It’s not often that you get to have a conversation with someone who has a Masters in Gastronomy with a focus on aphrodisiacs. Amy Reiley is exactly that. I first met Amy years ago when her first book, fork me, spoon me was released. As a book about aphrodisiac foods, she of course had a chapter on figs that we were happy to contribute our fig scone recipe to – that she lovingly renamed “morning after fig scones with fresh cream”. Catching up over ten years later in the midst of covid it’s not as easy to be thinking about all of the foods that seduce you. Even so, her blog turned website, Eat Something Sexy has been going on for years. It is full of recipes, anecdotes and a full on dictionary of aphrodisiac foods which we all need to know where to find. Her other books include, Eat Cake Naked and Romancing the Stove.

Her latest endeavor, something she is particularly proud of and rightly so, is her work with Rock & Wrap It. This is a non profit that calls itself an anti-poverty think tank and most importantly is finding potential donors that have renewable assets to share, especially food. In their 20th year, they have continued to recover food from TV and FIlm production sets. They work with the big corporations including Sony, Disney, Netflix, ABC … to recover prepared but not served excess food from entertainment catering companies and forward it on to people in need. They are also working with legislators pushing education and the Bill Emerson Samaritan Act keeping donors safe from liability. Their food initiatives go much further than just the entertainment sector and have moved into hospitals, schools, sports and more.