What do you think?
Rate this book
No Experience Necessary: The Culinary Odyssey of Chef Norman Van Aken
No Experience Necessary is Chef Norman Van Aken’s joyride of a memoir. In it he spans twenty-plus years and nearly as many jobs—including the fateful job advertisement in the local paper for a short-order cook with “no experience necessary.” Long considered a culinary renegade and a pioneering chef, Van Aken is an American original who chopped and charred, sweated and seared his way to cooking stardom with no formal training, but with extra helpings of energy, creativity, and faith. After landing on the deceptively breezy shores of Key West, Van Aken faced hurricanes, economic downturns, and mercurial moneymen during the decades when a restaurant could open and close faster than you can type haute cuisine. From a graveyard shift grunt at an all-night barbeque joint to a James Beard–award finalist for best restaurant in America, Van Aken put his trusting heart, poetic soul, natural talent, and ever-expanding experience into every venture—and helped transform the American culinary landscape along the way. In the irreverent tradition of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, and populated by a rogues’ gallery of colorful characters—including movie stars, legendary musicians, and culinary giants Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, and Charlie Trotter—No Experience Necessary offers a uniquely personal, highly-entertaining under-the-tablecloth view of the high-stakes world of American cuisine told with wit, insight, and great affection by a natural storyteller.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 1, 2013
I wanted to like NO Experience Necessary a lot more than I did. It was definitely fun - chock full of stories and recipes. The book feels like you're hanging out on a bar stool listening to Mr. Van Aken tells stories on a long summer night and this is a plus, but much of the book rambles about and many tales seem somewhat superfluous to Mr. Van Aken's journey with food. Maybe my problem with the book is related to my problem with much of the New American cooking so popular in the eighties and nineties with its over-reliance on Southwestern flavors. Much of this cooking trend feels like jalapenos added to everything (cheese bread - check, chicken stew - check, rice - check, pasties - check) and, while I love Southwestern flavors and chiles I much prefer the exploration of local foodways filtered through various personal sensibilities and New American cooking just never hit the right note for me.
While it's interesting read the stories of Mr. Van Aken's journey up the line to chef and interesting to read about the business side of things as he opens restaurants with various partners and they fail for various reasons, worst of all is that the memoir stops abruptly - leaving out the opening of Norman's, Mr. Van Aken's eponymous restaurant, and all of the events that have led to his current success. All flaws aside I enjoyed the story and was particularly touched by his friendship with Charlie Trotter, a protege and food legend whose recent death was a shock to the culinary world.
While it's interesting read the stories of Mr. Van Aken's journey up the line to chef and interesting to read about the business side of things as he opens restaurants with various partners and they fail for various reasons, worst of all is that the memoir stops abruptly - leaving out the opening of Norman's, Mr. Van Aken's eponymous restaurant, and all of the events that have led to his current success. All flaws aside I enjoyed the story and was particularly touched by his friendship with Charlie Trotter, a protege and food legend whose recent death was a shock to the culinary world.
December 25, 2013
I have read many books written by chefs and food critics and have generally found them very interesting, well-written, and worthwhile. I cannot say the same about NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY by Norman Van Aken. I completed only three chapters, then skipped ahead several times to see if I would be able to finish it. Final decision: No.
The prologue was a delightful story about how he worked with Emeril Lagasse to conceive, prepare, and serve the first course at a birthday dinner for Julia Child. The turn around time was three minutes so they waited until they got word that the speeches had ended so they could begin to cook the shrimp. As they raced with the dish, they got word that another speech had begun and the shrimp could not cook any longer without being ruined.
Van Aken came to his culinary career by an unusual route. He roamed the country a lot and worked many low-paying jobs, such as a carnival employee and hot tar roofer. Along the way he lived with and/or traveled with a couple close friends, including Charlie Trotter.
The book includes twenty recipes, many of which seem like something I would like to try. He provides a lot of honest detail about his lifestyle and work and readers can really picture what is happening. Unfortunately, from my perspective, he drops the f-bomb on almost every page. I may be old-fashioned, but I found it very distracting, offensive and insulting. I tried ignoring it at first but after the first couple of times, I decided it served no useful purpose and should have been omitted even if he thought it added realism. There are better ways to do that.
If there is a second edition without that element, I’ll consider rereading it.
I got this book as an early reviewer from LibraryThing.
