“Warm and generous, precise and exacting, this book is one of a kind, tied together by Birdsall's knowingness and generosity. An absolutely gorgeous work.”
— Bryan Washington, Family Meal
“Birdsall's genius has given us a queer chronicle, full of both famous names and untold stories, revealing the subversive secret life of food in America.”
— Andrew Sean Greer, Less and Less Is Lost
“The book defies category: it’s a history and a philosophical argument, a chain of interconnected stories told in Birdsall’s unmistakable voice, sexy and joyous and angry and thrumming with life.”
— Helen Rosner, The New Yorker
Amazon Top 100 Best Book of the Year
Finalist for a James Beard Award
Finalist for a Lambda Literary Award
Finalist for the Publishing Triangle’s Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction
“Birdsall gets to what’s often missing from the cheerful narrative of James Beard, shading in the face sketched on medals and vintage book covers.”
— Tejal Rao, New York Times
“A marvel of narrative nonfiction.”
— American Scholar
“Foundational. Important. Indispensible and delectable queer food history at its finest.”
— Michael W. Twitty, The Cooking Gene
"This book will make you a better person."
—Anthony Bourdain
"An exceptional work."
—Library Journal
"Fun, fascinating, and very timely."
—Amy Scattergood, Los Angeles Times
