This Is Andrew Zimmern's Most Embarrassing Restaurant Moment

On Andrew Zimmern's site, Spilled Milk, he has a segment called “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) where he answers questions from fans. In the very first AMA episode, Zimmern revealed that his most embarrassing restaurant moment happened in 1985 at a restaurant called Isabella’s.

Having dealt with a history of drug and alcohol addiction, Zimmern came into work after a “several day bender.” Somebody offered him a mixture of bee pollen and vitamin B12 with the promise that he would feel better, but his whole body broke out in hives 20 minutes after drinking the mixture.

After calling an emergency hotline and being advised to ice Zimmern down, the staff put together a 14-foot ice bath that still had food in it from the brunch service. While it was embarrassing, Zimmern recalls taking off all his clothes, lying in the ice for 45 minutes, and then being good to go for the night shift.