How You Can Get Cast On Andrew Zimmern's Family Dinner
Like his late friend Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern has a yen for travel and a gift for connecting with people onscreen. The food personality may have laid his nominal series "Bizarre Foods" to rest, but his career in food television is far from over. In addition to appearing as a judge on "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" — on which he ate a meal so good he cried — and inspiring camping trips on his OutdoorChannel show "Andrew Zimmern's Wild Game Kitchen," he also hosts "Andrew Zimmern's Family Dinner," whose second season ran on Magnolia Network through March 2022.
"I spend so much time with people who — at the beginning of the day — are strangers, sharing something very sacred and intimate: a meal in their home," says Zimmern in a trailer for the series. Zimmern recalls a particularly memorable meal in Iowa with the Rodriguez family, whose matriarch had left her children in Guadalajara to earn money in the U.S. and eventually bring them over. "The gratitude that I have for being in that chair at that time, sharing the food of her grandmother's grandmother while she was sharing a piece of truth from her family for the first time? I'm actually addicted to it," says Zimmern.
As "Family Dinner" gears up for more episodes, Zimmern took to Instagram to invite families in the Pacific Northwest to shoot their shot as potential hosts for the upcoming season. Here's how to apply.
Calling all food-obsessed families in the PNW
"Anyone in the PNW, Portland or Seattle want to have me over for Family Dinner?" asked Andrew Zimmern on Instagram this week. Those interested in applying for a spot on the new season can email casting@intuitivecontent.com with a brief description of themselves, their family, and their "food traditions," along with a few "distinct" family photos.
Per the casting call, the producers are looking for families whose ideal Sunday is spent in the kitchen, and who are "eager to share unique family stories, recipes, and food traditions." The show is particularly interested in families that "[center] traditions around food harvesting, growing, sourcing, [and] making." Families with grandmas who are "known for the best apple pie in the county" are also encouraged to apply.
"My family is from the southern Oregon coast," wrote one commenter. "My grandpa is an ocean fisherman... maybe I can convince my grandma to whip up some freshly caught seafood for you." If your family loves cooking, eating, and telling stories, give it a go. But act soon — casting is set to begin "immediately."