Appetite for Seduction

About Shani

When it comes to the world of passionate cuisine, culture and hospitality, Shani Castri is a force to be reckoned with. Growing up in Southern California, Shani shared her first experiences in the kitchen making secret family recipes with her Grandmother. This further fueled her passion to learn creative entertaining techniques from her artistic mother.

As a young adult, Shani’s long-standing love affair with international cuisine developed during an internship a Walt Disney World Resorts. Her attraction to not only sexy European men, but also to their passionate enthusiasm for food, wine and pleasure prompted extensive travel through Europe, including a three-month stay in Montpellier, France where she learned the language. Ultimately Italy stole her heart. She spent months exploring the regions on Italy as a apprentice of “la dolce vita.” Shani gained an appreciation of a lifestyle in which one’s passion for food, wine and romance exceeds all others.

In New York City Shani has conquered the restaurant industry by working at some of the most popular and successful restaurants in the city. She has managed Tuscan Square, Café M, Le Charlot, il Buco, Fiamma and SNACK. Working at some of the most popular restaurants among the world of film and music, Shani had many opportunities to rub elbows with the stars. While working at lci, Eric Clapton’s first restaurant venture, her sensual playfulness was immediately apparent when Brad Pitt contemplated the Osso Buco. “The best part, is that at the end you get to suck the succulent marrow center right out of the bone,” she said. And, he was sold. Her familiarity with Italy, the language and its cuisine gave her an opportunity to participate in “La Prova del Cuoco,” a popular Italian cooking show, nationally broadcasted on RAI1. Shani was then asked to co-host a demonstration on “Questo ho fatto io,” where she prepared one of her succulent recipes for Italy’s Gambero Rosso channel.

In creating “Appetite for Seduction” Shani has now come full circle combining the tow things in life she loves the most: FOOD and ROMANCE. She began her journey in 2004, teaching a “Sensual Summer Cooking Class” at Sur La Table in Newport Beach, California. The success of this class lead her to hosting private classes on both the west and east coasts. Shani has made numerous television appearances in Japan, Italy and the US. She can currently be seen on Food Network’s “The Secret Lif Of… Garlic” and in her own iTunes podcast, Appetite for Seduction.