The prologue was a delightful story about how he worked with Emeril Lagasse to conceive, prepare, and serve the first course at a birthday dinner for Julia Child. The turn around time was three minutes so they waited until they got word that the speeches had ended so they could begin to cook the shrimp. As they raced with the dish, they got word that another speech had begun and the shrimp could not cook any longer without being ruined.
Van Aken came to his culinary career by an unusual route. He roamed the country a lot and worked many low-paying jobs, such as a carnival employee and hot tar roofer. Along the way he lived with and/or traveled with a couple close friends, including Charlie Trotter.
The book includes twenty recipes, many of which seem like something I would like to try. He provides a lot of honest detail about his lifestyle and work and readers can really picture what is happening. Unfortunately, from my perspective, he drops the f-bomb on almost every page. I may be old-fashioned, but I found it very distracting, offensive and insulting. I tried ignoring it at first but after the first couple of times, I decided it served no useful purpose and should have been omitted even if he thought it added realism. There are better ways to do that.
If there is a second edition without that element, I’ll consider rereading it.
I got this book as an early reviewer from LibraryThing.
March 12, 2016
The flow of this memoir made it a frustrating read. I enjoyed the first 200 or so pages when we learn how the chef got his start and discovered his passion for cooking. Then the book becomes rushed, lacking, previously engaging details, moving too quickly through the story of his failed Key West restaurant, Mira. Perhaps the author didn't want to relive the details, or he was embarrassed, or was hiding facts around the failure- either way, this was an uncomfortable switch in pace for the reader.
He spends the final pages dropping celebrity and famous chef and restaurant names, and the book reads more like a travelogue than a memoir. And the whole thing ends abruptly, which is not surprising or disappointing given what came before.
He spends the final pages dropping celebrity and famous chef and restaurant names, and the book reads more like a travelogue than a memoir. And the whole thing ends abruptly, which is not surprising or disappointing given what came before.
September 25, 2020
I've read quite a few chef memoirs, and this one suffers from some of the same features--I wonder if becoming a chef requires certain personality traits?
I enjoyed the parts where he details how he became a chef and worked his way up in the culinary world. What I didn't enjoy was his pretentious personality and thinking he was above it all, even when his restaurant failed. That seems to be a common thread among chefs, thinking they are so good and then crashing and burning.
Otherwise, it's an interesting read.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
I enjoyed the parts where he details how he became a chef and worked his way up in the culinary world. What I didn't enjoy was his pretentious personality and thinking he was above it all, even when his restaurant failed. That seems to be a common thread among chefs, thinking they are so good and then crashing and burning.
Otherwise, it's an interesting read.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
December 15, 2013
I love reading of adventures in the world of chef's, their path to where they are now. This was an adventure, he had a wild and sometimes crazy path to success. Unfortunately, it was also riddled with many rambling stories that really had little to do with his career path. I did enjoy the story, it just needed some trimming. I found the ending rough, well it just stopped so I expect to see book two following soon.
If you like to read about people who came up from the bottom this is a good book. It has some real raw moments, some funny light ones, and a few that should have been
dropped.
If you like to read about people who came up from the bottom this is a good book. It has some real raw moments, some funny light ones, and a few that should have been
dropped.
April 24, 2023
( Format : Audiobook )
"With a little help from.my friends."
From early days and childhood friends, of travelling around, hitching his way, of falling for Key West, and wife to be, Janet and eventually realising that what he wanted to do was cook and his compulsion to bring out his own dishes, to successes and failures running restaurants he could call his own. Then this book abruptly ends just as it gets really interesting. Along the way are (sometimes crude, often funny) anecdotes about life in the kitchens and he whole is interspersed with recipes, each preceded by the retelling of the lines from the appropriate part of the story already given, an unnecessary and sometimes slightly confusing repetition.
Read by the author himself, fluent!y but with some very strange pronunciations, No Experience Necessary is an enjoyable but irritating read in need of both an editor and an ending. It can currently be downloaded for free through the Audible Plus programme. I kept waiting for the real story to begin.
"With a little help from.my friends."
From early days and childhood friends, of travelling around, hitching his way, of falling for Key West, and wife to be, Janet and eventually realising that what he wanted to do was cook and his compulsion to bring out his own dishes, to successes and failures running restaurants he could call his own. Then this book abruptly ends just as it gets really interesting. Along the way are (sometimes crude, often funny) anecdotes about life in the kitchens and he whole is interspersed with recipes, each preceded by the retelling of the lines from the appropriate part of the story already given, an unnecessary and sometimes slightly confusing repetition.
