On the first episode of Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire chats with YouTube sensation and Food Network judge Kalen Allen. Find out how he started making viral food recipe reaction videos that took him from full-time student to full-blown star in a matter of weeks. Kalen gets honest about staying true to your dreams, being an activist in the digital space and how he stays positive in light of it all. He also dishes on what filming was like for his new show Cakealikes and which celebrity judge had him starstruck. Finally, we hear about his five-cheese mac and cheese, his gateway vegetable and the food he would erase from the planet forever.
On the first episode of Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire chats with YouTube sensation and Food Network judge Kalen Allen. Find out how he started making viral food recipe reaction videos that took him from full-time student to full-blown star in a matter of weeks. Kalen gets honest about staying true to your dreams, being an activist in the digital space and how he stays positive in light of it all. He also dishes on what filming was like for his new show Cakealikes and which celebrity judge had him starstruck. Finally, we hear about his five-cheese mac and cheese, his gateway vegetable and the food he would erase from the planet forever.
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Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/kalen-allen-on-judging-celebrity-cakes-going-viral
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAYMEE SIRE: Hello, hello, and welcome. It is a brand new year, and we have a brand new podcast to go with it. In fact, this is Food Network's first ever podcast. So thank you for tuning into our first ever episode of Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things Food Network with guests from your favorite Food Network shows.
I am your host, Jaymee Sire, and I am so excited to kick this off with you guys. Because at the end of the day, I'm a fan too. And our very first guest is Kalen Allen. You might know him from his hilarious reaction videos to wacky food recipes or from the Ellen Show. You may have heard of it.
Kalen recently celebrated his 25th birthday. And at such a young age, he has already done so much. He has a massive social following, he's a producer, an entertainer. And now, he's bringing his witty commentary to Discovery Plus as a judge on Food Network's cake alikes, a show where three teams of cake artists are challenged to create the most epic and realistic cake replicas of famous celebrities. Yes, it is as wild as it sounds. So without further ado, let's get to it and welcome our very first guest, Kalen Allen.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Kalen Allen, welcome to the pod. So happy to have you.
KALEN ALLEN: Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm happy to be here.
JAYMEE SIRE: So I feel like I need to fess up to something before we get started. I feel like I've been hardcore internet stalking you for the last few days.
[LAUGHTER]
But I just wanted to say I love you. I don't even know you. I feel like I know you now. But yeah, you bring such-- I don't know, such a light and a joy and honesty to the screen or wherever you are performing or talking to. And I'm just curious where that energy comes from.
KALEN ALLEN: I've always been like that even as a kid. People make fun of me because when I watch movies and stuff, I'm the one that cries on every movie that has like a happy ending or any type of emotional thing.
JAYMEE SIRE: Same. Same.
KALEN ALLEN: So I think I've just always kept a piece of my inner child intact. I love anything positive, anything like, anything that makes me feel good. If it doesn't make me feel good, I usually get rid of it.
KALEN ALLEN: [LAUGHS] I think that's a good practice for anyone to have. And you mentioned you've always been like that since a kid. One of the things I did see and love was the video you posted of you performing in your living room as, I don't know how old you were, but I feel like it's the same as you are now, except you're older.
KALEN ALLEN: Yes, it's very much the same. And it's funny because when I watch the video and I showed it to my friends, they were like, you literally have not changed one bit. I was like, what could I say? That's accurate.
JAYMEE SIRE: But that's so great. I think that's why people are drawn to you and I think that really comes through in everything that I've seen you do so far. And I'm sure it will continue as we go on. I know that obviously, for people that don't know Kalen, he exploded onto the scene when you were doing these recipe reaction videos. And I'm not talking like regular recipes. Some of these were very-- I guess we can call them unique recipes, interesting recipes. Where did you get the idea to start doing those?
KALEN ALLEN: It was just a thought that came into my head. It was never something that was planned or intentional. I just happened to be in my bed coming across a food video and I said, Oh, I should probably just make a video for this for my friends. So I put the phone up and I press record, and then I put it out that night. And then the next morning, I woke up it had gone viral. And then from there--
JAYMEE SIRE: The first one?
KALEN ALLEN: The very first one.
