Antoni Porowski is tuning out all the hate.
The food and wine guru on Netflix’s Queer Eye recently spoke to Refinery 29 and revealed that yes, he’s heard the criticism over the simplistic recipes he demonstrates on the show, and no, he isn’t letting it get to him.
“All of the ‘can he even cook’ has calmed down,” Porowski told the website. “Or maybe I’m just more ignorant because I don’t read anything anymore. I used to limit my reading, but now I actually don’t read anything.”
The 33-year-old Montreal native—who was once the personal chef and assistant to original Queer Eye foodie Ted Allen—has made everything from grilled vegetables to hot dogs and grilled cheese, but fans of the show noticed that he often incorporates his favorite ingredient: avocado.
“Why did I spent [sic] 18 years in education when Antoni in Queer Eye gets to have a career through just showing up and looking cute whilst introducing people to the power of avocado,” on Twitter user wrote.
“If you can cut avocados you’re literally antoni,” wrote another.
Porowski told Refinery 29 that he makes no apologies for his overuse of the healthy fat. “If the person needs avocados, then I’m not going to deny them avocados because some troll decided I use avocados too much,” he said.
Instead, the cooking expert is turning his attention to other things, like future projects, hinting at a possible cookbook or cooking show.
“I’m putting it out there. I have a memory bank of recipes that I’m starting to organize and curate into a grouping. I’m hoping it’s something I get to work on in the near future,” he said.
“I would want to do a cooking show. But I want to honor the opportunity that’s been given to me with Queer Eye,” he continued. “I feel like my work is cut out for me with the show alone. If it ever goes bust, then I’ll explore that possibility,”
Earlier this year, Porowski told PEOPLE that the reason he’s teaching the men they makeover such basic dishes is because he’s essentially starting from scratch with their skills in the kitchen.
“I remember the first episode I went in and literally did a three-course meal with multiple components and I was thinking ‘Yes, I’m going to show off my skills here and this is going to be a full on cooking show.’ But what I realized is that it’s the simple little things. This guy had never really prepared a meal for himself,” he said of the premiere’s star Tom Jackson.
“We have to be realistic,” he added. “I’m not going to completely change this person’s way of life in such a short amount of time, but just show that there are healthier options.”
