Subsequently, he enrolled in Purdue's Krannert Graduate School of Management but left to accept a job as a copy editor at the Lafayette, Indiana, Journal & Courier.

Allen then became a freelancer for Chicago magazine, eventually signing on as a senior editor and often writing about food, wine, and luminaries of the culinary world.

He joined Esquire in 1997 as a contributing editor, where he wrote features, food pieces, and profiles and co-authored the magazine's popular "Things a Man Should Know" series.

Allen wrote for Esquire for more than a decade and was nominated for a National Magazine Award for his 2007 story "This Man Survived Breast Cancer."

Allen gained great visibility in 2003 when he became a cast member of the television makeover series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, serving as its food and wine specialist.

He continued to make television appearances as a gourmet, including as a frequent guest judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America.

[12][13] In May 2012, Allen received a James Beard Foundation Award for his work as the host of Chopped, and the show also won for best in-studio television program.

[14] In 2004, he won an Emmy Award along with the other cast members and producers of Queer Eye for "Outstanding Reality Program" from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.