JAYMEE SIRE: The very first?
KALEN ALLEN: Yes, which was in November of 2017. And then from there, I was like, well, I guess I'll make some more. And then it was only a couple of months-- so that was November, and then I was on Ellen in December, and then I was moving to LA in January. So it all happened that fast. It was very, very quick.
JAYMEE SIRE: Do you have a favorite video or recipe that you've done a reaction to so far?
KALEN ALLEN: Well, I think everybody's favorite reaction video is usually my reaction to Food Network's, The Kitchen, when they make the Mac & Cheese and throw in the Brussels sprouts. [LAUGHS] And so I think that is probably everybody's favorite reaction video that I've done.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean, I also liked the 7-up salad. I mean, did you know right away that moment, that it was going to be as big as it's become or like change your life in the way that it has?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, absolutely. Because from the very first one, that's when Seth Rogen was retreating, Chrissy Teigen was retreating, I was starting to get all these emails from TV producers and TV networks talking about collaborating with me and doing things and stuff like that. And so I knew from the jump, I was like, Oh, this is about to become something. Now, I didn't think that it was going to be what it is today that I would have been able to build an entire career in three short years off of it. But hey, we did it.
JAYMEE SIRE: You got-- you got to go with it if you're handed those opportunities or I mean, in this case, you created it for yourself. But let's go back and talk a little bit more about the Ellen Show, because I mean, how did that come about? Were they one of the first ones to reach out or how did that work?
KALEN ALLEN: So I had gotten contacted by a couple few networks before, but I remember it was after I made the potato salad cake video that I got the call from Ellen. And really what it was, was it was a Twitter DM. And I remember being in class, and I remember because I was checking my phone a lot because I was getting so many messages. And then I saw all it said was so-and-so at the ellentv.com.
And I remember I grabbed my friend I was like, girl Ellen has reached out. And then I remember I left class and I called them back. And then from there, I was flown out to do the show. And I thought I was just going to come out, be real cute, do the show, and I was going to go home and that was it. And then right after that, that's when I was offered the job. And we just took it from there.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, wow. So that was essentially a job interview/audition live in front of like millions of people. I mean, how has your life changed since that moment?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, my gosh! I mean, it has completely done a whole 360. I mean, I live in Los Angeles now and I was living in Philadelphia at the time I was still in school at Temple University. And so I was in my senior year and I actually finished school out here in LA. So I would go to class at night while I was going to Ellen during the day. I always tell people it's very much like a Hannah Montana, kind of, life.
[LAUGHTER]
So was I-- but now when I look back, I mean, I've walked in New York Fashion Week, I've done a movie, I've been on Network Television many of times. I've done so much. I have my own series. It is mind-blowing how something so simple was able to catapult me to a level of success that I would have never imagined for myself.
JAYMEE SIRE: No, I mean, it's an incredible story. And it has so many layers and it's still developing, I mean, as we speak. I mean, you mentioned this a little bit, but this fame, this recognition, this platform, it has come very fast, very furious for you. I'm sure it can be a little overwhelming at times. I mean, how do you deal with all that and balance everything?
KALEN ALLEN: When I first moved out here, I was actually really depressed about it. I fell into a very deep depression. And the reason is because, so I studied theater in film with a concentration in acting. And I was scared that I had chosen to give up on my dream.
So this is a part of the story that I always forget to tell people. The week I moved to LA, I had grad school auditions at Juilliard, and I canceled those auditions because I was moving. And when I moved out here and I started doing the food videos, and it felt like that was all anybody ever wanted me to do, I began to think to myself, had I given up my true dream for a check? Had I let go of what I had worked my entire life to become to just sit at home and lay in the bed and talk about food videos on the internet?
