It was an easy decision for Ted Allen, one of the original Queer Eyes and current host of Food Network’s hit series Chopped, to get involved with Dining Out for Life, the annual one-day fundraiser held in nearly 60 cities across North America.
When asked what prompted him to personally step up as a spokesperson for Dining Out for Life, Allen explained, “First, the AIDS crisis continues … and with the new federal budget slashing another $1 billion for AIDS care, it is more important than ever to keep HIV/AIDS on the front burner.“
This year, in partnership with more than 3,500 restaurants and with the help of more than 250,000 diners, Dining Out for Life expects to raise more than $4 million to support essential services for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS. More than 100 restaurants in San Diego are participating in this year’s event, happening April 28.
For a complete list, log on to diningoutforlife.com/sandiego.
San Diego LGBT Weekly caught up with the celebrity chef to talk about everything from his new show, to his own cooking style, to lending his support to Dining Out for Life.
LGBT Weekly: When you were on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, did you ever expect to be doing a show like Chopped now?
Ted Allen: I certainly hoped so. When Queer Eye finished, I was working as a judge on both Iron Chef America and Top Chef. It worked out really well because that kept me in TV while I could try to find some other kind of show of my own. Food Network always seemed like a logical place to go.
But you know, lots of people want TV shows and it’s really hard to get them, so it took a little while to get the right one.
This is the second show for Food Network; the first one was the science show, Food Detectives.
Yes, but I like this one a lot better.
Who came up with the show Chopped?
The show was created by a woman named Linda Lea. Linda was an executive producer at Queer Eye. She developed the show and asked me if I would shoot the pilot with her. We did. And the network liked it.
What’s your favorite part of the show?
Probably when the cooking is happening – trying to figure out what people are going to do with these impossibly difficult ingredients.
Has there been a show with an ingredient that you would not know what to do with?
All the time.
That’s the goal – to come up with really exotic and difficult ingredients that don’t look like there is any solution. The people that pick the ingredients at the Food Network, they always have an idea of what could be done with the combination of mystery ingredients. It’s just not very obvious. In fact, it hardly ever is.
If you were a contestant, how would you do on the show?
Not well. Not well at all.
I love to cook. I cook almost every day. I consider myself a good cook, but I’ve never claimed to be a fast cook, and you have to be both to succeed on Chopped. I don’t think I would like it.
What do you like to cook?
Oh gosh, I really love cooking pork. I am working on a barbecued ribs recipe right now. I like making soups. All kinds of foods. I am game for anything.
What type of places do you like to go to when you go out to eat? What do you look for in a dining experience?
I like a lot of variety. For example, last night I had dinner at Chris Santos’ new restaurant, which is called Beauty and Essex (in New York). It’s all about small plates, so he sends out just one dish after another and everyone shares it. We had a lot of food. We had yellowtail crudo, we had beef Carpaccio, oysters, lobster tacos – I just love having lots of things to taste. Variety is my favorite thing about eating out.
Do you eat out more often than you cook at home?
No, I cook in more than I eat out, which is why I am a little bit behind on what are the best new restaurants. I have really been working on my new cookbook, so I really haven’t been going out a lot much.
Is your cookbook a little bit of experimentation right now?
Yeah. Sometimes the best stuff comes from that.
I experiment too, but by default more than planning. What can I make with what is in the fridge right now?
Exactly – which is one of the reasons I think why we all love Chopped so much. We all have had the experience of opening up the fridge and seeing just a few ingredients, and then figuring out how to make dinner out it.
What is the strangest thing you have made?
Oh, I don’t know. I am not into strange things. I am more into delicious things.
So what drew you to the Dining Out for Life event?
It just made a lot of sense, in terms of something for me to support. I really like Dining Out for Life because it’s such a win-win-win for everyone concerned.
It raises an extraordinary amount of money in a single day – $4 million all over the country.
It propels people into the neighborhood restaurants, which supports jobs and helps restaurants stay in business, which is really important in a troubled economy.
At the same time, not everybody can be an AIDS activist. Not everybody has the time or the skills, but everybody has to eat. Without spending any extra money, this gives everyday people a way to make a meaningful contribution to HIV and AIDS. Here is something people can do without sacrificing anything and yet have a really profound impact.
So what is Dining Out, in summary?
Dining Out for Life is an event which, in a single day, thousands of restaurants across the country agree to donate a portion of their profits to local HIV and AIDS charities right in their own communities. That is another part of this: every dollar that is raised in your town is spent in your town.
How many cities are participating?
I think it’s about 50 cities. It started in Philadelphia, and it’s been going 20 years.
What city are you going to be in on April 28?
I am going to be in New York and I am going to be shooting for Chopped. So unfortunately, I am not going to be able to go to a restaurant. I think Dining Out for Life wants to deliver to the studio so we can celebrate with them. Whether I will have any time to eat it, I don’t know.
That is one of the strange ironies about my job: we do all this work with food, and I don’t get to eat anything.
APRIL 28: Dining Out For Life
A one-day charity event benefiting local HIV-AIDS services.
More than 100 restaurants in San Diego are participating.
diningoutforlife.com/sandiego
