“I am grateful to have my life back and for the friends and family who never gave up on me, for a God who was there when I was ready to find him. I am grateful for so much, that every day, one day at a time, is Thanksgiving.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The biggest thing that I learned is when you’re building something – especially a project that requires partners – you have to make sure that there is a lot of overlapping desire and a lot of overlapping alignment with the people that you’re doing work with.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Let me say this: Camel is delicious, but when handled improperly, it’s rank.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Everyone knows about hot dogs and the Big Apple. But for me, New York City street food is all about the Biryani Cart.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Any decision that I make, anything that I do, every single consideration of my day goes through the prism of what my former experience has been.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Having been in the restaurant business, our job in the restaurant business is to be responsible for our customers’ happiness. It’s the nature of the hospitality business. You need to take care of people. You take care of customers above all others. Customers are your lifeblood.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I can’t tell you how many times I get into a taxicab in New York or Los Angeles, and I’m talking to somebody who is a recent immigrant who was a doctor or lawyer or engineer or professor in the country they just came from. They’re starting over again in life, and I think the majority of people out there can relate to that.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’m obsessed with Chinese food and culture. It’s food that I adore above all others.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I love bugs. And as the first person to popularize their eating in America, I take special pride in seeing their appreciation soar.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I don’t like being at food festivals and have someone from some weird cable access show that’s all about lifestyle get in my face with a microphone and wants to know which party I’m going to later… That just is pointless kind of stuff to me.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned after a lifetime of dining on delicacies like blood pudding, sea squirts, and camel kidneys, even folks who wouldn’t come within 100 yards of a Cambodian tarantula want to hear what it’s like to chomp on one!”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’m into exploring the fringes of a culture.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The summer after college, I got a job as a chef at Conscience Point Inn in Southampton. I spent the summer on the water and cemented my expertise with seafood. I’ve always gravitated toward places that do seafood.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Sardinia has to have some of the best seafood on the planet. I’m a sea urchin freak, and Sardinia’s are some of the best I’ve had.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“My phone is my favorite travel gadget because it has my translator.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I think that Manila is underrated in terms of food in the Philippines.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“People forget that in early 1970s, there were 3 sushi bars in New York City. Three. Three. Think about that. Now, there is sushi in… I’ve eaten it – there is sushi at gas stations in Middle America.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I think Yelp is neither good nor bad for the food industry. I find it useless.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Yelp is – I mean, Yelp’s not even good for looking up the restaurant’s phone number because, you know, on the site, they just want you to read their reviews and look at their ads. They don’t even actually want to give you the information about the restaurant or the menu.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I famously tasted shark fin soup many, many years ago before we understood exactly what was going on with the harvesting of sharks. I’ve consequently come out against it. I make personal choices in my life and stand behind them.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I love the Minnesota State Fair, and I go with my family every August for nearly all 12 days.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Be aware of what you cook tomatoes with. The high acid content of the tomato slows down the cooking process of some other foods. Dried beans cooked with tomatoes added to the pot can take up to 20 percent more cooking time than beans without tomatoes added.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I rest my proteins in their liquid when I am done with the heat braise.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Copper is a superb cooking metal, conducting heat so evenly it has unparalleled control, especially at low temperatures.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I love the Mexican chapulines. These little crickets are beautifully roasted with salt and lime.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’m no saint, and I don’t want to come across like one, but there is not a day that goes by that I’m not doing something for someone else with a very large chunk of my time.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I serve on a lot of charitable boards – the areas of mental health parity, services for those that are underserved, and certainly children’s rights are things that I believe in very, very strongly.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The greatest food city in the world is New York City, just in terms of depth and breadth, variety, size, infrastructure.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I love eating in San Francisco, Chiang Dao, China, Tokyo, Hanoi.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Too many children and adults go hungry every day.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Too many Americans are getting sick on our over-commercialized food system.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Eating well is a class issue.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I get asked to speak to a lot of different groups, one of the best parts of my job hosting a show on the Travel Channel, ‘Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.’ I take viewers to the far corners of the globe and introduce them to other cultures by exploring the foods they eat – at times, pretty strange stuff.