Benny Blanco Jokes SZA Only Comes Over When He Cooks These Dishes: 'A Gift and a Curse' (Exclusive) - PEOPLE

For Benny Blanco, cooking meals and cooking up ideas in the studio have "so much overlap." And in some cases, one can't happen without the other.

The decorated music producer, who released his first book Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends on April 30, tells PEOPLE that cooking is "all about community" for him — and oftentimes a requirement to get some of his collaborators to pay him a visit.

"It sucks because once I cook them ... I remember I made SZA lasagna and banana pudding when she first came to my house," says Blanco, 35. "And then every day she would just be like, 'Hey, I'm not coming unless there's the lasagna or banana pudding.' I'd be like, 'f---.'"

"Then all my friends, all my artist friends, they're like, 'Yo, can you make that bolognese?' They're like, 'Yo, remember when you made those kebabs?' So it's kind of a gift and a curse," he jokes.

Open Wide by Benny Blanco.

HarperCollins

Blanco, who has worked with SZA multiple times on tracks including "Special" and "Nobody Gets Me" and even appeared in her "Snooze" music video in 2023, shares the coveted banana pudding recipe in Open Wide.

"One day I was working with SZA at my studio, and she was a little hungry. She went into my refrigerator and there was a little bit of banana pudding left," Blanco writes in the book. "She took a bite and immediately let out an involuntary scream. Ever since that moment she refused to come into the studio without a full sheet tray of banana budding ready, and within two hours it's completely gone. I truly think she would stop talking to me if I didn't make this for her again."

It's easy to see why. The base of Blanco's recipe is a rich combination of instant pudding, cream cheese, condensed milk and mascarpone cheese. It gets layered with sliced bananas, cookies and a homemade vanilla whipped cream. (Get the full recipe in his cookbook.)

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Blanco has come along way from his first concoction (a "terrible melted sandwich," he recalls). In addition to SZA's banana pudding, Blanco, who is dating Selena Gomez, shares tried and true recipes, with witty names, like “I Hope We Didn’t Make a Baby” Breakfast Burrito and his "Lose Your Mind" Lobster Rolls. Open Wide also includes personal anecdotes involving famous pals like Lil Dicky and Eric Andre.

"There's something I love about being able to host and make people have an experience and take them somewhere they may have not been before," he says. "Whether that's food or music or when we're making a TV show, it's like, I want everything to be an experience for people."

Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez.

Instagram @selenagomez

When asked for a message to fans also looking to explore different mediums, Blanco says: "Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. Do anything you want. Nobody can stop you. Well, don't do things that hurt other people or anything," he laughs.

"But if you have an itch, I always think it's worth it to scratch it. Whether it's like, 'Oh, well I don't really do this, but I really want to try.' Why not try? You might be actually good at it."

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2024-04-30 15:16:41Z
CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vcGVvcGxlLmNvbS9iZW5ueS1ibGFuY28tam9rZXMtc3phLW9ubHktY29tZXMtb3Zlci13aGVuLWhlLW1ha2VzLXRoZXNlLWRpc2hlcy1vcGVuLXdpZGUtZXhjbHVzaXZlLTg2MDU3NjXSAQA

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