142 E 4th Ave
Mount Dora, FL 32757352-385-1921
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Chef Norman Van Aken, Florida’s only multiple James Beard award winning chef, author of six cook books and a memoir, and known as the founding father of New World cuisine, announces his newest restaurant, 1921 by Norman Van Aken (“1921”).
Opening in Mount Dora this summer, the refined rustic restaurant has a forward thinking outlook on ingredients and culinary traditions that encompass the local community, as well as Florida cuisine.
Situated in a converted home built in 1921, the restaurant serves as a reminder that America, and its varying historic cuisines, are made up of a vast array of recipes and flavors imparted by a wide range of explorers and immigrants. These culinary styles have become entrenched in the land and local communities found throughout Florida and the world.
“With close access to some of the best local produce, meat, and seafood Florida has to offer, Mount Dora is a fitting location for us in terms of sourcing ingredients for our menu and connecting the restaurant with the local community that shapes our philosophy,” said Chef Van Aken. “I will be working directly with Chef de Cuisine, Camilo Velasco, to celebrate modern cooking while also incorporating time honored traditions of Florida.”
The philosophy of 1921 embraces sustainable practices when sourcing ingredients. The restaurant will work closely with local farms and purveyors within Mount Dora and the surrounding area, maintaining an allegiance to the local growers, producers and food artisans of Florida.
Chef Van Aken states, “1921 is my love letter to Florida and encompasses the totality of the state from its cuisine to its art to its culture and beyond. Just as the Modernist artists create their works from the tapestry of varying art styles, we create our menu out of the intricate matrix of cuisines found here.”
Working in collaboration, Chef Van Aken and Chef Velasco will serve up hand crafted cuisine from the state of the art kitchen. Menu offerings at 1921 will change regularly, providing guests the opportunity to experience a wide selection of fresh Florida flavors from snacks and starters such as the Grilled Okeechobee Mushroom Tostadas ($9), to flatbreads and salads like the Smoky Maduro Plantain Flatbread ($14) and Florida Avocado and Summer Squash Salad ($11).
Main plates include such items like the Wood Grilled Eye of Ribeye with red chimichurri marinated sweetbreads, ember roasted carrots and tomatillo ($36) and the Sour Orange Mojo Roasted Cornish Hen ($24), cooked in 1921’s wood oven.
Opening in Mount Dora this summer, the refined rustic restaurant has a forward thinking outlook on ingredients and culinary traditions that encompass the local community, as well as Florida cuisine.
Situated in a converted home built in 1921, the restaurant serves as a reminder that America, and its varying historic cuisines, are made up of a vast array of recipes and flavors imparted by a wide range of explorers and immigrants. These culinary styles have become entrenched in the land and local communities found throughout Florida and the world.
“With close access to some of the best local produce, meat, and seafood Florida has to offer, Mount Dora is a fitting location for us in terms of sourcing ingredients for our menu and connecting the restaurant with the local community that shapes our philosophy,” said Chef Van Aken. “I will be working directly with Chef de Cuisine, Camilo Velasco, to celebrate modern cooking while also incorporating time honored traditions of Florida.”
The philosophy of 1921 embraces sustainable practices when sourcing ingredients. The restaurant will work closely with local farms and purveyors within Mount Dora and the surrounding area, maintaining an allegiance to the local growers, producers and food artisans of Florida.
Chef Van Aken states, “1921 is my love letter to Florida and encompasses the totality of the state from its cuisine to its art to its culture and beyond. Just as the Modernist artists create their works from the tapestry of varying art styles, we create our menu out of the intricate matrix of cuisines found here.”
Working in collaboration, Chef Van Aken and Chef Velasco will serve up hand crafted cuisine from the state of the art kitchen. Menu offerings at 1921 will change regularly, providing guests the opportunity to experience a wide selection of fresh Florida flavors from snacks and starters such as the Grilled Okeechobee Mushroom Tostadas ($9), to flatbreads and salads like the Smoky Maduro Plantain Flatbread ($14) and Florida Avocado and Summer Squash Salad ($11).
Main plates include such items like the Wood Grilled Eye of Ribeye with red chimichurri marinated sweetbreads, ember roasted carrots and tomatillo ($36) and the Sour Orange Mojo Roasted Cornish Hen ($24), cooked in 1921’s wood oven.
The restaurant’s dynamic beverage and bar program will feature a library of unique spirits with multiple ice shapes as well as cocktails including barrel-aged, carbonated on tap, and seasonal creations. 1921’s Wine Director, Scott Geisler, will work closely with Chef Velasco to complement the menu, selecting from the restaurant’s list of global wines varying from eclectic to familiar, recent releases, and storied vintages. Additionally, the beverage program will highlight draft beers from multiple Central Florida craft breweries as well as a variety of bottled and canned beers from around the world.
The opening of Chef Van Aken’s highly anticipated 1921 restaurant completes the elegant Mount Dora Modernism Museum complex. The creation, design and execution of this exceptional cultural, shopping and dining collaboration is the brainchild of partner Main Street Leasing. A feast for the eyes, as well as the palate, the restaurant features an extensive collection of artwork, with select pieces on loan from the Modernism Museum. This unique joint partnership between Main Street Leasing and Chef Van Aken brings the art of dining to life in its truest sense.
Reservations are available beginning Tuesday, August 16th by calling (352)-385-1921, or by going to http://1921nva.com/