‘Chopped’ star Allen talks culinary tourism during Oahu visit

Ted Allen, host of the Food Network’s “Chopped” franchise, spent a week in Hawaii last week and declared himself “enchanted by this place.”

Allen, a longtime restaurant and food writer, was the keynote speaker at a luncheon Sept. 20 at the Global Tourism Summit staged by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, attended by industry executives from inside and outside the state.

His topic was “Food is Everything,” with an eye toward the importance of cuisine in promoting a destination.

“I would argue that if you haven’t done this already, if you have not established your destination as a foodie destination, you need to get busy. Because if you don’t do it, not only are you missing a big, fat boat, you’re missing out on a seismic and lucrative shift in American culture.”

Artisanal restaurant scenes are thriving outside major cities, in towns of all sizes, Allen said, and officials in those areas should capitalize on that by supporting local agriculture and celebrating regional culinary history.

“Identify chefs, fancy ones and other types of chefs who are interested in that local history and those traditions … develop networks of farmers markets and market them to both chefs and home cooks, especially in food deserts.”

His speech also was well seasoned with lighter moments and much laughter, as well as off-camera intel about “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior.”

Each episode takes about 12 hours to shoot, he said, and winners really are chosen based on their food, not their personalities. The judges “have devoted their lives to the serious exploration of food. … I believe that if we faked it, you would be able to tell, and sooner or later it would bite us.”

Allen added, “The only thing that is sometimes faked is the last-second rush. We don’t let them alter their plates,” but they can wipe the edges to look busy during the countdown.

Allen described as “horrifying” some of the mystery basket ingredients chefs are given on the show.

“My favorite ‘Chopped’ ingredient was a whole chicken in a can … you open the can, invert it, and the chicken slides out and goes …” a sentence Allen finished by making a slurping, sucking sound.

Allen remarked about “how many kids I’ve met on ‘Chopped Junior’ that do most of the cooking for their parents. What a scam,” he said. “Spectacular.”

Allen took questions from the audience. Some highlights:

QUESTION: Where have you eaten (in Honolulu), and where do you plan to eat?

ANSWER: Michael Mina’s place, Strip House (he meant Stripsteak). Did I say “Strip House”? I wasn’t going to tell that part (laughing at his faux pas). And I think we’re going to Chinatown.

Q: Is there a plan for “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior” to come to Hawaii?

A: I don’t know what the plan is, but I sure hope so. … I’ll run it up the flagpole and see what they say.

Q: Who decides what goes into the mystery baskets?

A: There is a master spreadsheet of ingredients overseen by a culinary staff member; it is not random. There is always a way to create a plausible dish, but I will jump in if I think a basket is too hard.

Q: Have you ever thought about teaching a class (relating to culinary entrepreneurship), and what would you put in the criteria for that class?

A: This is a subject in a turbulent world that is nothing but great, great. It is thrilling, it’s exciting, what’s happening in our country with restaurants. These are people that really want to make you happy. That’s their job. They’re in the happiness business. They can see it on your face when they fail, and sometimes they fail.

Would I like to teach a class about that? Absolutely. If you’re inviting me to speak at your class (at the University of Hawaii-Manoa Travel Industry Management school), I accept.

Q: What are local ingredients or dishes that are really unique that can be an item on a food tour?

A: Spam musubi (with a disclaimer that he hoped he hadn’t offended anyone).

During his address Allen said, “I will not direct my leisure dollars toward any location that does not have great food.”

He also said that since he was devoting the week to Oahu, he would have to return to Hawaii another time to fulfill his lifelong wish to see an active volcano.