Rishia Haas is best known as the former wife of American chef and television host Andrew Zimmern. Their marriage lasted through the years when Zimmern became a major name in food television. Yet she chose a much quieter life and rarely sought public attention.
The former couple built their family in Minnesota and welcomed one son, Noah Zimmern. During their marriage, they also supported local causes and spoke openly about the value of family and community. Their relationship ended in 2018 after about 16 years of marriage.
Unlike her famous former husband, Haas has kept much of her personal story private. Reliable sources reveal far more about her marriage and family life than they do about her childhood or finances. This article focuses on details supported by public interviews and established publications.
Quick Bio
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Rishia Haas |
| Known For | Former wife of Andrew Zimmern |
| Nationality | American |
| Former Husband | Andrew Zimmern |
| Marriage Year | 2002 |
| Separation or Divorce | 2018 |
| Children | One son, Noah Zimmern |
| Son’s Birth Year | 2005 |
| Family Base | Minnesota |
| Public Profile | Private |
| Associated Cause | Washburn Center for Children |
| Former Husband’s Profession | Chef, television host, writer, producer |
Who Is Rishia Haas?
Rishia Haas became widely known because of her marriage to Andrew Zimmern, the host of Bizarre Foods. She was never a television celebrity herself. Her public appearances were usually connected to her husband, their family, or community events.
Zimmern was already building a food and media career when their relationship became serious. He later became known for traveling across the world and introducing viewers to foods, traditions, and communities that many American audiences had never seen.
Haas followed a different path. She largely stayed outside entertainment and protected her private life. Even during the peak of Zimmern’s television fame, she did not turn her connection to him into a public career.
That difference helps explain why verified details about her life remain limited. Most reliable coverage focuses on her marriage, her son, and the family causes she supported.
How Did She Meet Andrew Zimmern?
The couple met in Minneapolis before Zimmern became a national television star. In a 2018 profile, Zimmern said they had met about 18 years earlier at a cookware store in the city. They married around two years after meeting.
A 2013 interview also gives a glimpse into their early relationship. Zimmern said they had dated for about two years before marriage. At that point, he had already been sober for several years and was rebuilding his personal and professional life.
Their relationship began before Bizarre Foods changed Zimmern’s career. That timing is important. Haas knew him before the constant travel, television attention, public events, and business opportunities that later shaped much of his life.
The couple eventually made Minnesota their family home. Zimmern’s professional reach became global, but Minnesota remained an important base for the family.
Rishia Haas and Andrew Zimmern’s Marriage
Rishia Haas and Zimmern married in 2002, according to profiles of the chef and interviews about his family life. Three years later, they welcomed their son, Noah Zimmern, in 2005.
Those early family years came at the same time as a major change in Zimmern’s career. Bizarre Foods reached television in 2006. The show eventually turned him into one of America’s most recognizable food and travel personalities.
Success also meant long periods away from home. Zimmern traveled across many countries for filming while taking on writing, speaking, production, restaurant, and business projects.
Still, the family shared experiences together. In a 2013 interview, Zimmern discussed taking his wife on some of his overseas trips. He also spoke about traveling with Noah and introducing his son to different foods from an early age.
Life as the Wife of the Bizarre Foods Host
Being married to the host of an international travel program created an unusual family routine. Zimmern’s work required him to spend large amounts of time outside Minnesota. Filming was only one part of his busy professional schedule.
Haas sometimes joined him during trips. Zimmern recalled that she traveled with him to places including Bali and Madagascar. He joked that she tended to choose destinations with warm weather and beaches.
At home, their food tastes could be much more traditional. Zimmern once described his wife’s cooking as part of his idea of comfort food. He mentioned dishes such as roast garlic and lemon chicken and tater tot hot dish.
These interviews offered rare glimpses of their home life. They also showed that Haas was not simply a name beside a television celebrity. She was part of the family world that existed away from the cameras.
Rishia Haas and Her Role as a Mother
Motherhood has been one of the clearest parts of Haas’s public story. She and Zimmern have one child, Noah, who was born in 2005.
The parents occasionally spoke about raising him while balancing a demanding media career. Zimmern discussed taking Noah on shoots and encouraging him to explore food with an open mind when he was young.
