It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of my mother's passing. We celebrated the life of this amazing woman last Friday at a small "memorial cocktail party" in Minneapolis. As some of you know, my mother had unique and fabulous ideas about the way things should be in this life and the hereafter. The memorial cocktail party was one of them. We all wore green (her favorite color), listened to Frank Sinatra and shared stories about a woman who did everything with flair.

Caren Zimmern (or Clara Betty Heyman as some of you also might remember her) passed away the morning of October 4th, 2011. Mom is at peace and I imagine her shelling on a beach somewhere, or painting, maybe designing a carousel for Lever House, perhaps reading a great book with any of her beloved animals, or gardening in East Hampton smiling and wondering when she will have time to make a batch of her amazing gazpacho. She was delighted by everything and everyone, brilliantly caring, and magnificently kind.

She was born on March 27, 1930, to Herb and Pauline Heyman, had a younger brother Herbert Jr. and lived in Pittsburgh PA, Avon NJ and New York City. She attended Mills College, where Vic Bergeron—Trader Vic himself—taught her to cook. She was active in theater, art and became politically liberal in those years, a passion she held on to until her last days.

In 1954, she met my father Robert Zimmern and fell in love. They had a storybook wedding, and though they divorced years later, they always remained great friends. She visited him many times in Portland Maine. In a sentence, she simply adored Bob.

In 1961, they had a son, their only child. My father became successful in the advertising business, while my mother marched against the war. She taught me to read, to have social awareness in all things big and small. She taught me to love, laugh, swim, cook and be the best person I could be. I will never forget sitting on an East Hampton lawn with hundreds of other people, watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. As we gazed from the TV to the night sky and back, my mom told me, “Anything is possible, just look what you can do with your life.”

Mom juggled career goals and motherhood, bouncing around between seasonal creative jobs like the one at Lever House, and designing the windows at Bendel’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdales. She painted and studied, tried to write a book on astrology, on shells, and turned down several proposals from some great men she dated. She was always freaked out that getting re-married might jeopardize the stability in my world. Her family was always top priority. Even when our relationship was strained due to my alcoholism, she never gave up on me. My sobriety was something I think she was proud of and smiled when she spoke about it.

Caren loved animals. She made sure that I understood the importance of preserving our earth, and taught me compassion for all animals (and most humans!). Over the years she had many pets, most importantly cats! She’d often wear animal print and any kind of cat jewelry to show the world how important they were to her. And she had a knack for giving them unforgettable names—there was Colette, Pandora, Madame Gin Sling, Puddles, Munchkin,  Courageous and Gutsy. Caren also our cat Belle and our dogs, Bella and Pretzel. She was famous for standing next to dogs left outside stores, unattended, while their owners shopped. She’d wait with the animal (to make sure it wasn't kidnapped) until the owner returned. She would proceed to lecture them on how inhumane and irresponsible it was to do this. She was always a Defender of Wildlife!  

Caren worked as a receptionist at Van Eck Global for over 25 years. She regarded this job as her greatest achievement outside of her family. The Van Eck family and their employees cared very deeply for her, and because of that she was happy to work with them. She gave them her heart and soul, and loved decorating the office for every holiday season. What they did for her was something that went above and beyond even her family’s ability to understand, and I personally consider them to be among the finest human beings I have ever known.

Several years back, mom and her beloved cat, Munchkin, moved to an apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, then to Champlin Shores, and finally to Sholom Home in St. Louis Park. Our family’s deepest gratitude and un-repayable debt goes out to all who took such good care of her at those amazing residences.

Mom began to have some challenges physically with a series of operations, ailments and strokes, but she always remained happy and determined to "get on her feet."  When she began to use a wheelchair, she would let Noah push her. One Christmas, our whole family had foot/wheelchair races. She absolutely loved to speed down halls as fast as we could push her. Literally.

Mom suffered a stroke on the last Monday in September. Anyone who knows my Mom is aware that she’s a tough old NYC broad. We stayed by her side around the clock for five days. She was still with us in her own way, occasionally squeezing back when we held hands, even opening her eyes and smiling once or twice.  My wife and I had a business commitment in NYC that my Mom would have not been OK with us missing. With the help of the Sholom Hospice, my in-laws and the Mack family, we were still able to attend. When we returned, we spent another day with Mom before she died, with a small smile, on a warm and sunny morning in October. She was surrounded by photos and memories, stuffed cats from her favorite charity, drawings her grandson made, and her favorite possession—the Law and Order hat that Jerry Orbach gave her. And yes, she had green nail polish on to the very end.

