Chef Van Aken has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation as the "Best Chef in the Southeast." He has received a wealth of accolades including the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence, and the Food Arts Silver Spoon Lifetime Achievement Award. His acclaimed signature restaurant, NORMAN'S, in Coral Gables, has been honored as one of "America's Top Tables" for four consecutive years by Gourmet Magazine, and has earned the title of "Best Restaurant in South Florida" from the New York Times and "Best Restaurant in Miami" from Food & Wine Magazine. Van Aken has also been featured on numerous television programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Emeril Live, the Food Network's My Country My Kitchen, and Eating Out Loud with Ruth Reichl.

In addition to being an award-winning chef, Van Aken is highly regarded as a culinary educator and cookbook author. He shares his passion for cooking by teaching classes at NORMAN'S as well as culinary schools across the country. He is the author of four cookbooks: Feast of Sunlight 1988, The Exotic Fruit Book 1995, Norman's New World Cuisine 1997, and New World Kitchen 2003.