Andrew Zimmern

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.