However, I was a restaurant critic at Chicago magazine before I worked at Esquire, and I’ve been a really enthusiastic home cook for a long time. It’s just something I’m passionate about.

Ted Allen is emphasizing that his credibility in the food world predates his best-known television persona. By pointing to his earlier work as a restaurant critic and his long-standing practice as an avid home cook, he frames his culinary authority as grounded in sustained experience rather than celebrity. The quote also highlights a common theme in food writing and media: the blend of professional expertise (criticism, editorial work) with personal devotion (home cooking) as the source of an authentic voice. Ultimately, he presents cooking not as a branding strategy but as a durable passion that has shaped his career choices and public identity.