Allegra McEvedy is a chef, broadcaster and writer. She is a founding partner of Leon, the healthy fast-food restaurant group that won Best New Restaurant in the 2005 Observer food awards.

Allegra’s catering career has included stints at some of London’s most glamorous and acclaimed restaurants including Green's, The Belvedere, The Groucho Club, The River Café and The Cow where she was head chef at the age of just 24. She gained a special visa to the US as 'an alien with extraordinary ability in the culinary arts' where she worked at Robert de Niro's New York restaurant Tribeca Grill and Rubicon in San Francisco. She also cooked personally for President Clinton at a Democratic party fundraiser.

Allegra is the author of several cookbooks including Allegra McEvedy’s Colour Cookbook (Published by Kyle Cathie, £19.99) which explores the significance of the colour of food. She answers reader’s culinary queries every Thursday on the Guardian’s Word of Mouth blog http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/09/ask_allegra_1.html.

She has contributed to numerous magazines including the Evening Standard's ES Magazine, Elle, Living etc, Image, GQ, Tesco Magazine, and Good Housekeeping.