Ted Allen returns to the judging table to lend his culinary expertise to Bravo's Top Chef: Chicago. Allen recently wrapped the final season of the Emmy Award-winning Bravo hit Queer Eye, where he helped 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, and is the 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. Allen also appears regularly as a judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America. Allen serves as Food and Wine Ambassador for Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines, offering his expertise on pairing wine with food for everyday enjoyment. Similarly, he acts as a guide for visitors to the Discover Wine! Web site (www.discover-wine.com) -- the exciting Web site created by Robert Mondavi Private Selection that's packed with fun, accessible information on entertaining with wine. Allen shares his experience and advice about food, wine and entertaining in a role that he has dubbed: Website "Concierge." Since 1997, Allen 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. Allen also writes regularly for such outlets as Bon Appétit and Epicurious.com. Before joining Esquire, he 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." Allen is a native of Columbus, Ohio. He holds a master's 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.