NYC's sexiest chefs

'Sexy Chefs' Camille Becerra and Seamus Mullen (Dave Sander/ Michelle Repiso)

By Daisy Carrington | dcarrington@am-ny.com

November 23, 2007

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In September, we asked our readers to nominate candidates for the sexiest male and female chefs in the city.

After sorting through dozens of responses, we narrowed the field down to 11 steamy contestants, and then, ultimately, to two smokin' winners.

Camille Becerra, the sprightly owner of Paloma in Greenpoint was the female victor, while Seamus Mullen, the executive chef Boqueria in Flatiron and Suba on the Lower East Side, took the title for the men.

They tell us why cooking is so inherently sexy, and what they think the perfect date food is.

Camille Becerra
Chef/Owner of Paloma

Ideal date food: Brook trout with roasted butternut squash and wild mushrooms. And, if the date goes well, popovers the next morning.

When asked how she got into cooking, Camille melts into a grin.

"Initially, it was to impress boys," she admits. "Honestly, it just really stemmed from there. I met this guy and we moved to South Carolina, where there were great farmers markets. I was reading [the food writer] MFK Fisher at the time and it just all came together."

When she was 19, Camille became the head cook, or tenzo, at Mount Baldy, a Buddhist temple outside of Los Angeles, Calif.

"It was great culinary practice," she says. "Basically, we were given produce by the Los Angeles vegetable markets, stuff that is about to go bad. The stuff that they can't really sell, they give. We would get all this produce, so it was like here, 'make dinner for anywhere between 15 to 30 monks.'"

Camille was chosen as a contestant on season three of the Bravo series "Top Chef." So, how does it feel to be voted sexiest chef?

"I was quite shocked. I was like, who knew? Really? But thank you!"

Styling credits: Styling by Lisa von Weise; Hair & makeup by Martin Christopher; Cashmere dress by www.ulurunyc.com

Seamus Mullen
Executive chef at Boqueria and Suba

Ideal date food: Sushi. Says Mullen, "raw fish has a very sensual texture."

"Food is all about enjoyment, pleasure and sustenance," says Seamus. "It makes you think of sex and sensuality. Women are always intrigued by men that can cook." The dark-eyed chef began his love affair with food while growing up on an organic farm in Vermont.

"I was always surrounded by produce and fresh meat, so I kind of learned through my parents and my grandmother how to cook the basics," he recalls. His passion was solidified, however, on a trip to Spain when he was 16.

"Any aspect of Spanish culture is tied to food, whether it's getting together at someone's house for an family lunch, or if it's an outdoor roast, or doing paella on the beach. So it was kind of inevitable the first time I went there that I would fall in love with the food."

When not working out of his Flatiron restaurant, Seamus enjoys riding his motorcycle, though he maintains he is not a thrill seeker.

"I enjoy riding fast but I don't take risks," he says. "I had a really bad motorcycle accident five years ago and I learned that it is best to ride conservatively in the city." How does Seamus feel about being named New York's sexiest chef?

"Oh God. It's never felt better. Tell me about it. What are my responsibilities now?" Just keep doing what you're doing, my friend.

amNY.com readers also made their picks for the city's sexiest chefs. The hottest Male chef is Sean Scotese, Mai House and the female winner is Amanda Freitag, Gusto. Click here to see a photo gallery of the Web contest contenders.