Andrew Zimmern
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andrew S. Zimmern (born July 1961) is a food writer, dining critic, radio talk show host, TV personality and chef. Writing for many national magazines and publications, Zimmern has received the American Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award. Zimmern is currently and most widely known as the host of a weekly travel and food program on the Travel Channel called Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.
[edit] Background
Zimmern was born into a Jewish family and raised in New York City, and began his formal culinary training at the age of 14. He attended the Dalton School and graduated from Vassar College. Contributing to many of New York’s finest restaurants as either executive chef or general manager, he also lectured on restaurant management and design at The New School for Social Research, and as a consultant was credited for creating several New York restaurants.
In 1992, Zimmern moved to Minnesota, where he gained wide acclaim for the next five years as the executive chef of Cafe Un Deux Trois in Minneapolis. His menus received the highest ratings from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota Monthly, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, and many other national publications. Zimmern left the daily restaurant operations in 1997.
Zimmern resides in St. Paul with his wife Rishia and their son, Noah.
[edit] Writing and television
As a food personality, Zimmern hosted the popular food talk show Chowhounds![1], which aired Saturdays on Clear Channel’s KTLK, FM–100.3 in Minnesota. In June 2007 he moved to FM107.1 WFMP and hosts The Andrew Zimmern show with Colleen Kruse. [2] He has been a guest chef at many national charity events, food festivals, and galas, including Food and Wine Magazine’s Aspen Festival][3], The Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience and the James Beard House in New York City.
Additionally, Zimmern is the food features reporter for Fox 9 News Minneapolis, and is also a featured contributor on both HGTV’s Rebecca’s Garden and Tip-ical Mary Ellen, where he handled on air food duties for both shows. He was the food and lifestyle features reporter during the 1997 season of the UPN network’s nationally televised Everyday Living. He has appeared on The Food Network’s Best Of..., CNN’s Money and Health and NBC’s The Today Show. He stars in The Cooking Club of America’s instructional video series.
Zimmern regularly speaks to professional associations around the globe on all culinary matters, from the American Federation of Chefs to the Chinese Chefs National Committee. In the fall of 2002, he was an honored guest of the People’s Republic of China, traveling, lecturing, and giving demonstrations on Chinese cuisine.
