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Sensual Foodies

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While there is no scientific proof that certain foods have an aphrodisiac quality to them, some certainly have sex appeal.

In the book The New Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook,(Terrace Publishing, 1997) author Martha Hopkins breaks down the history and background of foods, libations, and edible flowers that have been stamped with the aphrodisiac seal of approval.

There’s chocolate, the most celebrated and universally known love–food, which was reportedly drank in gallons by Aztec emperor Montezuma to help satiate his 200 wives.

There is also strawberries and grapes that you can feed to your lover; dripping honey that comes from the nectar of flowers; ginger and its invigorating scent that stimulates the senses; coffee gets the heart thumping and the not-so-obvious artichoke that has a thorny outside demeanor, but a velvety soft inside.

Sacramento chefs understand the powerful combination of food, texture and ambiance and how it can lend itself to creating a romantic mood. And most of them, love to play when it comes to cooking up romance.

Husband-and-wife team Michael Fagnoni and Molly Hawks, co-owners and co-chefs at Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay, each have their own favorite aphrodisiac.

“I really like the aromas … like a lavender or chamomile,” Hawks explains. “I just like the idea of being relaxed and mood inspired. A lot of times, with lavender, you think of bath salts, but it really works well with food.”

Fagnoni prefers romantic indulgences.  “I like caviar and brioche. That’s something Molly and I have always had,” he says. “You can share and it’s luxurious and special … something you wouldn’t always do.”

Raw food chef Richard Hemsley doesn’t follow a traditional way of preparing food, so it’s not surprising that his favorite food aphrodisiac wouldn’t be either.

“Maca has been called the raw food Viagra,” says Hemsley. “It’s a root, indigenous to Peru and I make a Choca Maca Latte with it. It’s pretty intense in its potential.”

Oysters— known for being the greatest of all aphrodisiacs—often symbolize  “virility and passion” according to Intercourses Cookbook.

Ame Harrington, chef at L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen,  definitely supports the theory.

“Oysters are always something I want with my honey,” she says. “Maybe it’s the texture, the way you eat them with your hands and fingers and out of the shell. It’s really more of a seduction.”


And what kind of romance could it all be without the beloved chocolate?

Rebecca Reichardt, chef at Tazzina Bistro in Woodland, has a soft spot for chocolate (and gin) she happily admits.

“Any of the molten chocolates work well for me … I think it’s the multi-textures and there’s just something euphoric about molten chocolate. Warm, fudgey, gooey and oozing… my favorite is an under–baked chocolate cake we make, we add Nutella and some toasted hazelnuts. That’s a date in itself. You just need a little moment of peace after you eat that.”