“His unique blend of culinary excellence and provocative, sensually suggestive videos not only captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands online, but also underscored his marketing genius.” So Penguin Random House describes pastry chef and bakery owner Anthony Randello-Jahn, the Tik-Tok sensation, whose debut cookbook releases on February 3. Simply titled The Donut Daddy Cookbook, it features “sugar and seduction” in 69 dessert recipes. “Each recipe has a tongue-and-cheek headnote,” adds Penguin, “followed by detailed steps like how to properly caress your doughs into submission, fill them with flavorful creams or cover in sticky glazes, and bake them until golden and ready to consume…”
‘Food porn’ doesn’t always imply a connection food/sexuality. It does in Anthony’s cookbook. With playful chapters like “Foreplay” or “Decadent Desires” and alluring recipes like “My Pleasure Bombs,” or “Sweet Sin Cruller.” It does in his wild cooking videos, which marry stunning cinematic visuals (slo-mo, extreme close-ups and quick cuts) with a hot body (often shirtless) and cheeky, erotic symbolisms. Take these sexy videos on The Donut Daddy’s Instagram page: in his “Panettone” reel, Anthony doesn’t just knead dough, he massages and spanks it like two butt cheeks first, two tits then. He sensuously drips honey into it, fingers a (obviously yonic) yolk, shuts the oven door like he’s ‘humping’ it. In the “Apple streusel” reel, he scoops out the core of an apple and penetrates it with his finger; licks a block of butter, cracks eggs on his chest and caresses the (very phallic) blender… Over the top? Perhaps, but always with humor.
“Sexuality can be a powerful marketing tool for selling,” Anthony told Forbes, “but the effectiveness of using sex as a selling point depends on various factors: the product, target audience, and cultural context.” His signature mix of culinary indulgence, sexual innuendos and sheer fun has since gone viral; will The Donut Daddy Cookbook become a bestseller too? “It is your invitation to indulge,” writes Anthony on his Instagram. “From simple sweets to decadent creations, every recipe is designed to seduce your senses.” We have a couple of questions though: with all these scrumptious desserts –and the desires they ignite– how does Anthony keep in top shape? And more importantly, how would we?
Instagram: @thedonutdaddy
