What I Made for Dinner

“Reading [Belc’s] clear-eyed and thoughtful exploration of being primarily responsible for feeding himself, his wife, and their four children is a beautiful reminder of how both elemental and sacred a homemade meal can be.” —Emma Specter, Vogue

“Filled with relatable frustrations about parenthood, as well as well-researched tidbits of food TV history, come hungry to What I Made for Dinner. You’ll leave inspired to try your own hand at making the gorgeous cinnamon bun recipes that look anything but simple.” —D/Annie Liontas, Electric Literature

“Belc’s exquisite second memoir, ostensibly about cooking dinner for his wife and children, [has] so much to say about isolation, and loneliness, and using the internet to cope and to connect—and about allowing ourselves to be shaken awake to the present moment . . . Belc’s startling, honest essays form an antidote–but it’s medicine that tastes and feels like what it is: a lovingly crafted, deliciously original, and impeccably presented nine-course meal.” —Hannah Matthews, The Rumpus

“The work sings because Belc is not trying to prove his betterness. He situates himself (within a family, a set of cultures, a neuropsychology, a place) without trying to be better than other people’s version of those things or mourning his version. Rarely do I come across thinking suffused with enoughness that has so little to prove. It’s a delight to read.” —Leora Fridman, My Fault

“Belc is a thoroughly charming narrator of everything from finding meaning in the work of Deb Perelman and Ina Garten to parenting as a trans man to the maddening and joyful mundanity of running a household. A joyful read.” —Literary Hub

“Belc’s writing is thought-provoking, expansive, and original. Delicious.” —Booklist

“A moving exploration of Belc’s experience as a trans man. Recommended for readers interested in cooking, family life, and queer memoirs.” —Library Journal

“A charming reflection on food and identity . . . Belc proves a funny, generous guide who remains self-aware about his obsessions without undermining their sincerity. There’s plenty of sustenance in these pages.” —Publishers Weekly

“A moving and often funny account of how one man provides for his family, What I Made for Dinner feels both quietly radical and deeply comforting. In Krys Malcolm Belc’s hands, the dailiness of parenting and meal-making becomes what it truly is: a ritual of nurturing life, of meeting one another with care and respect. Neurodivergent, queer, and full of love, I missed this book whenever life took me briefly way from its pages.” —Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body

“What I Made for Dinner is a tender, deliciously readable memoir told in intimate vignettes, tracing one family’s life through food during the pandemic. Writing as a transgender man and father on the brink of welcoming his fourth child, the author captures how cooking becomes an act of care, survival, and becoming—of feeding others while finding yourself. I laughed, I cried, I cried again—and I devoured every page.” —Hannah Howard, author of Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family

“What I Made for Dinner is a captivating exploration of domesticity, parenthood, and queer family. With food and the women who make it his lens, Belc examines the complex contours of identity and isolation, masculinity and femininity, race and class, community and care. Both meditative and urgent, funny and profound, this is a deeply human story about the choices we make and the paths we take—of finding joy in the mundane and making meaning in the daily acts of service that build a family and a home. This book made me want to cook—to make Marcella’s Bolognese and pick fresh herbs in Ina’s garden, and invite all my friends to dinner. It also made me want to eat. To be in Belc’s kitchen is not just to watch a perfect roast chicken or chocolate cake come out of the oven, or to imagine the first exquisite bite; ultimately, it’s to feel cared for—like you’re sitting at the table, watching your friend cook, waiting to taste every beautiful thing he’s made.” —Melissa Faliveno, author of Tomboyland and Hemlock