Atlanta Culinary Schools
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Atlanta
Norman Van Aken Cooks up a Burst of New World Flavor
Norman Van Aken is the owner of the award winning restaurant Norman’s in Miami. This renowned chef has followed his culinary passion through some of the world’s most varied cuisines–ending up with a sensational flavor that’s all his own. Van Aken is credited as the father of “New World Cuisine,” melding the rich culinary heritage of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Southern United States into a new culinary paradigm. Van Aken’s dynamic culinary vision embodies the essence of America’s rich ethnic mix.
This Culinary Titan was raised in a rural town in Illinois, surrounded by the flavor traditional Midwestern favorites. After hitchhiking across the country, Van Aken’s culinary senses awakened with the alluring spices and multicultural traditions of Key West. The self-taught chef was the first to coin the widespread culinary term “fusion,” which he used to describe his combination of local Latin and Caribbean recipes with traditional European techniques.
Van Aken’s Innovative Vision Captivates Culinary Aficionados
In 1995, Chef Van Aken captured the taste-buds of the nation when he opened his own New World Cuisine restaurant in Miami, Norman’s. Norman’s patrons enjoy such flavorful creations as pan-roasted chorizo-crusted dolphin on a plantain paella Valenciana with olives, peas, garbanzos and Romesco aioli.
Norman’s has earned the title of “Best restaurant in South Florida” in the New York Times, “Best Restaurant in Miami” in Food & Wine Magazine, and was honored as one of “America’s Top Tables” four years in a row by Gourmet Magazine, among many other honors. Van Aken himself has also received a wealth of awards, including the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef in the Southeast,” the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence.
Sources:
Normans.com, “Chef Norman Van Aken”
New York Times, “A Columbus of Chefs Among the Papayas”
Charlie Trotter Brings New Spice to the Chicago Food Scene
World-renowned chef Charlie Trotter graduated from college with a political science degree–but this food-enthusiast decided to change his field and started on a journey to become a world-class chef. For four years, Trotter apprenticed under top chefs in the United States and Europe, read every cookbook, and experimented with all the recipes he could find.
With his newly honed cooking skills, chef Trotter went on to open his own restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, in a quaint Chicago brownstone. Since it opened in 1987, Charlie Trotter’s has attracted prestigious awards and rave reviews in national publications.
The Freshest Ingredients Fuel Charlie Trotter’s Culinary Success
Organic chicken breast stuffed with braised oxtail, watercress with onion tortellini with thyme-infused consommé, and Japanese hamachi with fennel sauce, celery root, and pommery mustard vinaigrette are just a few of the diverse dishes that tempt patron’s palates at Charlie Trotter’s restaurant. Chef Trotter’s conscientiously crafts his daily menus from naturally raised meat, line-caught seafood, and organic produce that arrive each day.
A zealous worker and educator, Trotter has written six cookbooks and bagged dozens of culinary honors, from the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who in Food and Beverage Award to a & Châteaux Relais Gourmand designation, to a coveted spot in the Nation Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. As the Wine Spectator raved, Charlie Trotter “is the Michael Jordan of American cooking. He has moves no one else has.” Craine’s Chicago Business agreed: “Each dish that emerges from Chef Trotter’s kitchen is a work of art-exuberant yet refined; often experimental, always elaborate.”
Sources:
James Beard Foundation, “James Beard Birthday Dinner”
Charlie Trotter’s “Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant”
Master Pastry Chef Jacques Torres Crafts Chocolates with Flair
A world famous pastry chef and chocolatier, Jacques Torres grew up in a small town in Provence, France. When he was 15, he became an apprentice in a small pastry shop in his town, and later got a job under two-star chef Jacques Maximin. Torres went on to earn a Master Pastry Chef degree, and, at age 26, he became the youngest chef ever to earn the prestigious Meilleur Ovrier de France competition.
In 1998, Jean Pierre Dubray of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company personally asked Jacques Torres to move to the United States and become the company’s Corporate Pastry Chef. One year later, the legendary restaurateur Sirio Maccioni invited the now-famous pastry chef to work at Li Cirque, one of New York’s most famous restaurants. For eight years, Torres crafted his exquisite, hand-crafted sweets for celebrities, presidents, and even kings.
Torres Tastes the Sweets of Pastry-Chef Success
In 2000, Chef Torres opened two chocolate factories in New York City. Chocolate lovers from around the world flock to order Torres’ fresh roasted hazelnuts in creamy milk chocolate, rich, bubbly champagne truffles, and dark chocolate with anchovies and chipotle chilies. He made his TV debut in the PBS series “Jacques Torres’ Dessert Circus,” and starred in three series on the Food Network, including Chocolate with Jacques Torres.
Jacques Torres has written a number of cookbooks, and teaches budding pastry chefs the tricks of the trade at the French Culinary Institute. His numerous awards include the James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year, the Chefs of America Pastry Chef of the Year, the Chartreuse Pastry Chef award, and membership in the Académie Culinare de France.
Sources:
Jacques Torres Chocolates, “Shop Online”
Food Network, “Bio, Jacques Torres”
André Soltner Captures a Nation’s Taste Buds with Classic French Cuisine
One of America’s earliest celebrity chefs, André Soltner helped form Americans’ taste for the art of fine French cooking. This young chef from Alsatian chef cooked up exquisite classical cuisine at New York City’s legendary Lutece over four decades. With nearly forty years of impeccable cooking under his belt, it’s no surprise that Soltner has received praise and recognition worldwide.
Chef André was born in Alsace, and began his culinary career at an Asatian hotel when he was 15. He came to the United States, and, in 1961, became the executive chef and owner of Lutèce. The restaurant earned a four-star rating from the New York Times, and became one a New York City landmark for fine French cuisine.
Soltner’s Recipe for Success
For decades, André Soltner’s impeccable, old-world menu, elegant atmosphere, and upscale service attracted food-lovers and celebrities alike, from Woody Allen and Mia Farrow to President Nixon. Customers waited months to snag a reservation at this classic hot spot, traveling across the country to try Chef André’s saumon farci en croûte and chicken in Riesling with delicate marrow dumplings. Lutèce finally closed its doors in 1994–but not before André Soltner received more than two dozen awards, including the James Beard Foundation’s lifetime achievement award, the French government’s prestigious Officier du Mérite National, the Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, and the Légion d’Honneur.
Through all his fame and fortune, André Soltner always remained modest and personable. A New York Times article reported that, in over 30 years, there were only 5 nights when the master chef was not at Lutèce, weaving through his dining room and checking on patrons to see how they liked his food.
Sources:
PBS, Julia Childs: Lessons With a Master Chef. “Meet the Chef: André Soltner”
The New York Times, “Our Dinners with André”
