Donald Burgess was born in Kingston, Jamaica and started cooking when he was 12 years old. He credits his mother with his love for cooking and recalls spying on her whenever she was creating her amazing meals. He admits that he will never be as good as she was, but he honors her by trying to emulate her passion for perfection. "What's for Dinner?" was conceived after numerous requests for him to put his recipes in a book. His daughter Denise also inspired him to write after sending many text messages requesting his recipe for various dishes that she wanted to try herself.