My mother was always the best mother she could be to me. Now that I am a parent, I am truly grateful for my mom's warm spirit and her amazing creativity. She will live on with all of us..

We’ve received inquiries in to making donations in her honor. Please direct donations to her two favorite charitable entities, the Robin Hood Foundation or Defenders of Wildlife.

Robin Hood Foundation
You may make an online donation here. 
If you prefer, you can send in a donation (check or money order) to:
Robin Hood
826 Broadway, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10003
Please be sure to include the following information: your name and address and Caren Zimmern as the honoree.

Defenders of Wildlife
You may make an online donation here.
If you prefer, you can send a donation (check or money order) to:
Defenders of  Wildlife National Headquarters
1130 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Please be sure to include the following information: your name and address and Caren Zimmern as the honoree.

With my favorite Holiday of the year just around the corner, I thought it would be timely to post some Thanksgiving help for the culinarily challenged among you.

No holiday is as confounding as this one for the home cook who, it is expected, can rise above the normal hellfires of daily cooking for 2-4 persons, and produce a stunning memorable meal of 8 to 12 elements all while being judged by their harshest critics whose sole happiness is at stake.

Included in the dozen recipes listed below is my perfect-turkey-every-time technique....enjoy!

Where to find the bird:
D'Artagnan, Lobel's, Callister Farms (Twin Cities), Herbert's (for turducken)

My Favorite Thanksgiving recipes:
Oyster Stew
Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, Stuffing and Gravy
Puree of Peas & Watercress
Root Vegetable Pan Roast with Brown Butter Sauce
Sweet and Sour Beets with Pearl Onions
Steamed Green Beans with Toasted Almond-Mushroom Pesto
Pate Brisee (pie dough)
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Tart
My Dad's Prosciutto and Fontina Gougeres
Endive Gratin
Boneless Stuffed Turkey

Cascal is my drink of choice because of its dryness, its diversity of flavors and taste combinations. How does it work? Well, flavors work well together when they are complimentary or present opposing or contrasting profiles in the mouth and nose. Not to get too scientific, but there’s a reason why cookies and milk work so well, or pizza and root beer, or wild mushroom pasta and a jaunty glass of Barolo. Cascal’s dryness works superbly with food because the fermented “dry” effect enhances the flavors consumed with the drink. Don’t think I am serious as a heart attack? Try a glass of Tropical and a spicy bowl of Thai curry and drop me a line. It will blow your mind. Take a sip of the Cascal, then the curry, then the Cascal again. Trust me, the conversation will be over then and there, but for those without a bowl of green curry in front of them, let’s go through the flavors and talk complimentary or contrasting foods that would pair up nicely with the drink. Now, remember soda pops these days are lacking the decidedly adult appeal of Cascal whose light, dry, wine-y flavor depth comes from fermenting the fruit juice without any added sugars, and then lightly carbonating it.

Crisp White (Pear/Apricot/Magnolia) – this is one of my favorites, and I drink it all day long. The magnolia gives a floral aroma and the pear and apricot notes are subtle. It reminds me of a great cider--fruity and dry. Like a fruity German, Austrian or French wine, it’s the perfect drink for when you are serving cheese (contrast), chicken, shellfish or fruit (complimentary).

Ripe Rouge (Cherry/Rose/Chocolate) – the rose is on the nose, the cherry fruitiness is in the middle of the swallow and the chocolate rebounds with both as you breathe after chugging. I love this flavor. Its perfect with grilled meats especially beef (complimentary), or with barbecue or spicy foods like pork with red chilies or Szechuan food (contrast).

Fresh Tropical (Mango/Jasmine/Kaffir Lime) – This is the most singular soda that Cascal makes, the flavor is primarily all mango, with a whisper of sweet jasmine and a nice subtle tang of lime that makes the mango all the more palatable. Try this soda with Indian, Thai or Jamaican jerk chicken and you will flip for it. On its own, it’s a nice tropical refresher and a great mixer for rum or gin (contrast) but taste it with a Lamb Vindaloo (complimentary) and you will not be able to stop drinking it.