I felt like in a way, I had betrayed my own dreams and aspirations and just taken the easy way out. But it wasn't until I booked the Seth Rogen movie that I understood that it was a stepping stone for me to even do bigger and better things, to have bigger opportunities, and most importantly, to have the resources to be able to do so. I think once I had that opportunity, then I realized that everything that had happened in my life was all a part of the journey and it was necessary to happen for me to become who I am.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think that's beautiful. And I would expect nothing less thanks to my internet stalking. [LAUGHS] And we obviously have to talk about the new Food Network show. You're a judge/comedic commentator on a cake like streaming now on Discovery Plus. I know you're a Food Network fan. So what was it like to get that call?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, my gosh! It was probably one of the most exciting things that I've ever heard. I think, one, it was the fact of being able to now be on TV. I've always said, I want to be on TV. I want to be on TV. I want to be on TV because it's very different from the digital space.
And I think second of all, it was just the fact of being able to be on Food Network, a network that I had watched my entire life. And watching all the challenge shows, especially during the holidays and stuff like that, and it's just such easy palatable content that is just always entertaining no matter what. And I think also with the fact of my favorite video being the Mac & Cheese show and having that relation--
JAYMEE SIRE: In the kitchen.
KALEN ALLEN: --in the kitchen and being able to be like, Oh, wow, look we've come full circle.
JAYMEE SIRE: [LAUGHS] It really has come full circle. And for anyone that hasn't watched it yet, I mean, I definitely recommend checking it out. I had a chance to watch the first two episodes. So basically, these cake artists, they are making life-like life sized replicas of famous celebrities.
So I guess you could-- maybe like a wax museum except instead of wax. It's cake, and fondant, and ganache, and all that stuff. I got to see some of the final cakes obviously. And I mean, it's incredible what these people can do in such a short amount of time. What was it like to watch that all unravel in person?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, my gosh! Amazing. I think because especially when you see how it starts out and then by the time you get to the end. And I always tell people that the show is hilarious. I think when you see some of the creations that come out of it, it's so funny. And I think when you see the way that we judge the cakes, we judge it in a very specific way that is only true to us. And sometimes, we don't pick the cake that you would think.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes, I agree with that. I agree with that.
KALEN ALLEN: Exactly. So that's why I always say-- I'm always like, you need to watch it. And it's funny because you watched the first two episodes, but it only gets more entertaining. Every episode, it just gets more, and more, and more. And I think it's because as judges ourselves, we started to get a more precise eye for things as time went on. But I absolutely recommend it. I think the show is a pure delight.
JAYMEE SIRE: I agree. And I love that you brought up the judging style, because it's not-- I mean, it's not your typical food competition judging. Especially your commentary, I feel like it's very raw and honest. I love-- I love that you crack yourself up constantly.
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, my gosh!
JAYMEE SIRE: It's my favorite.
KALEN ALLEN: You know what's so funny is the first episode. And you can see it in the episode when I go up to the cake, I just couldn't stop laughing. I just could not stop laughing. And I was like, I apologize-- I was like, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. And everybody is there watching. The cake artists are watching us judge these cakes while they are still in the room, but it is really hilarious. And we give them an impossible amount of time to be able to create these cakes. But they do it and anything can happen.
JAYMEE SIRE: Are you sitting there the entire time? Because it seems like-- so they have 14 hours right over two days. Are you sitting there for seven hours just watching the tapes?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We're there-- [LAUGHS] we are there all day every day and we just watch it, and we go around, and we give tips and tricks, and then we see what they can do differently, and we see when the cakes start falling. We see all the disasters happen in real time. Oh, my goodness!
JAYMEE SIRE: It seemed like it was a lot of fun. You guys seem to thoroughly be enjoying the process, is that accurate?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, absolutely. Turgay and Natalie, I think the best thing about it is that it's all unscripted. We are all really-- everything that we say is really true to us. And I think what also makes our judging panel so unique is that we all have different expertise and we all have different personalities. And when you put all those personalities together, it just makes gold.
JAYMEE SIRE: And then each episode, you also get a special secret guest judge. Did you have-- did anybody have you starstruck when they came in the room?
KALEN ALLEN: I would probably have to say Flavor Flav-- Flavor Flav. And because like I watched Flavor of Love and I love New York growing up. So having Flavor Flav there was like such a moment for me. And then we also had people-- we had two of the cast members from The Brady Bunch. And so that was amazing too.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, my gosh! That sounds awesome. I can't wait to continue watching the series. Do you feel like you could be a cake artist now that you've seen them working or you have way more respect for what they do?