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’d dreamed of being in the food business from the moment my globetrotting parents introduced me to the foods of the world during childhood trips to Europe and Asia.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’m a ‘bright, shiny objects’ guy. I’m always looking for what’s next.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“If you’re not out testing what’s complementary to your brand, you’re not making the most of your income potential.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The Internet has democratized content, and the gatekeepers are no longer in control. That democracy is wonderful for entrepreneurs.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Here’s the lines I draw: I never say something I don’t believe – ever, ever, ever; and I won’t endorse a product I don’t like and use. When the cameras are off, we are who we are when they’re on.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’ve never been a mainstream kind of guy.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’ve spent time in the coastal Carolinas and have seen what small business development has done to maintain the wetlands and reestablish the fisheries and secure jobs for the people that make their living off the water.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’d be very happy serving on a local school board. I just know that I have a responsibility to give back.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I have a tremendous platform and responsibility to talk to people about these issues about sustainability and about health and wellness when it comes to food.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I am very much a person who likes to change with the times. Education is what it is all about.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Sometimes I have to shake my head at how much work it can take to track down a handful of food. Perfect example: I spent a whole day in the Amazon rainforest, in Ecuador, scouring the trunks of dead palm trees for grubs.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“There’s fresh fish, and then there’s fresh fish. Samoa is ranked as one of the best places for game fishing in all the world, and runs thick in the waters off the island chain. In fact, it’s used as an edible currency in local markets. The day I fished there, we caught loads of yellowfin.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“For most people, carp isn’t just garbage fish – it’s an invasive species.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’m an advocate for alternative proteins, and I believe we can eat many.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“It might seem strange to feast on Guinea pig, but Ecuadorians love to eat cuy. Personally, I think it’s a phenomenal alternative to pork or chicken. High in protein, low in fat, cheap and easy to raise. Oh, and cuy tastes great, much like roast pig. You might call it a pet, but I prefer to call it dinner.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Some of the oddest foods I’ve encountered are ‘American’ foods represented internationally.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“As a young boy growing up in New York City, we would spend our summers on the South Fork of Long Island. My dad would take me down to the beach at low tide. We would walk a mile down to the jetties, and he would lower me by my ankles into the crevices between the massive boulders to grab at huge ropes of mussels.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“My mom was as brilliant a cook as my dad is.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The jambalaya of the American South owes a lot to the cuisines of the islands and western Africa, and it’s my favorite of this type of one-pot cookery.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I love cooking Japanese food at home. It’s so easy to make an easy fry, a saute, or a quick braise and serve it over a bowl of rice with pickles and a side salad.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Wok cooking is intimidating, but it’s the most versatile and handy tool in your kitchen.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Remember for stir-frying not to use a wok bigger than 16 inches. Once it has food in it, you won’t be able to work very efficiently.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“A well-seasoned and properly cleaned wok will always have micro-pores in the metal that hold some oil or food particulate, etc. – that’s a good thing.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“For wok cooking, use oils with a high smoke point and low polyunsaturated-fat content: grapeseed oil, peanut oil, etc. Sesame oil and olive oil will burn and taste bitter. Oils with high polyunsaturated-fat contents like soybean oil will also make your food texturally unpleasant.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Surrounded by a sweltering state known for its staunch conservatism, Austin is an oasis. It’s home to the University of Texas, which continuously fosters a well-educated youth culture who have been funneling their collective creative energy into building a vibrant music, film, and technology scene for decades.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Never use an aluminum pot, pan, or utensil when cooking tomatoes – or any other soft metal items for that matter. The acidity in the tomato doesn’t do well with them; they create a chemical reaction that can turn cooked tomatoes bitter and fade the color, and the food will absorb some of the aluminum!”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Don’t pile your tomatoes in a container that doesn’t breathe. I like my baskets or grass mesh plates, and I layer them single deep, stem end down to prevent bruises and premature rotting.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Don’t ripen picked tomatoes in the sun. Put underripe tomatoes and stone fruits in a paper bag in cool, dark place, and magic happens. And never, ever store them in the fridge: they turn mushy and flavorless.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“A five-pound boneless rolled-and-tied breast of veal, like any other piece of meat fit for braising, can come in many shapes and sizes. So recipe times aren’t uniformly applicable. A long and thin tied roast will cook more quickly than its stouter, football-shaped cousin.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I was born and raised in New York. My family has been in New York City since the Civil War. I have a ton of N.Y.C. in my DNA, from both sides of my family. I had a wonderful childhood in the city.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“My parents divorced when I was six but stayed close.