Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/08/2024.
Stay far away from what William James called the evil of "contempt prior to investigation." Andrew Zimmern has used this motto as a bedrock of both his personal and professional life.
While most people know him as the host of his own wildly popular TV show, they might not know that he is also a survivor of drug addiction, alcoholism and homelessness. Now in his 20th year of sobriety, his inspiring and funny story is a prescription for hope that can be applied to anyone regardless of their life situation.
Zimmern grew up on the upper east side of NYC, was a daily drug user from the age of 15 and lay dying in a hospital bed at age 21 of acute alcohol poisoning. He continued to abuse drugs and booze for another 10 years before going homeless and off the grid in 1990. Drinking himself to death in a flop house hotel in January of 1992 he had a life-changing experience that saw him check into rehab, sober up and stay clean. Devoting himself to helping others, his life changed, his show Bizarre Foods is a direct result of his channeling that life choice, telling his stories through food and travel adventures.
Zimmern combines his personal and professional stories in an audio and video presentation detailing his fall and rise, his experiences in recovery and how those lessons have informed his life as a husband, adoptive father and activist for the social issues he holds dearest.
Zimmern believes that the best way to change the world is to share a meal with a stranger and his family, telling stories from the fringe as you seek to learn about the world and yourself in the global classroom of the traveler's universe.
His funny and inspiring message spans both the personal and the professional, and he gladly exemplifies the necessity for a public face to be put on the private hell of addiction.
Andrew Zimmern takes you with him for a whirlwind tour of his world travels, informing and entertaining as he connects the audience to both his "boots on the ground" experience and his philosophies of both food and life. His amazing stories cover everything from the great global food scene to how you really can change the planet one meal at a time, as he's experienced firsthand breaking bread (or other things!) with people from Syria and China to Cuba and the Kalahari desert. Inspiring, enlightening and always entertaining, Zimmern shows that the world is truly getting smaller, and that the best place to learn about it and other cultures, is at the dinner table, not in a museum.
Andrew Zimmern is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Adventure of Recovery and FOOD : A Global Perspective on the State of our Food Life. The estimated speaking fee range to book Andrew Zimmern for your event is $50,000 - $100,000. Andrew Zimmern generally travels from Minneapolis, MN, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Cat Cora, Carla Hall, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Chef Jeff Henderson and Art Smith. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Andrew Zimmern for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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