Read by the author himself, fluent!y but with some very strange pronunciations, No Experience Necessary is an enjoyable but irritating read in need of both an editor and an ending. It can currently be downloaded for free through the Audible Plus programme. I kept waiting for the real story to begin.
November 14, 2018
Brilliant, unassuming, bawdy, tender, and very very funny. You will learn a lot about food (of course) but more about bouncing back while having a good time. Norman (Noam to some of his friends, for whom the R sound is impossible) never doubts his ability to cope, or to invent. A wonderful book.
May 31, 2019
No
Not worth it. First two chapters mostly about drinking and doing drugs. Not fun of interesting. Not recommended, find a memoir that is more insightful.
Not worth it. First two chapters mostly about drinking and doing drugs. Not fun of interesting. Not recommended, find a memoir that is more insightful.
April 28, 2023
This is the memoir of a chef who, born twenty or more years prior, could have been either a press secretary or playwright, (respectively speaking). Also, not to any philosophic disservice, he wields a very wide and yet very eloquent societal pomp evisceration cleaver. From page one to the very end, I was very invested.
July 12, 2014
If you enjoyed reading Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain, then you will appreciate No Experience Necessary. The author "earns his bones" in the culinary world the hard, old school way. He starts out as a short order cook with no previous experience (hence the title of the book). At the time,(early '70s) it was a way to earn a paycheck when other options seemed unavailable.
Similar to Kitchen Confidential, the author provides insight to the hardworking, dirty, and exhausting life that is a reality of professional kitchens. Also similar to KC, Van Aken describes the cadre of misfits, stoners and pirates that make up the culinary world.
Reading the book, I was reminded of just how far the american culinary world has come, in the past 30-40 years. I am old enough to remember the way restaurants were "before the enlightenment", and very vividly remember when the tsunami of American Fusion began coming to the forefront of hotspot restaurants everywhere. Reading about it now, some of it seems so tired and passé (mango salsa, really?), it's hard to remember a time when this was new and innovative thinking. But it was! It is a wonderful thing that Mr. Van Aken and his culinary brethren were the stubborn miscreants that they were. Their stubborn refusal to accept what was expected has allowed the rest of us to expand our culinary horizons as well.
Dealings with a then teenaged Charlie Trotter, young turk Emeril Lagasse, and other rising (and soon to be lauded) Chefs makes for interesting reading. However; reading about the hand-to-mouth existence, the long, exhausting hours, the drugs, the booze, the lack of stability, got to be a bit wearying for me. I found myself skimming through the last several chapters, just to get to the end.
Overall, I found the book enjoyable, and appreciated just how far we have come in terms of our culinary scope. However, it ran just a bit too long for me.
Similar to Kitchen Confidential, the author provides insight to the hardworking, dirty, and exhausting life that is a reality of professional kitchens. Also similar to KC, Van Aken describes the cadre of misfits, stoners and pirates that make up the culinary world.
Reading the book, I was reminded of just how far the american culinary world has come, in the past 30-40 years. I am old enough to remember the way restaurants were "before the enlightenment", and very vividly remember when the tsunami of American Fusion began coming to the forefront of hotspot restaurants everywhere. Reading about it now, some of it seems so tired and passé (mango salsa, really?), it's hard to remember a time when this was new and innovative thinking. But it was! It is a wonderful thing that Mr. Van Aken and his culinary brethren were the stubborn miscreants that they were. Their stubborn refusal to accept what was expected has allowed the rest of us to expand our culinary horizons as well.
Dealings with a then teenaged Charlie Trotter, young turk Emeril Lagasse, and other rising (and soon to be lauded) Chefs makes for interesting reading. However; reading about the hand-to-mouth existence, the long, exhausting hours, the drugs, the booze, the lack of stability, got to be a bit wearying for me. I found myself skimming through the last several chapters, just to get to the end.
Overall, I found the book enjoyable, and appreciated just how far we have come in terms of our culinary scope. However, it ran just a bit too long for me.
December 11, 2013
Here's my bias:
I've met Chef Van Aken a few times and have eaten at his restaurant Tuyo. I find his food and personality to be delightful.