Family life also brought challenges. In 2014, the couple spoke with Mpls.St.Paul Magazine about receiving help from the Washburn Center for Children when their family faced a difficult period involving their son’s health and development.
Haas told the publication that families sometimes need support from both relatives and the wider community. The couple later supported the organization through volunteer work and financial contributions.
Her Connection to Community and Recovery
Rishia Haas has often been described online as having worked in administrative and recovery related roles. Some biography sites give detailed job histories, but many of those claims are difficult to confirm through primary or major news sources.
What is well established is the family’s strong connection to recovery. Zimmern has spoken publicly for decades about his own history with alcohol and drug addiction and his long term sobriety.
He has also maintained close ties to the recovery community in Minnesota. A 2017 profile noted that he stayed near Minneapolis in part because of his connection to the Hazelden community, where he volunteered.
The couple’s public charity work also showed an interest in health and family support. Their involvement with Washburn Center is documented directly through a profile that included comments from both of them.
Why Did Rishia Haas and Andrew Zimmern Divorce?
Rishia Haas and Andrew Zimmern separated as their marriage approached its sixteenth year. In September 2018, The New York Times reported that they were getting divorced and described the separation as difficult but amicable.
Zimmern took substantial responsibility for the problems in the marriage. He said his career had kept him away from his wife and son. His belief that moving from restaurants into media would create more family time proved wrong.
Instead, his professional life became even busier as television success brought more travel and opportunities. Zimmern acknowledged that his ambition and growing attachment to public attention affected the balance between work and home.
He did not publicly attack Haas or blame her for their separation. His comments focused mainly on his own choices and on becoming a better father and former partner after the marriage ended.
Andrew Zimmern After the Divorce
Zimmern continued his television, food, and production work after the split. At the same time, he spoke more openly about the need to protect his health, sobriety, and family relationships.
His comments about the divorce were unusually direct for a public figure. Rather than presenting the separation as a simple case of two people growing apart, he connected it to his demanding work schedule and his own failure to be present enough at home.
The former couple also remained connected through their son. Public comments made after the separation suggest that Zimmern continued to respect Haas as a mother.
Their post marriage relationship has remained largely private. Neither has turned the divorce into a long public dispute, and Haas herself has said very little about it in the media.
Why Does She Keep Such a Private Life?
Haas never built a public brand around being the spouse of a celebrity chef. She appeared with Zimmern at some events and participated in occasional interviews, but she did not pursue the same level of visibility.
That makes many common online claims difficult to verify. Exact figures about her personal wealth, current salary, property, and other private financial matters do not have strong public documentation.
Her limited media presence is also why much of what is known about her comes from interviews given during her marriage. Those sources present her mainly as a wife, mother, community supporter, and private Minnesota resident.
Today, her strongest public connection remains her past marriage to Zimmern and their shared role as Noah’s parents.
Final Thoughts
Rishia Haas became known to the public through Andrew Zimmern, but she never appeared interested in building celebrity status of her own. For many years, she shared a home and family with a man whose career demanded constant travel and public attention.
Their marriage covered a major period in Zimmern’s rise from a Minnesota food professional to an internationally recognized television personality. They also raised their son during those demanding years and worked together with local organizations when their family needed support.
Their relationship eventually ended in 2018. Zimmern openly accepted responsibility for many of the pressures his career placed on the marriage. The split appears to have remained respectful, with their shared responsibilities as parents continuing after divorce.
FAQs
Who is Andrew Zimmern’s ex-wife?
His former wife is Rishia Haas. The pair married in 2002 after meeting in Minneapolis and remained together for about 16 years. Their marriage ended in 2018.
How did Andrew Zimmern meet his former wife?
They met at a cookware store connected to the Minneapolis food world around 2000. Zimmern later said they married about two years after they first met.
Do Andrew Zimmern and his former wife have children?
Yes. They have one son named Noah Zimmern. He was born in 2005, three years after his parents married.
Why did Andrew Zimmern get divorced?
Zimmern said his intense work schedule and ambition harmed his family life. He admitted that he spent too little time with his wife and son as his television and business career expanded.
What is Andrew Zimmern’s former wife doing now?
She maintains a low public profile. Reliable recent sources provide little confirmed information about her present day personal or professional life, so claims about specific jobs, wealth, or relationships should be treated carefully.