Appetite for Seduction

About Shani

Shani Castri is the “Sensual Cooking Diva”. Her journey started in her grandmother’s Southern California kitchen where she entrusted Shani to all the secret family recipes. Cooking beside her Grandmother and Grandfather she learned the subtleties of the recipes…and it was there that she first became aware of the connection between love and food. Shani went on to bake cookies and chocolates for her guys until one day she realized that her “cupcakes” were more desirable to them than her baked goods.

And so Seduction was born… first Shani was seduced. She worked at Walt Disney World and couldn’t stop until she had met someone from every country there! However, only France was able to seduce her…she followed her graduation from UC Boulder to travel throughout Europe and study French in Montpellier, France. The French invented Seduction and she was often heard exclaiming “ohlalalala”! This moaning was typical in the morning upon greeting a big cup full of dark coffee, a warm flaky pan au chocolat in one hand and a hearty appetite inside. But Seduction is short lived for a woman with passionate desires.

Italy was next and a tough one- Shani, a true shoe lover, admits the boot was full of temptation… thinly sliced prosciutto, scoops and scoops of rich thick gelato, glasses and bottles dripping of wine, one luscious bite after another of crisp and chewy pizza and thick, juicy cuts of Florentine meat served on the bone. Southern Italy had her attention for years… living there, experiencing its culture, loving its men and speaking their language (both literally and physically). During this period of attraction, she was also a contestant on La Prova del Cuoco, a popular nationally broadcasted Italian cooking show and co-hosted a segment for Italy’s Gambero Rosso channel.

Back in New York City- her home since the early ’90’s, Shani had a new recipe- she took her foreign education, added her own cooking experiences and turned it into her own business Appetite for Seduction- where she teaches others how to seduce in the kitchen. In addition to private classes, she has taught Appetite for Seduction classes in New Port Beach, California for Sur La Table, and in NYC for The Learning Annex, Kiki de Montparnasse and the Museum of Sex. Shani has made numerous television appearances in the U.S., Japan and Italy and was featured on the Food Network’s, The Secret Life of Garlic and hosted her own video pod cast, Appetite for Seduction. Shani was most recently, seduced by a “spicier” suitor: Mexico…and was the only female chef to participate in Puerto Vallarta’s 13^th annual International Gourmet Food Festival. She is now sharing her knowledge with a foreign audience through videos on www.vallarta101.com

She has been living life to the fullest, laughing, dancing, seducing and being seduced.