KALEN ALLEN: You know what? I have a lot of respect for what they do, but I would love to give it a try. As a kid, I actually wanted to go to culinary school to become a pastry chef. That used to be our dream because of me watching Food Network. And so I was like, Oh, yes, I'm going to go make a cake like Duff makes cakes.
[LAUGHTER]
And so I would absolutely-- and we would talk about this on set, especially with Natalie because she's just like a sickening cake just. Like the cakes are ridiculous. I was like, you should give us lessons and we should have to try to make cakes ourselves. So I would absolutely love it.
JAYMEE SIRE: That should be part of season two. I think that that should be definitely on the docket for season two. You've said it over and over again, you're a huge fan of the Network. I am curious what-- aside from your show obviously, what's your favorite Food Network show that's either airing now or in the past?
KALEN ALLEN: I'm Wrapped.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm Wrapped.
KALEN ALLEN: I'm Wrapped with Marc Summers definitely. And the reason why I loved I'm Wrapped because it was so easy to watch. And I was also like a nerd. I loved to see how things were made. And I'd be like, Oh, there's a bubblegum episode. Let me see how they make this bubblegum. Or like when they even go to Disney World and they go to all these different places, and they will show you how they make the magic happen. I just thought it was the most interesting thing in the world. I used to watch it nonstop.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's an old school one. I like that. I like that. Like The Little Throwback. I used to watch that show as well. So which show would you like to be on that's airing now if you have the opportunity to be a judge or a contestant?
KALEN ALLEN: You know what? I would love to go in The Kitchen. I would love to go in The Kitchen, especially since that's where I start. And I would love to go and make mac and cheese. And I could talk about how I make mac and cheese. You know? And then I could be like and I could also taste it and be like, OK, let me see if this is good or not because I'm a little concerned with these carrots and these Brussels sprouts. But I think that would be a lot of fun.
JAYMEE SIRE: I feel like they-- I'm surprised they haven't had you on yet. But I feel like that that should definitely happen. What would be in your mac and cheese or what is in your Mac and cheese?
KALEN ALLEN: So my mac and cheese-- I like to use a lot of different cheeses. Five different cheeses. And sometimes I'll put even sour cream in it. Need to add a little bit of a tart. Yeah, tang to it. But I'm very-- and you have to have burnt edges on Mac and cheese. If the edges are not burnt, baby, you might as well send it back. OK? I love to put milk in there I like it to be creamy, and sometimes I don't always like to use elbow noodles as well. I like to change it up sometimes.
JAYMEE SIRE: All right, what do you-- like a cavatappi?
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah. So you know, you know. Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean I love mac and cheese too. So I fell like season two of the pod, maybe we can make some mac and cheese together.
KALEN ALLEN: There we go. I love that.
JAYMEE SIRE: Wait so how are you in the kitchen? Are you pretty-- I mean like scale of 1 to 10. 1 being you can't boil an egg, 10 being like a very chefy person. Where do you fall in that?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, I would probably have to give myself an 8. And the reason why I would say like, I do all the cooking all the time. And I used to prepandemic-- I used to do like Sunday brunches, and I would not let anybody bring anything. I would make it all. And then I remember last Thanksgiving, I did a whole Thanksgiving feast for like 45 people. I did all the cooking.
JAYMEE SIRE: 45 people?
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah, yeah. And I did all the cooking, and it was all me. I love to cook. It is one of my favorite things to do. It excites me. It is a stress reliever. And I love cooking around other people, and cooking for people. I love to feed people because I think food is like a way to the heart. It's a way of nourishment. It's a source of love for me. And so I love to cook. The reason why I gave myself an 8.5 because I'm not fancy when it comes to the plating and all that. Like I can make the dish, but you got to put it on the plate. I don't know how to make it look pretty.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean as long as it tastes good, that's the most important thing. And I knew we were going to be good friends, because I feel the same way about that. I feel like it is a stress reliever for me. I love cooking for people but I don't think I've ever cooked for 45 people. What was on the menu for this thing?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh baby, I brined a turkey for 24 hours. I had turkey, I had ham. I had sweet potato pie, I had peach cobbler. I had creamed corn. I had a cornbread. . I had Collard greens I had rose. I had macaroni and cheese. I had any soul food dish that you could think of was on that menu.
