However, I was a restaurant critic at Chicago magazine before I worked at Esquire, and Ive been a really enthusiastic home cook for a long time. Its just something Im passionate about. – Ted Allen
Jay Leno is not a guy who likes change. He eats the same food every day. – Ted Allen
Believe me, I understand the need for easy and speedy. After a 12-hour day of shooting Chopped, say, Im talking stir-fry, spaghetti, heck, peanut-butter sandwiches. But thats not about the joy of food. Thats survival. – Ted Allen
I think what I do differently from a lot of TV chefs is that I break down barriers and make fine food more accessible to the regular person, who might be intimidated. I try hard, particularly with wine, to make it not intimidating. Its sort of a teaching job. – Ted Allen