Here's my review:
This book had me sucked in from the start, which describes an event where he and two other famous chefs got into a bit of misadventure. I could see myself doing what he and his boys did, and that was a common theme for me throughout this read.
The book details the early/mid stages of Norman's adventures into the culinary world, during which he spent a lot of time living as a seeker, hopping from odd job to odd job, hitchhiking, living in shared space with other seekers, and drinking, drinking, drinking. Also, he was learning; not in college, but from life. In the book he seems to have always paid attention to his world and the lessons it was trying to teach him. The most important lesson I took from the book was about allowing yourself to find your path, your specialty, and focusing your passion and attention on this.
The book is written well, in a dense style packed with many laughs. The many names he drops throughout didn't mean much to me, but I could usually see the characters he described and what they meant to him along his journey. This "name dropping" gives the book a slightly "culinary insider" feel that is a little alienating. On the other hand, I dog-eared each page that had a recipe or a cookbook that he said helped influence him, so that was another good takeaway for me.
The book will make you hungry. You'll want to lick the pages. He loves food, and this shows in his writing. Enjoy!
I've met Chef Van Aken a few times and have eaten at his restaurant Tuyo. I find his food and personality to be delightful.
Here's my review:
This book had me sucked in from the start, which describes an event where he and two other famous chefs got into a bit of misadventure. I could see myself doing what he and his boys did, and that was a common theme for me throughout this read.
The book details the early/mid stages of Norman's adventures into the culinary world, during which he spent a lot of time living as a seeker, hopping from odd job to odd job, hitchhiking, living in shared space with other seekers, and drinking, drinking, drinking. Also, he was learning; not in college, but from life. In the book he seems to have always paid attention to his world and the lessons it was trying to teach him. The most important lesson I took from the book was about allowing yourself to find your path, your specialty, and focusing your passion and attention on this.
The book is written well, in a dense style packed with many laughs. The many names he drops throughout didn't mean much to me, but I could usually see the characters he described and what they meant to him along his journey. This "name dropping" gives the book a slightly "culinary insider" feel that is a little alienating. On the other hand, I dog-eared each page that had a recipe or a cookbook that he said helped influence him, so that was another good takeaway for me.
The book will make you hungry. You'll want to lick the pages. He loves food, and this shows in his writing. Enjoy!
September 2, 2013
I was given an advanced copy of Norman Van Aken’s No Experience Necessary and knew I was going to enjoy it having been a long time fan of his prose. What I did not realize was how much I was going to fall in love with his story. I continually found myself stopping to reread sections and even speaking his words aloud to hear how beautiful they sounded.
No Experience Necessary reads like a who’s who of chefs in the 80’s and 90’s. Chef Norman was involved and cooked with all the greats; Emeril Lagasse, Charlie Trotter, Jeremiah Tower, Dean Fearing, Bradley Ogden, and Alice Waters. They all came up together creating the New American Food movement in which Norman is credited with creating the term “fusion cooking” and are all highlighted in this book.
His romantic soul and quest for knowledge shines from every page as does his love of people. His kind words about past coworkers and chefs makes it hard for me to picture him screaming or being the demanding tyrant chef that Gordon Ramsay has made popular…even when he tells a story of kicking a Royal out of his kitchen. Chef Norman is the type of chef and man I’d like to represent all chefs.
After reading numerous chefs memoirs, tales of food, and culinary travel adventures, I can think of not one but this that had me in tears by the last few pages. I await the wafting scent of a promise of a sequel and remain enamored with Chef Norman’s words.
Victoria Allman
Author of: SEAsoned: A Chef’s Journey with Her Captain
January 15, 2014
Okay, so having struggled mightily through Neil Young's autobiography, I could not believe that the next book up was another autobiography...not that I have anything against autobiographies but a couple a year is usually my limit (really Little Failure is queued next?? Oy!) Anyway I really liked this book; it didn't shy away from detailing the real work involved in becoming a true chef and also didn't shy away from calling himself out for less than appropriate behavior. The apparent random evolution of his cuisine as well as his own dedication and skills was refreshing. The book was well written to the extent that it seems that Mr. Van Aken can add writer to the list of his talents. Anecdotal but never at the cost to the story itself. Again, the highest compliment I can give is that it makes me want to check out his prior books to see whether they compare. The recipes? Really? Ignore them for the most part.
