ANTONI POROWSKI

For the most part, it was never assumed that I was gay, and I've had people be sort of surprised that I was gay or act apologetic like they didn't know, which would just make me really uncomfortable. And I never had shame for it, but I never felt like introducing myself as, 'I'm Antoni. I'm gay. How are you?'

I've always considered myself a little more fluid along the spectrum. So even being called bisexual... I remember, in my early twenties, I was like, 'But bisexual means I can only like girls and guys. What if I like something else?'

It's important to go into the grocery store with a plan and a list. But it's a skeleton - you need to know how to deviate from it and adapt it to what ingredients are available and fresh.

On 'Queer Eye' I come in with what I know, and I try to parlay that into lessons for our 'heroes.' But that's really listening to what they need. Sometimes it's a little more ambitious. Sometimes it's very simplistic. But it's got to be something that's condensed into a short amount of time.

Montreal is just so multicultural and ethnic and diverse, and it's what makes us special. I say 'us' like I still live there, but I still do feel like a Montrealer.

I know the people who eat my food really enjoy it, and those are the people who matter at the end of the day.

I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, but I do have one in the morning.

I'm very frugal, so I don't like to shop because I'm afraid everything is going away.

I usually like loud T-shirts and band shirts, so I just try to keep it as simple as possible with jeans and white kicks that are worn in and, like, a simple jacket.

My biggest nightmare is that something doesn't have enough salt.

I don't listen to music that I won't like in a month.

I really enjoy being vulnerable, and it's how I connect with other people, and part of how I do that is through food, by sharing something that I feel is very intimate and personal because it's something that I create out of nothing.

Since puberty, I've always known there was a possibility of me being with a man. It wasn't anything I felt the need to explore until the time came to explore it.

Polish people have a wit and sarcasm. They're gentle but still very strong. Like, they love beer, which is traditionally so manly, but they'll put a spoonful of jam in it to sweeten it up. They're this wonderful mix of hard and soft.

There should be no rules at your dinner party except for people to eat a lot and enjoy a long night where they feel like they could fall asleep at the dinner table at the end.

I can't do too much of one thing, or I get very distracted.

When I was studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse, I would overdraft my bank account and not have enough money to buy groceries. But I also discovered how to cook with very limited resources.

I love Greek food in the summer.

If the person needs avocados, then I'm not going to deny them avocados because some troll decided I use avocados too much.

There's a deodorant I wear called Baux, from L'Occitane, that is super nostalgic because it reminds me of being in Greece in the summer. When I put it on, I'm immediately taken back to that feeling of having salty skin and hair from the ocean and the taste of fresh fish.

There's so much that can be learned from French cooking, especially really traditional, more modest meals.

If I'm in Italy at a certain time of year, I'll make sure to try fresh porcini mushrooms in risotto, or puntarelle, a sort of curled chicory leaf that's only available for a few weeks in May.

When I was around 18, I got kicked out of my parents' house, and I wasn't allowed to take anything with me. I slept on YMCA towels for a whole semester in university before my father found out and bought me a mattress. I felt really free because I was finally living on my own, but I was also really depressed because I had nothing.

Some people want to define themselves, and they should, as it's part of their identity. For me personally, I've never really had a label for myself.

I love fantasizing about what my next meal is going to be; it's probably my favorite topic of conversation.