KISS THE COOK
SERVES UP GENEROSITY
by david vera
W
ine me, dine me, sixty…hmmm, how does that old phrase go? For about a decade, fans of food, wine and out-of-the-closet celebs have been wishing for Ted Allen to use his “queer eye” talents on them. Since his days as the gastronomic genius of the “Fab
Five” on Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Ted
has been keeping busy heading trends, not only in food creativity but also supporting the nationwide HIV/AIDS fundraiser Dining Out for Life (DOFL). Ted has had a penchant for the kitchen skills since his early years, but the bulk of his pre-TV
career has actually manifested itself through journalism. “[Culinary school] is something I’d actually love to do, preferably in Southern
Italy,” admitted Allen. “I’ve always been into cooking and food, but I didn’t really get into anything serious until I got a job at Chicago Magazine. I was a senior editor there—I edited short stories and I wrote features and dining reviews. Like most city magazines, that was pretty much the restaurant bible for Chicago. It was the first place to have dining listings that were very honest and serious. Food was just part of the culture at the magazine. I was getting sent out to inter-
view chefs when restaurants would launch a new seasonal menu or something. I was in love with the culture of it all. I ended up becoming a member of the Dining Critic Team at the magazine. That got me exposed to more serious food, different types of cuisines and wine. One thing led to another.” Apparently success led to more success. Allen was based in Chicago working
for Esquire Magazine at the time of casting calls for a groundbreaking new “gay” show. “A friend in New York told me about a casting notice in New York for some- thing called Queer Eye. I thought, ‘What the hell? I’ll get a cheap plane ticket, crash on a friend’s sofa, audition for this goofy show which I won’t get, get some face time with my editor and we’ll call it a day. A lot of people auditioned…maybe 500… but they kept calling me back. We shot the pilot in Boston in July of 2002, which is now like 1,000 years ago. About a year later [the boys and I] were on the cover of Entertainment Weekly! It opened a lot of doors for all of us.” 99 episodes of Queer Eye later, Allen has the prestige of having been a judge on
Top Chef and Iron Chef.
“It was really kind of wonderful because it kept me visible on both of those net-
works while giving me the time to try to find a show of my own. Now I’m on Food Network doing Chopped—which is doing great. We just shot our 56th episode of
TED ALLEN
that show. The new season starts this month.” This is a considerable feat, keeping in mind that the popularity of most actors
and TV personalities suffers after coming out of the closet. But the difference is, Allen was never in the closet to begin with. At least not on national television. “Well, I’ll tell ya, it’s one way to stop your relatives from asking your parents why
you never have a girlfriend. (laughter)” Speaking of societal pressure to couple up, it’s only natural for thousands to
wonder if Mr. Allen has someone whom he wines and dines. “Actually, tomorrow is our 17th anniversary! Just to clarify—because that
makes us sound even older than we are—we measure that from our first date… which was petrifying. That’s like 50 years for straight people. You know I don’t even think that’s true—all this ‘Defense of Marriage’ shit. Straight people aren’t all that great at staying married. It’s very helpful to have your first date on St. Patrick’s Day…or Christmas…you always remember your anniversary.” As someone who knows what it takes to make things last, it’s appropriate that
Allen allied himself with an organization like DOFL. “This is the 20th year for Dining Out for Life. They just came to me and asked if I
would do it. It was a perfect fit as far as I was concerned. I really like this fundraiser because we raised $4 million in one day which is incredible, and we didn’t even have to rent a banquet hall, hire a band, hold a silent auction or any of that junk that everybody else does. But aside from it being very effective, what I also like is that all the money that we raise in Los Angeles stays in Los Angeles. All the money we raise in Akron, Ohio stays in Akron, Ohio! So you know that when you go out to dinner on Dining Out for Life Day, all the money that you’re contributing goes right back into your own community. “ Looking at the assortment of charitable organizations around town, it’s inter-
esting to see the variety in fundraising strategy. It’s also interesting to see how efficient the methods of DOFL are. “Whenever you’re looking raise money and throw a benefit, the first place you
turn for support is the restaurant community in your town. And they always step up. They offer things to be auctioned, free dinners, tours of the kitchen, etc. This fundraiser allows chefs to once again step up and contribute to the community, but it also brings new people into their restaurants and helps get them more exposure. It gives something back to the restaurant business—which is hurting right now. As you and I know, the real heroes in the fight against HIV/AIDS are the activists and the health care workers who devote their whole lives to this—we can’t all do
APRIL 2010 | RAGE monthly 53
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