Invite Your Friends: A Guest Post by benny blanco

benny blanco knows the world is watching him — the internet’s favorite producer, boyfriend, chef, and now, cookbook author. Gen Z’s favorite triple threat has penned an exclusive essay for B&N readers on the joys of cooking for his friends — one’s you’ve seen on tv and heard on Spotify — and what making a meal means to him. Hear from benny, down below.

Hardcover $31.50 $35.00

Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends

Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends

By benny blanco , Jess Damuck

In Stock Online

Hardcover $31.50 $35.00

Gen Z superstar benny blanco does it all, but what he really loves is food — and feeding his friends. This is a cookbook you want, whether you’re just starting out in the kitchen, or looking to up your skills.

Gen Z superstar benny blanco does it all, but what he really loves is food — and feeding his friends. This is a cookbook you want, whether you’re just starting out in the kitchen, or looking to up your skills.

I grew up in Virginia with my mom, who mostly ate almonds and scrambled eggs. I didn’t even try sushi until I was eighteen, and going out to eat was so rare I’m not even sure if it ever happened (but if it did it probably involved a Bloomin’ Onion). When I was thirteen, my friend got a George Foreman Grill and it changed my life forever. We would invite friends over, get stoned, and make the most elaborate sandwiches our prepubescent minds could fathom.

I became obsessed with food and cooking for friends. If every meal didn’t end with some version of “This is the best meal I’ve ever had in my entire life!” I was depressed. I still get the same feeling when I walk out of my kitchen and see my friends awaiting my creations, but now instead of bad sandwiches I bring out a freezing cold dish filled with toro and uni topped with generous spoonfuls of caviar.

Cooking is scary. And cooking for a group of people, forget about it. But I promise you, once you get into it, it will be your new addiction. We put so much importance on our own success, using it to try to justify whether we are happy or not, when all we really need is a little warm focaccia right out of the oven and a good conversation. I encourage you to slow down, have a dinner party, invite your friends, and tell them to invite their friends. You’ll be amazed that pretty much any combination of people you put together (most likely) works out.

I’m lucky to have a lot of really talented friends. A lot of them make appearances in my cookbook, because my book is all about cooking with and for friends. You’ll hear about my best friends Dave (Lil Dicky) who I’m in a television show with and Matty Matheson who is a chef and actor in THE BEAR. You’ll hear from my buddy Ben Sinclair who writes, directs, and stars in HBO’s HIGH MAINTENANCE. I even included my banana pudding recipe that I named after SZA because she likes it so much.

I have a friend named Pop who cooks insane soul food every Sunday. Sometimes you go to his house and there’s five people, sometimes there’s seventy-five. He has an open-door policy, just no jerks allowed. We’ve known each other for almost twenty years and I can’t even remember how we first met, but I think it probably had something to do with food. Because I love you, I’m giving you this mac n’ cheese recipe that I make with pop. IMO, It’s a top-three recipe in my book. It literally has pounds of cheese and butter in it. Enjoy!