Ted Allen
Edward "Ted" Allen (born May 20, 1965, in Columbus, Ohio) is the food and wine expert on the Bravo network's Emmy-winning American television program Queer Eye, a frequent guest judge on Food Network's primetime hit "Iron Chef America," and author of a beginner's cookbook titled The Food You Want To Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes (Clarkson Potter).
Allen was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in Carmel, Indiana. His southern-born mother instilled in him a love of food and cooking from a young age.
Allen received a degree in psychology from Purdue University in 1987. He then enrolled in the Krannert School of Management, but was unhappy there and left to accept a job as a copy editor at the Lafayette, Indiana Journal and Courier. This inspired him to change careers, and he returned to his education, gaining an M.A in journalism from New York University. He then moved to Chicago where he started his career covering local news and reviewing restaurants.
He then became a freelancer for Chicago magazine, eventually becoming a senior editor, and often writing about food and wine. One of his best-loved stories in this magazine was a humorous and partially successful test-drive of Charlie Trotter's first incredibly complicated cookbook (title: "Sorry, Charlie!"). He wrote restaurant critiques for the dining section and features for the magazine and edited the front of the book. For Chicago he has interviewed or written about such food luminaries as Mario Batali, Martha Stewart, Paul Bocuse, Charlie Trotter, chef Rick Tramonto, food author Gale Gand, and Rick Bayless.
He joined Esquire in 1997 as a contributing editor, and in 2001 was nominated for a prestigious National Magazine Award for an article on male breast cancer. He contributed to an Esquire food series that was a finalist in the 2003 awards. For Esquire, he has profiled James Caan, Ellen Barkin, Ray Liotta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Sizemore, Goran Visnjic, Wesley Snipes, Helen Hunt, Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Barry White, Monica Bellucci, Jeff Gordon, Ving Rhames, and Sugar Ray Leonard, among others. He also is the co-author of the magazine's popular "Things a Man Should Know" column, an occasional guide covering such topics of interest to men as style, marriage, sex, and cocktails, and four books that grew out of that series.
He also has written for Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, GQ, Epicurious, National Geographic Adventure, Self, Men's Journal, Women.Com and The Chicago Sun-Times.
In 2003 he became a member of the Fab Five. He continues as a contributing editor to Esquire.
In October 2005 Allen published his own cookbook. He also is co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better" (Clarkson Potter).
Allen lives in the Chelsea district of New York City with his partner, interior designer Barry Rice.
External links
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