TED ALLEN

Session Host: Ted Allen of Queer Eye, noted food and wine authority and "Top Chef" judge.

Ted Allen is the food and wine specialist on the Emmy Award-winning NBC/Bravo hit “Queer Eye,” where he helps guests and viewers sharpen their cooking and entertaining skills. He is also the host/narrator of a new wine show on PBS, “Uncorked: Wine Made Simple,” due out this summer, and is author of “The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes” (Clarkson-Potter), a cookbook for beginners that features easy, all-natural recipes for everything from steak to cocktails. Ted also appears regularly as a judge on Food Network's “Iron Chef America” and Bravo’s “Top Chef.”

Ted serves as Food and Wine Ambassador for Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines, offering his expertise on pairing wine with food for everyday enjoyment. Similarly, Ted acts as a guide for visitors to the Discover Wine! web site (www.discover-wine.com).

Since 1997, Ted has been a contributing editor to Esquire magazine, where he writes about food, wine, style and everything else the American man needs to know. He was a finalist for a National Magazine Award for his Esquire feature on the little-known phenomenon of male breast cancer. Ted also writes regularly for such outlets as Bon Appétit and Epicurious.com. Before joining Esquire, Ted was a senior editor and restaurant critic at Chicago magazine.

In addition to his contributing editorship at Esquire, he is also the author of several books, including New York Times best-seller, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and the series “Things a Man Should Know.”

Ted is a native of Columbus, Ohio. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from New York University, a certificate from the university’s Science and Environmental Reporting Program, and a B.A. in psychology from Purdue University, which conferred upon him a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2004. He lives in New York City.