When your job involves traveling to eat, a city's taxi drivers are often the gatekeepers to the best local dining options. Their recommendations can make a trip memorable, and no one knows this better than obsessive wanderer and palate bender Andrew Zimmern. On his newest Travel Channel show, Driven By Food, he lets his taxi drivers be his guide. It's a casual, no-holds-barred adventure of a show driven (pun intended) by Zimmern's endless curiosity and his taxi guides' eagerness to show off their favorite spots in town.
"Any time I travel, to a new destination or an old favorite, I always walk out of an airport and get in a car. Local drivers are the first people I converse with about where I am and what I want to do," says Zimmern in a release. "And they in turn suggest what they think I should do. They are the true experts on their own culture — they know where to eat, what to see and how to play — and the recommendations they share are more authentic than what you'll find in any guidebook. Harness a little trust, go along for the ride and regardless of the city, you will have an unforgettable travel experience."
In the first episode, Zimmern visits Rio de Janeiro. His taxi driver eventually guides him to the home and private dining room of one chef Tia Léa who welcomes him with open arms. Together, they make an oxtail stew. Watch as Zimmern is welcomed into the family at a table full of steaming, local cuisine.
In subsequent episodes Zimmern will visit Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Hyderabad, India; London, Medellin, Colombia, and Nashville, Tenn. Driven By Food premieres next Tuesday, August 16 on Travel Channel.
