15 November 27 - December 3, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | The Biltmore New Year’s Eve Deser Soiree & Firewoks WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31, 2025 10 PM – 1 AM GRANADA BALLROOM $250 inclusive per guest. Members Discount Applies. Scan the QR code to learn more and purchase tickets. C M Y CM MY CY CMY K ai1761745869440_BH_MNT_New Years Eve Ad.pdf 1 10/29/25 9:51 AM 3201 RICKENBACKER CWY, KEY BISCAYNE, FL 33149 305.361.3818 | WWW.THERUSTYPELICAN.COM BE SOCIAL WITH US! /RUSTYPELICANMIAMI Join us for SUNSET HOUR EVERY MONDAY-FRIDAY 4PM-6:30PM Even as he recognizes the challenges, Van Aken sees a brighter horizon coming into fo- cus. He believes Miami may be on the brink of a shift — one that makes space again for smaller, neighborhood-driven restaurants and for chefs who want to express something personal rather than perform something glamorous. “Maybe we’re in a bit of a bubble,” he says. “But when it settles, I think we’ll see a renaissance — restaurants that really reflect who we are.” He already sees that future taking shape in Little River, Little Havana, and Overtown, where chefs are building thoughtful, commu- nity-rooted restaurants — the kind of cooking that echoes the spirit of the movement he helped spark decades ago. Over the decades, Van Aken’s influence has extended far beyond the restaurants he’s run. He’s written six cookbooks and a mem- oir, created a public-radio segment A Word on Food, and hosted the television series Nor- man’s Florida Kitchen, all of which helped bring South Florida’s ingredients and stories to a national audience. These projects — not an exhaustive list, but among his most defin- ing — reflect the same curiosity and sense of place that shaped his cooking. Now in his seventies, Van Aken splits his time between Norman’s Orlando and new creative projects. He’s working on a memoir about his nearly 30-year friendship with the late Charlie Trotter and developing plans for a teaching kitchen that would connect Key West, Miami, and Central Florida. “I don’t want to retire,” he says. “I want to keep creating spaces where people feel hu- man again, share a meal, and let the world go away for a couple of hours.” If Miami is now a city with its own distinc- tive cuisine, Norman Van Aken helped draw its first map. His insistence that Florida’s flavors were worthy of celebration opened the door for everything that followed — from the mango- and-chile era of the ’90s to today’s blend of Ca- ribbean, Latin, and coastal influences. “People talk about New World Cuisine or fusion as if it were a trend,” he says. “But it’s not a phase. It’s who we are.” [email protected] Norman Van Aken photo Over the decades, Van Aken’s influence has extended far beyond the restaurants he’s run.
