Why Andrew Zimmern Cried On Iron Chef: Quest For An Iron Legend - Exclusive

Have you ever had a meal or dessert that was so good it made you cry? Well, Andrew Zimmern sure has. The Travel Channel star has a stellar reputation for his vast culinary knowledge, as fans may recognize him from the "Bizarre Foods" franchise, "Delicious Destinations," or "The Zimmern List." When you visit as many worldly places as Zimmern has, crying over delicious food is par for the course. In this case, it was on Netflix's recent hit, "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend."

During an exclusive interview with Mashed, Zimmern talked about his time as a judge in the eight-episode series. He explained the success of the show and even hinted at more seasons. Of course, we also asked him the most important question of all: What were Zimmern's favorite dishes on "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend?" He revealed that he cried several times over his most beloved meals, but not for the reason you may think.

The television personality explained that the Netflix hit carried "important moments" that had little to do with the food itself. Andrew Zimmern said, "There were some dishes that overwhelmed me. I cried three times on camera, and I cried another four times that they didn't put in the show because they don't want me to be the crying judge." He continued to say that competitor Gabriel Kamara made a chocolate tamale that reminded him of going to his grandmother's house.

The chef argued that the most important moment for him on the show, however, was the history behind Yia Vang's dish (a version of larb). He said, "Possibly the most important moment for me — living in Minnesota, where the largest Hmong community in America lives — [was] seeing a chef who is Hmong, who was born in a refugee camp, cooking food that is of an ethnic people." He continued, "They do not have their own country, and are doing it on a global stage. I started crying like a baby."

Zimmern mentioned that picking favorite dishes was difficult, as there were so many highly accredited chefs that "blew his mind." Are there any extra seats at the judges' table to try out some of that mind-blowing food? Most recently, the television personality also appeared as a guest judge on "Silos Baking Competition" with Joanna Gaines and Zoë François. Sounds like a tasteful year for Andrew Zimmern.

Tune into Food Network or Magnolia Network for shows like Silos Baking Competition, and head to Andrew Zimmern's website for his newest recipes.