JAYMEE SIRE: How long were you cooking? For like three days?
KALEN ALLEN: No, about two, because I did the turkey two days before. Because I had to do the whole brine and stuff, and then I cooked it that night, and then-- I mean the night before, the prep of it all. And I woke up in like 5:00 AM, and I cooked all day until dinner was at 7.
JAYMEE SIRE: Wow. That is super impressive.
KALEN ALLEN: Made it happen.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love that. Hopefully, I can get a seat at that table at some point. I'm just inviting myself by the way.
KALEN ALLEN: Come on.
[JAYMEE LAUGHS]
JAYMEE SIRE: What food item would you erase from the planet if you could and why?
KALEN ALLEN: Mustard.
JAYMEE SIRE: Mustard. OK. Not a mustard guy.
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, no. I hate the taste of mustard. I do not like it. And it's funny because some people put mustard on their hams, and it is terrible. I don't know why you would want that. I do not like mustard. Mm-hm, you can have it. Keep it, take it away.
JAYMEE SIRE: Some people put a little bit in their mac and cheese too to help the sauce come together. So there's no mustard in your mac and--
KALEN ALLEN: Absolutely not. Never will be. [LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: And you're not a fan, generally speaking, of vegetables, right? Or you're kind of coming around on that? What's going on--
KALEN ALLEN: I am getting better. One vegetable that I have adopted into my diet that I actually love now is Brussels sprouts.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK, but just not in your mac and cheese.
KALEN ALLEN: Not in the mac and cheese. But by themselves I love a Brussels sprout. I've started to eat carrots.
JAYMEE SIRE: Ooh.
KALEN ALLEN: I've been I-- over the pandemic, since Thanksgiving, I've eaten a total of 10 sweet potato pies myself. [JAYMEE LAUGHS]
JAYMEE SIRE: As you should.
KALEN ALLEN: Right, I don't know if that counts as a vegetable, though. But it's a potato--
JAYMEE SIRE: There's some fiber in there. How do you make your Brussels sprouts now that you have this newfound appreciation for them?
KALEN ALLEN: So you know I'm always talking about salt and pepper. So Brussels sprouts is one of the few things that I only put salt and pepper on. So what I'll do is I'll put in a Ziploc bag, and I'll put olive oil, my salt and pepper. I shake it on up. Get it real good good. Cover it, and then I take honey, and I put honey on them as well. And I shake it up, and then I roast them in the air fryer. Baby.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK.
KALEN ALLEN: I'm telling you, it'll change your life. [JAYMEE LAUGHS] It'll change your life.
JAYMEE SIRE: You know what, I have some Brussels sprouts in the fridge. So I might do that tonight. And I will let you know how it goes. But it sounds delicious. Also I cannot believe we haven't talked yet about your dog.
KALEN ALLEN: Carter.
JAYMEE SIRE: Carter.
KALEN ALLEN: He is here. He's somewhere around.
JAYMEE SIRE: He is. [LAUGHTER] do you cook for your dog? What's his diet like?
KALEN ALLEN: So he eats human great food, but it comes from somebody else. I don't do the cooking. I have looked at the recipes, I'm be like, Oh, baby, I ain't got time to do all this, and go buy all these ingredients. But, yeah, Carter definitely has a very superb diet. He is a very bougie dog, and you could tell even-- if you ever met Carter, he's a human. He's not a dog.
He does things that dogs don't do. You know how when you walk into your house your dog is there to greet you at the door, and he's jumping up and down. That's not Carter, baby. If you walk into the house, right now he's laying in the bed, Carter will be in the bed just knocked out. And he'll you walk in the room, and he'll just pick his head up and then go right back to sleep. I'm like, who are you? Who do you think you are? It's ridiculous.
JAYMEE SIRE: He sounds more like a cat.
KALEN ALLEN: Honestly it does give that kind of tea. It does.
JAYMEE SIRE: How long have you had him?
