EDDIE ZAMORA

We get the dish on Eddie Zamora, the Tastemaker

With a coveted blue tick on Instagram and a NBC food series on his resume, Eddie Zamora is a tastemaker.

He shot to fame as one of the judges on the family competition series Dinner Takes All, then parlayed his passion for food into a high-profile career as a social media influencer and host of the top Apple podcast, Kill the Bottle.

As the Yum Yum Foodie, Eddie’s known for his honest and entertaining Instagram reviews of the best (and worst) places to eat, drink and stay around the world. So where’s good?

“My favorite foreign city is Barcelona but a recent trip to Israel changed my life,” says Eddie.

And although he’s used to judging others’ culinary creations, you don’t need a fancy dish to win him over. “I would eat vaca frita and pizza all day, every day if I could”.

Eddie is a first generation Cuban American, the son of refugees whose parents left Cuba in the early 60s. “My mother’s family left because they realized that things were going south on the island and feared the dictatorship. My dad, on the other hand, spoke out publicly against Castro at work. His boss quietly suggested that if his family didn’t leave Cuba soon, there was a good chance he’d be arrested and killed for being so outspoken about the government.

My grandfather was an electrician for the Havana police department and was able to find a way out for his family.”

“One of my father’s first jobs was at a pizzeria in Miami. He worked there for a year and never tasted pizza because he thought it looked bad! A year after working there, he chaperoned his sister on a date, and she made him try pizza for the first time. Brought a tear to his eye because he couldn’t’ believe he worked there so long without trying and could have had all the free pizza he wanted! Pizza is now his favorite food and my dad will try any food once.”

Eddie’s inherited his love for performing from his parents.

“My father dreamt of becoming a musician and fulfilled his dream after moving to Miami and becoming a successful percussionist playing with the likes of Cuban Legends Celia Cruz and La Lupe.” Music remains one of Eddie’s main passions outside of his career, and a way for him to unwind after a long day in front of the camera.

Eddie’s strong love for his Latin heritage is what drives him to share his foodie life with the world. “It’s how I maintain my connection to my roots, through sharing Cuban cooking, music and culture with my friends.”