Bizarre Foods with Stephen Colbert It was an honor to be a guest last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I can cross that off my bucket list now. We tried a buffet of interesting dishes featured in the 10th season of Bizarre Foods, starting with a a classic meat stew from Spain with every… Read More →
Reinventing Offal Dishes Forgotten for Decades Javi Estevez has created something truly unique in Madrid’s upscale Chamberi neighborhood, a modern tasca (or tavern) devoted to serving locally-sourced offal. The 32-year-old chef is reigniting a passion for ingredients and dishes made popular during the post-war era of his grandparents’ generation. An obsession for creating dishes from other… Read More →
An Insider’s Guide to Rome A Rome-based Italian-American journalist, Katie Parla lives and breathes Roman culture and cuisine. Originally from New Jersey, Parla graduated from Yale with a degree in art history, before pursuing a sommelier certificate and master’s in Italian gastronomic culture. She’s written and edited more than 20 books, including the ebook Eating &… Read More →
Minnesotans Want and Deserve the Right to Know About GMOs By Andrew Zimmern If I’ve learned anything during my 35 years spent cooking in kitchens and traveling to over 160 countries in search of what food teaches us about culture, culinary creations and choices, it’s that the decisions people make when it comes to the… Read More →
Robert Stehling’s Top Picks for Charleston For the past decade, chef Robert Stehling’s Low Country fare at the acclaimed Hominy Grill has rivaled the best grandmother food in the South. His Charleston Nasty Biscuit—fried chicken, cheddar and sausage gravy, sandwiched in the perfect biscuit—has a loyal following, as do other favorites like catfish po’ boys,… Read More →
If Queens, NY was its own city it could lay claim to being the greatest food city on Earth. As it stands now, it’s the largest of New York City’s five boroughs, has a population of almost 2.5 million residents, half of whom are foreign-born. Queens County itself is one of the top five most… Read More →
Bangkok is one of the most beautifully complex cities in the world. Its ability to teach a traveler the lessons of life make it one of my favorite destinations. I’ve been about 20 times and just when I think I’ve figured it out, I realize I don’t know a thing about it. The song says,… Read More →
The Purposeful Traveler A prolific travel writer and expert on Central America, Joshua Berman began his writing career after a stint in the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Nicaragua. He now writes a monthly column for The Denver Post, has published travel articles in the New York Times, Delta SKY, Sunset and National Geographic Traveler, acted as my guide… Read More →
What’s in a name? We compiled a list of some of the most bizarrely named places on the planet. I mean there really is a Fucking, Austria just two miles east of the German border. Actually pronounced to rhyme with “booking,” the tiny town of Fucking is most famous for its traffic signs. British and American soldiers who… Read More →
Eating Words: A Norton Anthology of Food Writing Edited by literary critic Sandra Gilbert and professor and award-winning restaurant critic Roger Porter, Eating Words is a vast volume of exquisite food writing, from Biblical times through modern day. It’s a historically and conceptually diverse anthology, that goes beyond mere consumption and explores food’s relation to politics,… Read More →
Devour Buenos Aires A Latin American city heavy with European influences, Buenos Aires is the best of both worlds. Equally confident and classy, there’s no question why it’s the most visited South American city. A unique cultural life thrives here, from the old-timey cafes, European architecture and bustling streets to the devoted soccer fans and… Read More →
Gift Ideas for the Cook in Your Life From fun stocking stuffers and edible indulgences (Roe Caviar, I’m looking at you), to inspiring cookbooks and splurge-worthy kitchen gadgets (who doesn’t want a high-powered blow torch for the perfect golden sear?), here is my gift giving guide for 2015. • • • EAT & DRINK READ … Read More →
Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market Jerusalem’s 800,000 inhabitants are a dizzying blend of cultures, all influential in the shaping of this incredible and contentious space. The riches of this tiny and diverse country converge at Mahane Yehuda. Established by Arab traders during the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s, the shuk is a place where all walks… Read More →
Crafted, Cultivated & Curated Gear for the Adventurous Life For decades, I’ve traveled the world experiencing culture through food. It’s the best job on the planet. Along the way I’ve collected gifts, kitchen gear, clothing and gadgets that I can now share with you through the revamped Shop Andrew Zimmern. We pride ourselves on finding and… Read More →
A Diverse Collection of Oaxacan Food Oaxaca is Mexico’s undisputed culinary capital, and the birthplace of some of the richest traditions on the planet. Every Sunday the communities of the central Oaxacan valley converge on the Tlacolula market to buy and sell one-of-a-kind Oaxacan staples. This is one of the oldest markets in North America, and a direct… Read More →