KALEN ALLEN: I've had Carter up for almost two years, he'll be two in February.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK, and you had him when he was a puppy?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, Yeah. I adopted him from Vanderpump Dogs. And he was only six months, no, six-- Yes, six months old when I got him. And I've had him ever since, and we are inseparable. Inseparable.
[JAYMEE LAUGHS]
JAYMEE SIRE: I love that. Well, I love that you've also like shared some things that you don't normally or you haven't said in interviews before. But what is one thing that maybe not many people know about you?
KALEN ALLEN: Hm.
JAYMEE SIRE: Because I feel like you're pretty out there with--
KALEN ALLEN: I know I'm such an open book.
JAYMEE SIRE: --your personality and your life. That's great.
KALEN ALLEN: I think people don't know that I'm actually pretty quiet when I'm at home.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really?
KALEN ALLEN: And I'm also a loner. I prefer to be alone. And I'm an only child, so that's probably why that's the case. But, yeah, when I'm at home, it is very chill, relax. That's it. And then when I need to be on or be up and out, then I'm like that. I think I'm part introvert part extrovert.
JAYMEE SIRE: What about when you're cooking? Is that something you kind of like to have that time to yourself as well?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, yeah, especially dinner time. I love the idea of turning down the lights, and just fixing a nice steak or something. I'm going to make a steak tonight. And just having that time to myself to like watch movies and stuff like that. I think what I'm trying to get into is that-- OK, so I don't like alcohol. I do not like the taste at all.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's fine.
KALEN ALLEN: I feel like I'm getting older, and I feel like with how bougie I am, I need to find a wine that I like. So
JAYMEE SIRE: I could see you-- I could see like big leather chair with a glass of wine, big glass.
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah, so for aesthetic purposes, I'm trying to find a wine that I like. It's just got to be sweet, because I don't like the taste. It tastes like medicine to me. I be like, I don't know why people drink this?
JAYMEE SIRE: I think, I mean it is an acquired taste. I do feel like that. I don't know that I liked it the first time I had it. But I feel like I feel like we can work on that for you. Like maybe, like a big jammy--
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: --Cabernet or something like that.
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah.
JAYMEE SIRE: So obviously you have a lot of different things that you are currently working on. You have hands in different pots all over the place, so to speak. What else can we be on the lookout for?
KALEN ALLEN: If you're feeling in the holiday spirit, you can go back and listen to my Christmas EP for Christmas sake. It was an absolute joy to make that, and it'll really help you boost your mood. But also, just watch on Kalen that comes out every other week on Saturdays. That's where you're definitely going to see me all the time. And then also watch my YouTube, Personally, Kalen.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think the other side of this fame that has been very important to you is using this platform for important things. To influence change, meaningful change. How have you been working towards that to use that in a positive way?
KALEN ALLEN: You know it's funny. I was talking to a friend the other day, and I was saying that, it's always funny how people-- when I talk about social change, or I talk about social justice, or I talk about things that actively affect my life on a daily basis. It's funny how people see that as a revolutionary act. But at the end of the day, my entire life is political. Everywhere I walk, everywhere I go. That is always something that I have to realize is my reality and how I move in different spaces.
And so for me, it is inevitable, for me to talk about those things. I think also for the purpose of representation and visibility, as a Black gay man there are a lot of people that look like me within the industry. and so it is important for me to always put my identity first, so that I can create a platform and open up doors for younger generations that are coming up after me, so that they know what they can be regardless of what society tells them that their limitations are.
Because I believe in our world, no matter who you are we are only told of our limitations and not of our unlimited possibilities. And so I hope to be a beacon of hope and a beacon of light for so many people in that regard.
JAYMEE SIRE: I think you already are. I mean I'm curious if people have-- have you've received feedback about that? Or people have reached out and said to you, hey, thank you for helping me through a difficult time or anything like that?
KALEN ALLEN: I used to be one of those people growing up, when I was see people cry or when they would meet somebody that they looked up to and they would get emotional. I'd be like, they just a person. But I have realized with having conversations, and meeting people, and seeing that firsthand, and hearing their stories, I understand that sometimes your existence alone can be enough for somebody to get up in the morning.
