Ted Allen, the Emmy and two-time James Beard Award winner who is best known as the host of the hit prime-time competition series “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior” on the Food Network,
will present a keynote address on the second day of the 2017 Global Tourism Summit in Honolulu. Presented by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), the three-day Global Tourism Summit takes place September 19-21 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Sustainable tourism is the summit theme.
Allen will make his presentation on Wednesday, September 20 at noon at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Allen’s topic, Food is EVERYTHING, will address his career, the importance of cuisine and the value of food when promoting a destination.
George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO, noted that Allen’s presentation will convey the importance of locally inspired cuisine and how this relates to the Hawai‘i experience. “Ted Allen and the Food Network have had an enormous impact in showing how cuisine is an enticing aspect of the travel experience for any destination. His presentation at the Global Tourism Summit will be fascinating for anyone who loves enjoying food when they travel.”
Szigeti added, “Hawai‘i’s standing as a world-class culinary destination continues to strengthen and evolve, and a key reason for that is the outstanding, creative chefs we have throughout the islands. They utilize the delicious, locally grown foods produced by farmers and ranchers statewide to prepare new dishes of cuisine that highlight our heritage, culture and ethnic diversity.”
Allen was previously the host of Food Network’s “Food Detectives,” a frequent contributor to “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and a series regular judge on four seasons of both Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and Bravo Network’s “Top Chef.” He started in television as the food and wine specialist on the groundbreaking Bravo series “Queer Eye.”
Allen is the author of two cookbooks, “In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks,” and “The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes.” He also co-wrote the New York Times best-seller “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five’s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better.” Since 1997, Allen has been a contributor to Esquire magazine, and was a finalist for a National Magazine Award for his Esquire feature on the little-known phenomenon of male breast cancer. He also writes for such publications as Bon Appétit and Food Network Magazine. Before joining Esquire, Allen was a senior editor and restaurant writer at Chicago magazine.
In 2012, Allen won a James Beard Award for his work hosting “Chopped,” and another for the show overall. He earned a 2004 Emmy with the cast of “Queer Eye,” which was nominated again the following year. In 2016, Chopped was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award.
