The fourth Thursday in November is the month's most famous food-related holiday, but the first Thursday in November is also a significant culinary holiday in the United States: National Men Make Dinner Day.
This holiday falls on Nov. 2 in 2023, and men all over America can celebrate by cooking dinner that day, whether it's for their partners, friends, or families. If you're a sports fan who isn't sure what to cook on National Men Make Dinner Day, perhaps you can take inspiration from some of your favorite male athletes who have put their cooking skills on display.
Mark Canha and the COVID Cooks
The Coronavirus pandemic led to more time at home for the vast majority of society, and athletes were no exception. One athlete who flexed his cooking muscles at home was first baseman Mark Canha, who was a member of MLB's Oakland Athletics at the time. Canha had already been displaying his cooking skills on Instagram, but he took his palate to the next level after a fan introduced him to curry powder from a local specialty store called the Oaktown Spice Shop. Canha put the curry powder to good use with various curry recipes while also integrating it into the chicken kebabs he made on his backyard grill, but his favorite dish to cook for his family remains a classic spaghetti and meatballs, just like Canha's Italian mother used to make for him.
Other athletes who showed off their cooking skills on social media sites such as YouTube and Instagram during the pandemic included Enes Kanter and Serge Ibaka of the NBA, both of whom brought an international flair to their cuisine. Former NFL QB Cam Newton also used the extra time on his hands during the pandemic to get into cooking. Newton's a vegan himself but doesn't mind incorporating meat when cooking for his kids.
Tobias Dorzon and the Chefs
Most of us spend our entire lives as amateurs when it comes to both sports and cooking, but Tobias Dorzon has reached the professional level in both endeavors. After playing running back at Jackson State in college, Dorzon spent time on the rosters of both the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. He then played two years for CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers before hanging up his cleats to pursue his other passion: cooking. Dorzon attended the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Washington during the 2012 offseason and subsequently worked as a personal chef for celebrity clientele including LeBron James, Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, and Snoop Dogg. Nowadays, Dorzon's a successful restaurateur, who will likely celebrate Men Make Dinner Day with one of his signature dishes, which are inspired by his West African heritage.
Another former NFL player who successfully transitioned from the gridiron to the griddle is Eddie Jackson, who hosts BBQ Blitz on Food Network. Not to be confused with current Bears safety Eddie Jackson, Jackson the chef appeared in 42 NFL games split between the Panthers, Dolphins and Patriots from 2004-07. One tip from Jackson that you can keep in mind when cooking on National Men Make Dinner Day is that grilling vegetables helps retain vitamins, nutrients and fibers better than boiling them, which makes grilled vegetables an excellent pre-workout or post-workout meal.
Tom Brady and the Cookbooks
Numerous athletes have released cookbooks after or during their careers, revealing some of the recipes they used to help keep their bodies in tip-top shape. Two such cookbooks are former NFL star Tom Brady's TB12 Manual and former NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire's Cooking with Amar'e: 100 Easy Recipes for Pros and Rookies in the Kitchen. Even if you don't use either of these cookbooks for your meal on National Men Make Dinner Day, both can be kept in mind as options to pick up on another November holiday -- Black Friday -- whether for yourself or as a holiday gift for any aspiring athletes in your life with an inclination for cooking.
