Ted Allen
Ted Allen
Ted Allenis an American writer, cookbook author, and television personality. He was the food and wine connoisseur on the Bravo network's television program Queer Eye, and has been the host of the TV cooking competition series Chopped since its launch in 2009, as well as "Chopped Junior," which began in mid-2015. In April 13, 2014, he became the host of another Food Network show, originally called America's Best Cook; a retooled version of that show, retitled All-Star Academy, which debuted...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Show Host
Date of Birth20 May 1965
CityColumbus, OH
CountryUnited States of America
I moved into a larger apartment in the Village and I actually have the possibility of having people over for dinner again, so I'm very excited.
No, Queer Eye has a book coming out before mine, in the Spring of 2004, in which each of us has a section and we do a brief overview of our subject area.
I love the trend in food and cocktails, with people working with natural foods and ingredients. You get such bright, fresh flavors.
I've always hoped 'Chopped' would telegraph our enormous affection and love and admiration for chefs and food, but at the same time, we are inflicting extraordinary cruelty on them.
Baking is problematic for me because I usually drink a lot of wine when I cook!
The funny thing about Thanksgiving, or any huge meal, is that you spend 12 hours shopping for it and then chopping and cooking and braising and blanching. Then it takes 20 minutes to eat it and everybody sort of sits around in a food coma, and then it takes four hours to clean it up.
Well, we don't take money from people and then show the product. It has to be a product that we like anyway, and that's true for all five of us, which is one of the really nice things about the way we make the show.
What I bring to the table is a huge enthusiasm and love for this stuff.
My place in Chicago is a 105 year old house, but I really like contemporary spaces too, so it's refreshing and fun to be in a space where you can do contemporary things.
I'm in a loft and the kitchen is in the very center of the apartment. The whole place revolves around it.
I like to have friends in the kitchen and make a big mess and use every pot in the kitchen.
Thom is one of those wonderful people to cook for because he absolutely loves it, just loves it. He loves to eat and drink and he'd be a great guest at any dinner party.
Buying stock is exactly the same thing as going to a casino, only with no cocktail service.
Planning a dinner party in a way that you're actually capable of getting it done without panicking is important. It's bad hospitality for the host to be freaked out.