November 8, 2014
If you love chef memoirs, then "No Experience Necessary," by Chef Norman Van Aken is for you. I listened, which was great, because Norman got to narrate. It was like listening to an old friend tell a good story. He's a terrific writer ...reminded me a little of Hemingway's prose.. and that's good, since a lot of the book takes place in Key West, a Hemingway hangout.
This book took me back to the early days (late 70s, 80, & early 90s) when the American food explosion was so much fun to be part of (and I was) and chefs didn't care about their TV ratings (there was no Food Network), but about creating truly great food. There is a recipe at the end of every chapter. My favorite is at the end of Chapter 19, "Latkes with Sour Cream and Caviar"... simple, easy to make, delicious.
I loved this book. Go buy it. Listen or read..
This book took me back to the early days (late 70s, 80, & early 90s) when the American food explosion was so much fun to be part of (and I was) and chefs didn't care about their TV ratings (there was no Food Network), but about creating truly great food. There is a recipe at the end of every chapter. My favorite is at the end of Chapter 19, "Latkes with Sour Cream and Caviar"... simple, easy to make, delicious.
I loved this book. Go buy it. Listen or read..
February 6, 2014
3.5 stars. I am a sucker for chef books. This one was more about the business - relationships with investors and how it can be marvelous or sour. It's such a backbreaking job, and holding up the end with investors who may be running out of patience, money or interest can be disheartening. It was also about Norman Van Aken's journey - he seriously got a job in a restaurant that advertised "no experience necessary" The journey was fascinating the mentors he met along the way, and he was a great mentor to Charlie Trotter, I wish he'd talked more about the food. Would love to have drinks with him and Janet, his wife
February 4, 2014
I enjoyed reading about the places and people from my childhood in the first many chapters of Chef Norman's book. So nice to recognize the places (Fireside, where my mom was a waitress, for example).
I lost touch with Norman after high school, so I was fascinated with his path through the 70s, 80s, and beyond. For someone who started out with "No Experience" Norman has had enough captivating experiences to fill this book, and I am sure, many many more.
Thanks for sharing your story, Chef. It's a pleasure to know you!
I lost touch with Norman after high school, so I was fascinated with his path through the 70s, 80s, and beyond. For someone who started out with "No Experience" Norman has had enough captivating experiences to fill this book, and I am sure, many many more.
Thanks for sharing your story, Chef. It's a pleasure to know you!
March 12, 2014
This is an enjoyable, if a bit scattered, memoir of chef Norman Van Aken's entry into and rise in restaurant business. I hadn't heard of Van Aken before reading this book, but lots of other household name chefs appear in this book, such as Emeril Lagasse, Charlie Trotter, and Julia Child. Sometimes the chapters are a bit stream of consciousness, with anecdotes following each other without necessarily advancing the story much, but Van Aken's story is an interesting one.
February 16, 2015
There were times when this 'zero to hero' chef memoir seemed to read slowly and drag on. Despite this, I still enjoyed reading about how the chef's passion for cooking grew through time. There were times when I really enjoyed this book, and there were times when I just wanted to "finish it already".
March 22, 2014
This book tells the adventures of Chef Norman Van Aken from his twenties until 1993 when he was nominated for a James Beard Award. His learning curve of cooking and food was different from most chefs. However he survived with his marriage intact which is a major accomplishment in the culinary industry.
January 29, 2014
Delightful...delicious...delectable...a Dionysian romp through a storied career by one of America's great chefs. Meet Chef Norman Van Aken on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds, Wednesday, January 29, 3 pm ET online live & the podcast @ http://bit.ly/U4EEMd
September 30, 2013
Very enjoyable read. It did become difficult to keep all the characters straight, but the stories were entertaining, well-written and insightful. Loved the inclusion of recipes.
January 1, 2014
A not to be missed read by anyone one aspires to be a chef, aspires to live in Key West or aspires to follow an unknown path. It will take you places you did not imagine.
February 3, 2014
Interesting enough, but nothing special.
August 27, 2014
This was pretty good but it made me realize I don't want to be a chef at someone else's restaurant. So unpredictable, the long hours and instability. Dragged on a bit, but overall enjoyable.
July 3, 2014
I had forgotten how much I like biography's, and especially ones that deal with the world inside a restaurant. The fact that most of this centers in Southern Florida was a nice bonus.
May 26, 2015
I liked it, but not my favorite food memoir.
March 22, 2014
who needs culinary school. hard work, the desire to learn more and reading can get you to the top.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews