Norman Van Aken

About the Authors:


Norman Van Aken was born and raised in rural Diamond Lake, Illinois. After a few years of college, he rambled around the country working at odd jobs–from short-order cook to carny. He moved to Hawaii in 1970 and to Key West in 1973, where he developed a passion for vibrant Asian and Caribbean flavors. A self-taught culinary genius, he now lectures internationally on New World Cuisine. Van Aken was the first chef to use the term “fusion cooking” in describing the principles of New World Cuisine. After close to two decades in Key West, Van Aken moved to Miami and opened Norman’s, a highly acclaimed, award-winning restaurant in the historic section of Coral Gables.





John Harrisson was raised and educated in England and became a food writer by way of an earlier career as an academic economist. He has co-authored cookbooks with many of America’s leading chefs, including Mark Miller (Coyote Cafe), Roy Yamaguchi (Feasts from Hawaii), Stephan Pyles, and John Sedlar. The cookbooks to which he has contributed have sold over three quarters of a million copies.



About the Photographer:


Tim Turner was one of three James Beard Award finalists for Best Food Photography for The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook. His other books include Charlie Trotter’s, Charlie Trotter’s Vegetables, and Charlie Trotter’s Seafood, and his photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Ladies’ Home Journal, among other publications, as well as in numerous advertisements.