Inside Andrew Zimmern's Relationship With His Wife
Andrew Zimmern met Rishia Haas in Minneapolis through a love of cooking. They were married in 2002. She herself has some well-known published recipes, and we have to admit we'd rather eat her Chicken and Shallots than some of the bizarre foods we've seen Zimmern eat on Bizarre Foods!
While a celebrity now, Zimmern had spent the last decade before their marriage putting his life back together after years of drug use and abuse (via People). His then-wife's subsequent careers at well-known drug and alcohol treatment centers in Minnesota and California may have been an asset (vie Affair Post). Together they have a teenage son, Noah. Yet while the couple has much in common, things sadly ended when they announced their split after 16 years in 2018, a split now finalized in divorce (via Mpls St Paul). Zimmern describes the divorce as difficult, but amicable, and the respect still shows.
How Andrew Zimmern shows his ex-wife respect
With the Zimmerns, family matters. Calling the divorce his fault for not being there, Zimmern refers to his intense and time-consuming media career. Now, the celebrity chef states his goal is to double down on health and sobriety. "I want to be the best dad and the best ex I can be," he told The New York Times.
For Mother's Day 2020, Zimmern shared his love and respect for his ex on Instagram, writing, "And then there is @therishia, the bravest mom I know. Full stop. She walks through fires for our son, conflagrations that no one else can even go near, and often times nobody but her even smells the smoke!" He describes both his ex-wife and his own mother as the gold standard.
Zimmern frequently shares photos of family on his public Instagram, saying of his son, "The thing I'm most grateful for, this kid...what a difference a year makes...Our story isn't an easy one. No ones is. But tonight we are keeping all those not able to be with their loved ones in our thoughts. We are so grateful to be together."