Devour Munich The capital of Bavaria, Munich is full of impressive architecture, world-class art, and prosperous industries. Home of Germany’s renowned Oktoberfest celebration, there’s a lot more to Munich than huge beer gardens and lederhosen. Bike through the old town, visit Frauenkirche, and indulge in various Bavarian meals that you simply can’t find outside of this region. From… Read More →
Starting with episode one, Bizarre Foods has been all about increasing our capacity for patience, tolerance and understanding by studying food in other cultures. That’s why we put a family meal in every single show we make because all of us can relate to sitting down to a meal with our family members. We can relate, even if… Read More →
Jose Enrique’s Top Picks for San Juan Jose Enrique is one of the biggest names in Puerto Rican cuisine. Two years ago, he became the first Puerto Rican honored as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, and in 2013 and 2014 he was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef South award. Enrique’s… Read More →
Charcuterie from a Master Culinary Craftsman With two charcuterie shops in Paris and chefs from New York to London seeking out his meat arts for their Michelin-starred menus, chef Gilles Verot is the first charcutier to become an international super star. He’s the third generation in a family of charcutiers, bringing traditional country foods onto center stage… Read More →
I’ve eaten a lot of strange vegetables, insects, fermented foods, sea creatures and animal odd bits in the past decade, but these 10 items from all over the globe made it to the top of the list. Article original published on travelchannel.com. Enset in Ethiopia Enset is one of the two species of vinifera in… Read More →
I’m writing to invite my fellow Minnesotans to a once in a lifetime opportunity for anyone who loves food. As previously reported, on Friday, October 9 the Minneapolis Institute of Art is welcoming Ferran Adrià, an innovator widely considered to be one of the world’s top chefs, his protégé and award-winning chef José Andrès, and yours truly for… Read More →
Guatemala is an amazing country that’s overlooked by most travelers. It’s not filled with sexy beach resorts or swanky nightlife, but the rainforests, coastline, jungles and river systems are second to none in terms of natural beauty. One of the most fascinating things about this country is the 21 ethnic Maya peoples that are still in numbers… Read More →
Authentic Maya Cuisine For the past 20 years, owner Doña Ofira de Urquizú and her family have served dishes from the 21 unique Maya cultures. Facing the old cobblestone streets of Antigua, the restaurant’s storefront is lined with ceramic pots of thick rustic stews that are the heart and soul of Maya cooking. One of the specialties… Read More →
Jonathan Brooks’ Top Picks for Indianapolis Indianapolis native Jonathan Brooks opened his first restaurant, Milktooth, with his wife in October of 2014. It didn’t take long for his edgy brunch menu to gain a following and a national reputation. In 2015, Brooks was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef (the first award given to… Read More →
Devour London A global hub of history, finance, fashion and food, London is incredibly accessible, reliable and popular for tourists. As England’s capital grows increasingly diverse, so do the culinary offerings. From high-end Michelin-rated tasting menus and an influx of chef-driven gastropubs to roaming food trucks and amazing ethnic food from around the globe, there… Read More →
The State Fair is my favorite Minnesota food celebration, hands down. I adore the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try to go all 12 days. Every year there’s a list of new food booths, but I dig on the classics…. Sweet Martha’s Cookies, Speedy’s About a Foot Long Hot Dog, the Gizmo (an Italian… Read More →
Devour Rome One of the cradles of Western civilization, Rome is a city full of globally influential art, culture and architecture. Over 4 million tourists flock to the Italian capital every year, visiting ancient Roman ruins, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope in Vatican City, and, often times, binging on Italian gelato, pizza… Read More →
Mike Solomonov’s Top Picks for Philly Highly regarded as one of the best chefs in Philadelphia—and I’d say in the entire country—Michael Solomonov’s Israeli food at the award-winning Zahav is beyond exquisite; it’s mind blowing. After he took a seemingly simple dish like hummus and elevated it to cult status, people started paying attention and the crowds have… Read More →
Classic San Fran Seafood Located in the Nob Hill neighborhood, Swan Oyster Depot is more than 100 years old—an amazing feat in the restaurant business, especially considering they haven’t lost any relevancy. Get there early or expect to wait, folks start queuing up for one of the 18 counter seats before they open at 10:15am, and the… Read More →
Last week I spoke at the 75th annual American Public Gardens Association Conference, hosted by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. Before the event, I sat down with Lisa Marchand of Minnesota Monthly to chat about our broken food system and the state’s farming potential. Read the article here. When… Read More →
