Norman Van Aken Signs Copies of My Key West Kitchen at Barnes & Noble Tonight

My Key West Kitchen ($20.33 at BN.com) by Norman Van Aken and Justin Van Aken is part cookbook, part love note to Key West, the quirky city at the end of A1A. It's fitting that Van Aken and son collaborate on this book. After all, it's where Justin was born and...

By Laine Doss

November 26, 2012

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My Key West Kitchen ($20.33 at BN.com) by Norman Van Aken and Justin Van Aken is part cookbook, part love note to Key West, the quirky city at the end of A1A.

It's fitting that Van Aken and son collaborate on this book. After all, it's where Justin was born and where Norman was born a chef.

In the introduction, Norman Van Aken explains that though most tourists think of Duval Street as Key West, the tiny island city is actually divided into several geographic locations.

The cookbook is split up to reflect these locations, starting with a Duval crawl complete with a recipe for Green Parrot fried chicken & waffles, conch salad, and Captain Tony's Sunday fish fry.

The Places in the Hoods chapter focuses on dishes from Bahama Village

and Cuban influences like Nassau "rundown" with snapper and coconut,

Chez Nancy lobster, and ropa vieja.

Places on the Water features recipes for conch fritters, a "90 miles to Cuba" rum runner, and conch chowder, to name a few.

The

last chapter focuses on Key West today, with recipes for stone crab

gazpacho, oven-roasted mojo chicken, and eggplant tostadas.

Norman Van Aken will be at Barnes & Noble in Fort Lauderdale tonight

(2501 N. Federal Highway), November 26 at 7 p.m. to sign copies of this

book, which makes a great holiday present for both foodies and fans of

Key West.

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Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, covering the restaurant and bar scene in South Florida. She has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it’s like to wait tables. In a previous life, she appeared off-Broadway and shook many a cocktail as a bartender at venues in South Florida and New York City. When she’s not writing, you can find Doss running some marathon then celebrating at the nearest watering hole.

Contact: Laine Doss

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