What I Made for Dinner: A Memoir

by Krys Malcolm Belc

From the author of The Natural Mother of the Child, an exquisite memoir about an amateur home cook’s hard and fast descent into an obsession with food celebrities, including Dessert Person Claire Saffitz, Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman, Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, and Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa

When the pandemic sends Krys Malcolm Belc and his young children home to live their lives on laptops, he turns to internet chefs for comfort and inspiration. It begins with Stella Parks and her 46 YouTube videos in which she teaches viewers how to make classic, nostalgic American treats like Cheez-Its, Klondike Bars, and Texas sheet cake. But the recipes aren’t enough—Belc needs to watch her showcase each ingredient, explain its importance, and weigh each item on a scale. His fixation on recipe videos, and the women who produce them, start to feel like the only thing that makes sense.

Most of life has been put on pause, but food is the one thing that continues to change day to day, season to season. Belc captures the joy and pleasure of cooking for a large family, as well as the mundane reality and occasional frustrations that come with simply getting food on the table. In the midst of it all, he feels a spark of inspiration to carry a second baby, a decision that forces him to confront how he has used both the internet and cooking to cope and distract.

Following a trans man whose life is largely structured by keeping the family household running, What I Made for Dinner asks the question we all might ask ourselves while elbow-deep in a roasting Is having the opportunity to cook meals for your family every day a blessing or a curse?

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, LGBT, Queer, Biography Memoir, Food

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2026

Reviews

[Tara Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a treat to read. Queer family life, cooking, watching other people cook. This book combines them all into part memoir, part analysis of cooking culture. I would say there are some strong trigger warnings for depression, so keep that in mind before reading. This book had me thinking about gender, and food, and family and how cooking combines it all. Lots of really beautiful parts of this.

[DrNona9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars

Krys Malcolm Belc’s What I Made for Dinner is a memoir that blends food writing, family life, pandemic reflections, and the author’s contemplation of whether to have a fourth child. Along the way, Belc explores the role food plays in identity, comfort, caregiving, and connection while diving into memories, celebrity chefs, and the cooking shows that shaped a generation of home cooks.

I enjoyed the nostalgic references to the early 2000s food television era and found myself reminiscing about many of the chefs and programs that were popular at the time. Those sections were easily my favorite part of the book and added warmth and familiarity to the narrative.

Unfortunately, the memoir often felt unfocused and repetitive. The author’s ongoing desire to have a fourth child became a central theme, but it was revisited so frequently that it began to overshadow other aspects of the story. At times the narrative wandered, making the book feel more like a collection of loosely connected thoughts than a cohesive memoir.

I think this book would have benefited from stronger editing, clearer organization, and a more deliberate structure. There were interesting ideas here, but they often got lost in the rambling. While I appreciated the reflections on food, family, and caregiving, the overall reading experience felt longer than it needed to be.

A thoughtful memoir with some enjoyable food nostalgia, but one that could have been strengthened by tighter editing and a clearer sense of direction.

[Michele Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed What I Made for Dinner by Krys Malcolm Belc. It’s a warm, reflective read that captures a very specific moment in time—life during lockdown—and the role food plays in connection, comfort, and identity.

At times, the narrative felt a bit rambling or uneven, with certain sections wandering more than I expected. That said, it also felt true to the experience it’s describing—those long, blurred-together days where thoughts and routines didn’t always follow a neat structure. In that way, the style almost adds to the authenticity of the story.

What stood out most to me was how inspiring it was. This book genuinely made me want to cook—not just out of necessity, but as a way to care for the people around me and to find meaning in everyday routines. It highlights the beauty in what might otherwise feel mundane, and reminds you that even simple meals can be an act of love.

Overall, a thoughtful and comforting read, especially for anyone who found solace in the kitchen during uncertain times.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ate up this foodie parenting memoir, written by Krys Belc about feeding his family during the pandemic and trying to decide if he wants to have a fourth child. Belc is a trans man who has given birth previously, and his partner has also carried two children. During the pandemic he becomes obsessed with the possibility of having another child, and stops taking testosterone in preparation for getting pregnant. Belc also becomes engrossed with the work of celebrity chefs and their food videos as a way to maintain his sanity during the pandemic. As an Enneagram 5 (give me all the information!), there are few books I enjoy more than memoirs that detail an author's research process. I loved following Belc down the rabbit hole of each chef, and I was just as interested in his journey considering a fourth child. This book is a treat that I stayed up way too late reading.

[Hannah Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This absolute banger of a nine-course meal, from one of our all-time memoir greats. I love its explorations of loneliness, queerness, family, parenthood, domestic labor, home as a cultural concept and a place of creation and self. I LOVE its structure, in morsels a reader can devour, and its dynamic, fluid movement toward the gorgeous ending. As someone with complicated relationships to food; to performances of femininity and motherhood; to the households and kitchen(s) of my own life; and to my place in my family of origin before, during, and after I began to build my own queer family and my own rhythms of queer domesticity and caretaking as love: I couldn't put it down. A must-preorder, and a must-read in 2026.

[Jordan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 STARS]

In WHAT I MADE FOR DINNER, amateur home chef Krys Malcolm Belc weaves together his life as a trans man navigating the pandemic and a growing family with reflections on the food personalities who shaped his love of cooking, from kitchen staples Ree Drummond and Ina Garten to newer voices like Claire Saffitz.

Belc is candid about his experiences with depression, suicidal ideation, family responsibilities and caregiving, all while grappling with the ever-present question, “What do I make for dinner tonight?” While the memoir's timeline can feel somewhat disjointed at times, I appreciated Belc's honesty and the intimate glimpse into his life and family.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audiobook copy of #WhatIMadeForDinner.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a strange mash-up of memoir, social media collaging, & literature review of cooking content. I wish the author had streamlined it a bit more as a memoir with their cooking inspirations organically integrated instead of inserting research-level recountings of famous cooks’ personal stories. For me, it muddled and distracted, instead of adding necessary info. I get the desire of a hook or angle in this world of memoir-overload, but I think the author’s personal experiences were enough to warrant a strong readership. It also could have benefited greatly from a structured timeline, as the back-and-forth overlapping of time gave the overall impression of being disjointed.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trans man shares his love of celebrity chefs, cooking, pandemic parenting, mental health and more in this new memoir about his love of feeding his family, finding joy in difficult times and reconciling his mental health with his desire for a fourth child. Moving, heartfelt and honest, this was a quick but emotionally deep read and I would definitely recommend it! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Philip Elder · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fault for bringing expectations in with me, but, reading about someone else watching chefs on Youtube is terrifically dull. It finally coalesces a bit towards the end when we get away from the kitchen and the author describes having a child mid-transition, and that's actually interesting, but again, I was here for the cooking. I felt strung along, and the chapter headings being chef's names when they are barely even tangential to the memoir comes off as pandering

[Meredith Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for early access to this audiobook! I enjoyed listening to this book, about how the author connected with recipe developers and food influencers and their recipes throughout challenging times in his life. It was a little bit on the long side but overall it was okay!

[Lauren Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite thing about Krys' writing is his honesty about things that most people wouldn't think to be honest about. Although the comparison shouldn't be taken too far, he writes with a genuine reverence for good food that reminds me of Hemingway. My favorite chapter is the one on Ina Garten.

[Krys Belc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff

[Noah G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so beautiful, I love your book!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

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