Because sometimes people just need other people to believe in them regardless if it isn't something that is said right indirectly. But it's a feeling that they have. It's an ability to wake up and look get someone and be like, I see myself in them and because I see who they could be or who they are, that is proof to me that I can have that same confidence, that same courage, that same tenacity, that same work ethic.
And that is when I understood that there was a bigger purpose for my life. And I always say that everything that I do is not done for me but it is done for the people that believe in me, the people that have supported me, and the people that need me to survive.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I have to say I'm just completely blown away by your maturity, your poise, your self-awareness at such a young age. I definitely was not that mature at 24 or 25. So thank you so much for sharing your light and your story with us.
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, thank you, I appreciate it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, this has been such a blast. We do have one final question that we've kind of start closing out every episode with. What would be on your menu for your perfect food day? So we're talking breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. You can-- I mean travel is not an issue, you can be in different places. It can be food that you've cooked, it can be food that someone important to you has cooked for you, or a restaurant that you really like. You can time travel, I don't care, whatever is going to get you your perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
KALEN ALLEN: OK.
JAYMEE SIRE: You let us know.
KALEN ALLEN: I would say for breakfast-- I would love an apple brioche French toast, with cinnamon apples on top, with scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, with a fruit cup next to it. For lunch I would have to say that I would want some sort of salad. I love a little light lunch. A salad.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK.
KALEN ALLEN: But I'd be very picky when it comes to salads. I like salads with just filled with just fruit. Very summer salad. Just fruit. And--
JAYMEE SIRE: So like any greens or just--
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, no, no, no. Because I don't like Romaine lettuce. So [JAYMEE LAUGHS] It would have to be like a spring mix.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK.
KALEN ALLEN: Yeah, so it's free mixed, and we do some fruit, and we do like some turkey style chicken. And then for dinner, I would love just like a-- there's this place called Yardbird. Baby, they got these short ribs. [JAYMEE LAUGHS] Baby, they'll change your life. Those are the best ribs I have never had in my life. So I definitely get some ribs with some barbecue, because I'm from Kansas City. So barbecue is like a thing for me.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's got to be in there.
KALEN ALLEN: Yes, so definitely that would be my first perfect meal.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well wait and then dessert?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, dessert. Dessert is definitely peach cobbler. I've been thinking I think I make me a peach cobbler today. Yeah, definitely peach cobbler.
JAYMEE SIRE: Peach cobbler and Brussels sprouts, and a steak.
KALEN ALLEN: Boom, period. Done. [JAYMEE LAUGHS]
JAYMEE SIRE: Wait, now so I know you said obviously the short ribs are from Yardbird. Is everything else something that you've cooked or are you letting somebody else do the cooking?
KALEN ALLEN: Oh, no, I don't let nobody cook for me. Everything else with it-- I don't trust everybody else's food. So, yeah, no everything else I'm cooking.
JAYMEE SIRE: You're cooking. Well you are-- you're cooking at home, you're cooking in life really. So we are so thankful that you joined us on the Food Network Obsessed podcast. I'm just smiling from ear to ear because you are such a delight.
KALEN ALLEN: Thank you.
JAYMEE SIRE: Thank you for brightening all of our days. KALEN ALLEN: Of course. Anytime, anytime.
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JAYMEE SIRE: So that was awesome. So refreshing to talk to Kalen and I am literally grinning from ear to ear. I hope you guys enjoyed listening to him as much as I enjoyed talking to him, because he really just puts you in a good mood, doesn't he? And I love hearing that story about Juilliard and canceling his audition, and just really the crazy wild ride that he's been on over the last few years. And I feel like it's just the beginning.
I think the show that he is working on with Food Network as a judge is just so fun, and by the way when there's a competition to make a life-sized cake out of my likeness, I will definitely know I've made it. So just guys wait, we have more awesome guests lined up on Food Network Obsessed, and you do not want to miss out. Trust me. So please, please subscribe now.
And if you enjoy today's episode just rate and review, and don't forget to watch Kalen's new show. The first three episodes of Cakealike are available to stream now, exclusively on Discovery Plus with new episodes released every Thursday.
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And we will catch you foodies next Friday on Food Network Obsessed.
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