Bright Citrus (Lemongrass/Tangerine/Pineapple) – Like the lime in the tropical soda, the lemongrass in the Bright Citrus is a delicate backbone for the citric and pineapple one-two punch that this soda packs. Try marinating salmon (contrast) in some for a half hour before grilling, and then enjoy it on ice with the fish and you will be amazed at how the soda cuts through the fattiness of the salmon. I love drinking this soda with really strong cheeses (complimentary) like Gorgonzola and really runny ripe goat’s milk brie cheeses. This is a very versatile soda and quite drinkable in every sense of the word.

Berry Cassis (Black currant/Tangerine/Lemon) – The superb black currant, berry/cherry flavors makes this the Beaujolais of the Cascal lineup. Try this on ice with a grilled veal chop and roasted wild mushrooms and you will see how elegantly this Cascal flavor drinks. The backbone of the Berry Cassis stands up perfectly to grilled steaks, red sauces pastas and any other foods typically consumed with red wines (complimentary). Try this experiment, grab some spicy Oaxacan chicken mole (contrast), the kind that is deep and chocolaty and hot with dark chilies. The berry and tangerine flavors literally explode out of the glass when paired with those contrasting foods.

Hey LA. Want to skip ahead in line at the Master Chef casting? Then keep reading (and break a leg).

FOX is serving up a third season of the hit culinary competition series MasterChef, so now is your chance to show them that you’ve got the right stuff. Casting calls start in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 29. Prove that you can impress Chef Gordon Ramsay and fellow judges, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and Chef Graham Elliot, and you could find yourself battling other amateur chefs in the kitchen for the title of MasterChef…oh, and $250,000.

When you check in, mention that you heard about the casting call from AndrewZimmern.com and you will get priority consideration (faster and shorter line.)

Here are the details:

Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Le Cordon Bleu
6370 West Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Applicants are STRONGLY encouraged to pre-register at www.masterchefcasting.com so casting producers can access preliminary information prior to the open casting calls 

If L.A. is too far away, don't worry. A casting call is  coming to a location near you. Keep an eye out for the dates and locations at  www.masterchefcasting.com.

We've got lots to share with you from last weekend's NYC Wine + Food Festival, but let's start here. Andrew, along with the talented Driftwood band, did this cover of "The Weight" by The Band at AZ's event Carts in the Parc. It was a fun time-- great food, friends, music & almost perfect weather.

The ethnic experience in America defines our national cuisine.  Think about it, in our country the three most populist and adored culinary treasures are hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza, none of which was truly even heard of in this famous food nation prior to the late of the 19th century. None became popular until the 20th Century. All came to America with the great immigrant waves that created our melting pot culture. So where are the next great American food icons coming from?  Well, so far for the last hundred years all have come from distant shores. Here are three reasons you need to be cooking more from imported source material than the homegrown variety.

Lamb Dumplings

Pearl Rice Balls with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

Gai Tom Kha

I had such a fantastic time during this shoot with Cascal. Good friends, good fun and even better food. It was a blast. Here's a look behind the scenes.

It’s almost time for one of my favorite food events of the year. September 30 and October 1, TCF Stadium in Minneapolis will be the home of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s ultimate wine and dine event, Taste!

This year I’ll be traveling, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on all of the food and fun. It’s an exclusive one-of-a-kind weekend of food and wine including tastings and demonstrations with the city’s most renowned wine experts and revered chefs. You can try over 300 wines and sample food from the best Twin Cities restaurants. This year will be the first annual Vendy Awards honoring the best in Twin Cities food trucks. Try from each and vote for your favorites!

PLUS, as a special treat for my fans, go to mspmag.com/taste and enter “Andrew” for 20 percent off your tickets. I hope you get a chance to go and tell me all about it!

Here are the details:

Taste!
September 30 and October 1
TCF Bank Stadium, University of Minnesota Campus
15 food trucks, 40 chefs, 300 wines.

With a Cascal in hand, I toured a couple Twin Cities food trucks trying a little bit of everything. Everybody loves a food montage! Am I right?

I stopped by The Varsity in Atlanta while filming the latest season of Appetite for Life. This huge drive-in is an American classic. Watch this video to see why their onion rings are so darn good. That method is no joke.  

The Varsity Downtown

61 North Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30308
404.881.1706
thevarsity.com