way that I find engaging. I have never had a coach. Like cooking, I am not formally trained. Though, like cooking, I have immense respect for those that can offer a better way. One of the metrics I find encouraging on my Substack is how many folks seem to open them. While I don’t have vast numbers, I am happy to see the steady growth and the quality of those that are recommending me as well as those restacking my work.

What I love about Substack is multivarious. I can have several themes that showcase my various fascinations in living. I can publish as often, or not, as I want. The community aspect of Substack means I invariably learn from the growing number of folks I subscribe to or who have become subscribers of my work. I love that they can browse and often deeply, if they wish to, before committing to a paid level. The multiple and oft used forms of social media feel much like the rat race I seek to find by writing. The quote, “I write to taste life twice,” has been ascribed to a few people. I am not sure who “owns” it, but I love it.

Some of the primary themes you will find on my Substack.

• My Cooking: In written form and video, I share the cooking I have become known for, “New World Cuisine,” a celebration of the mix of cultures of places I have lived and where I live now. This includes casual cooking at home, but through the lens of someone who has been doing it for 50 years and counting.

• Events: From my cooking classes to collaborative dinners to travel I will share the view, tastes and feelings of being in the mix, like the Jacques Pépin Gala in NYC. I attended as a “table host” along with Andrew Zimmern, Gail Simmons, and Sara Moulton. I sat next to the great chef as our group photo was taken and had the pleasure of giving him, (a bow tie lover) one owned by the late James Beard.

• A Word on Food: For 12 years I had an NPR radio show by this name. I wrote over 400 scripts and delivered them in a monologue form. In this series on my Substack, I go into the unique ingredients that take us through food history, memories, ways to utilize them, and often include a recipe.

• Treasure Books: Videos of the books I revere and that deepened my knowledge more than my restaurant cooking. I have about 50 in my library with more added each month, Many include a “time capsule of memorabilia:”of menus, letters, and articles germane to the book stuck in the pages, like Jeremiah Tower’s book that has menus from his astonishing restaurant, Stars going back to the early 1990’s.

• On My Turntable Now: Music has been the other great passion of my life. Every Saturday I showcase a song in this series. A good number of chefs I’ve known have played in bands; I have jammed with, among others, Dean Fearing, Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse and Robert Del Grande.
  

Roll call / Who I subscribe to:

• Pass the Fish Sauce by Andrea Nguyen: Andrea first caught my attention with her excellent cookbooks on the cuisine of Vietnam. She’s a born teacher.

• Longer Tables with José Andrés : I met José when he came to my cooking class in D.C. in 1988. We hit it off immediately. Though who could guess how far he would go in being a global light carrier for humanistic efforts.

What I’m reading now:

• Ruhlman’s Newsletter: Michael is an old friend. With Substack I get to “hang out” with him despite the challenges of geography and time. His delightful magpie interests always provide me with things I want to wander amongst.

• Jeremiah Tower’s Out of the Oven: I have been mentored by Jermiah since I first read his genius menus while he was manning the stoves at Chez Panisse. It became my blessed fortune to become friends over the years and times we have cooked together.

How folks can subscribe:

Check out my Substack for yourself and let me know what you think. You can also find me on my website or on Instagram too.