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Even as a kid, I ventured out to ethnic restaurants all the time.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“In the frequently-asked-question category, the question I get asked almost as much as ‘What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?’ is ‘What’s the best pair of pants to travel in, work in, trek in, and use on the road for the most activities possible?’”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I log 250 days a year on the road. I need pants that are versatile, easy to clean, and dry in my hotel room if necessary.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I find that most home cooks don’t get vinegars. They’re misunderstood, mostly due to the factory-made red wine vinegar that everyone commonly cooks with… that, and the giant gallon of white distilled vinegar that we all use, mostly to clean and disinfect things!”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Good vinegars come in all shapes, sizes, strengths, and viscosities and are probably my most often used seasoning agent in the kitchen after the other major acids we use in solid form: sugar and salt.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I use vinegars to deglaze saute pans for sublime sauces.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Everyone seems to ask me the same 10 questions, and high on the list is, ‘What pans should I be cooking with and why?’”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I think a lot of chefs are afraid of media outlets, and especially web outlets, because they’re afraid there’s some ‘Borat’ situation going on.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The people who are afraid of talking to press are people who have something to hide.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I like to talk to media.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Like many other chef-entrepreneurs, I am convinced that fast food does not mean bad food.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“In tribal Botswana, I received some woven necklaces and a handmade bow with three poison arrows. It’s framed and hanging on the wall in my living room and is, without a doubt, one of my favorite possessions.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I think we have cultural bias and practice some ethnocentrism when it comes to ethnic food in America.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“We will, as Americans, inhale another culture on a fork before we try their music or their art or even, God forbid, hang out with the actual people.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I grew up in a time when we didn’t have the Internet, and we didn’t have smartphones and things like that.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“In a world that is defined by what separates us, sharing a meal with someone from a different country, showing what we have in common with the people, it’s very powerful and important.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“In everything I do, I want people to get the message of acceptance, to learn not to practice contempt without investigation. I have an obligation to do it.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Way back in the day, I used to cook for Thomas Keller at Rakel in New York City. Keller is a down to earth, kind, supportive person. I wish people could see that.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I’d rather be a good guest in someone’s home than tell them I don’t like their food or make fun of them.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The restaurant industry in New York in the ’80s was a good place to hide out if you had issues.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The corner of the ‘food media’ that I think is troublesome to me is the shows on TV that don’t really have a point or don’t have a lesson to be learned. If you don’t have a point, or if there’s not some part of it that is meaningful and can change someone’s life, in my old age, I’m just not into it.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I will tell you flat out that I continually find Yelp and products like it to be increasingly worthless to me as a consumer.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“As I famously said before, I don’t like to waste meals. I’m no one’s food snob.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I consider a perfect hot dog on the street to be as valid a food experience as dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I lost an apartment. l became homeless for 11 months and squatted in a building on Sullivan Street in lower Manhattan.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“You can tell the history of people on a plate.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“When I was 13, I came back from summer camp – summer of ’74 – and my mother had had an accident during surgery and was in an oxygen tent in a coma. It was so traumatic. My parents had been divorced for six or seven years at that point, and it was sort of the seminal event of my life.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“My life gets better every year.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“The big mistake people make is eating their grilled beef hot. I prefer room temperature or cool. When the meat rests and starts to get cool, all of that fat goes back into the muscles and becomes much more tender.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“When I go into a steakhouse and order a steak, I’ll order the cut of my choice, and I’ll order it black and blue. And I’ll ask them to bring it with my first course, and I’ll just let it sit there.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“Thanks to my parents, who had me traveling around the world mouth-first, I knew from a young age I wanted a career in food.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“As a teenager, I spent my days at the beach and nights cooking in Long Island restaurants.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“After attending The Dalton School and then Vassar College, I began cooking in New York City restaurants helmed by Anne Rosenzweig, Joachim Splichal and Thomas Keller.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“In 2012, I launched Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen. Inspired by visits to street stalls and markets around the world, Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen reflects the intersection of food and travel.”
― Andrew Zimmern
“I can tell everything about a restaurant through their mussels. You have to work so hard to keep them perfect.”
― Andrew Zimmern
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