Barstool Owns the Eats with Chef Donny

As a stoolie myself, I have been consuming...like many others...so much different content corners of Barstool Sports, for at least the past decade-plus. Over that time, with work, coaching, and life responsibilities, sometimes gems fall through the cracks. It just becomes tough to be introduced to and enjoy so much content. Over the first few years, really just in random spots of the stool, Chef Donny would pop up, mainly making some sort of monstrous draft food on The Yak back in the New York days. His talents didn’t really reach my routine Barstool consumption until Chicago. If you haven’t caught on yet, yes...this is a Chef Donny appreciation blog.

Growing up, I was not even close to being a cook, whether I was burning store-bought taquitos, catching plain chip & cheese nachos on fire, it was a disaster. As I became an adult and moved out on my own, those memories kind of put me in a fear to really dive into cooking. Until recent years, I found a love for making things and baking. But since I went so many years living in fear from the past trauma, burning smells and flames circling my kitchen would put anyone in a cold sweat as they turn on a burner, lets just say I was spatula shy. I haven’t even gotten into the tuna can cut as a boy… sheesh, what a mess I was.

So in my late 20s, I kind of tiptoed around the kitchen, not taking any chances and keeping my meals very vanilla. Which my wife-to-be did enjoy, but I know she would love some more variety and flavorful meals. Into my 30s, the discovery of Chef Donny, more than just him having to make draft day food for the psychos on The Yak, changed the game. Donny not only made cooking interesting but also easy, helping guys like me start to eat more than Chipotle, Taco Bell, or the blahhh frozen foods. His background wasn’t just cooking, but also his daredevil antics outside the kitchen brought him to Barstool, and he takes that energy into the kitchen with his recipes.

Now with a full kitchen in Chicago, I would argue his What’s for Lunch show has become one of my can’t-miss pieces of Barstool content. His cooking always turns out great, it’s not something he does and then, when you give it a whirl, and FAIL it’s impossible. I mean, we’ve all had that happen: see a recipe on social media, follow it, and it’s a complete flop. Donny’s always come out great over and over again. The wife even would catch me double checking recipes in hte gym to do later that day! On your own, for the friends, or just the family I’ve put together and made at least 10–15 of his What’s for Lunch meals at this point and never been disappointed. My wifes only disappointment was recently, in saying Donny the stache needs to go. Sorry man.

Boys, also, what you need to know: if you can whip up something confidently in the kitchen for the lady, you are so freakin' set. In her eyes, you jump at least 20% on the sexy scale.

Donny has shown his innovation not just with the food though, now bringing in countless celebrities and Barstool personalities has been such a hit. It gives him a chance to engineer great and authentic dialogue with people you maybe couldn’t get outside of the kitchen. What seems like a simple process, he has made into a can’t-miss.

My only complaint is how tough it is to get his cookbook (insert very sad face)!

America has had cooking shows for years as a way to entertain you, heck, Donny himself competed on the famous Food Network’s Chopped. With all of those, including Good Eats to Child’s, its now Barstool that has created their own style yet again by letting Chef Donny do his thing in Chicago. I gotta say it is a dream of mine to one day help out on What’s for Lunch. I think I would do homemade pizza or carne street tacos. YES! I am that lame, I even have a meal lined up in my head.

If you’re reading this, Chef, I’m ready to get out there in the kitchen to rep Barstool Breakdown with ya on What’s for Lunch. So our parents had Emeril, Rachael Ray, and others… but that’s okay, because we get so much more with Barstool’s own Chef Donny.