Sara TramiEl/viewChef Cindy Rhodes, center, pours rose water over Carolie and Edward Swindle?s hands before serving them an Aphrodite dinner at their home on June 25.
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She calls herself Chef Cindy, The Aphrodisiac Chef. And why not? The Summerlin resident cooks up dinners for couples using foods known to ignite their passion.
"There are so many couples, they've been together like 15 years, and all that romance, that spark, it's gone," Cindy Rhodes said. "I like to help them keep the love fire burning."
More than oysters and chocolate-dipped strawberries, those foods include almonds, asparagus, tomatoes, figs, and even garlic.
Rhodes, 41, began offering the aphrodisiac dinners about three years ago.
Besides everything needed to make a meal, she brings rose petals, which she sprinkles from the bed to the bathtub. She leaves chocolate truffles out, puts on a CD of romantic music by musicians like Luther Vandross or Barry White, and turns the lights down.
While she's busy in the kitchen, a separate service might give the couple massages to help relax them.
The romantic dinner is customized beforehand to their taste, and Rhodes' signature entree -- salmon with tarragon and leek sauce -- is often selected. Top desserts are bananas foster or chocolate-covered pear with macaroons and Grand Marnier.
"If you have a four-course meal and your appetizer is spicy, you're not going to have a spicy entree," Rhodes said. "You have to mix it up."
Edward Swindle and his wife, Carolie, experienced the Aphrodite dinner in June.
They said memories of the romantic evening will linger for years.
Besides the lamb, done to perfection, the kitchen was left cleaner than before Rhodes arrived, the couple said.
"That night, my husband gave Chef Cindy the ultimate compliment," Carolie said. "Ed was sound asleep when I heard him utter, 'Yummy good.' "
Additional culinary services include group cooking classes. Clients' favorite is Rhodes' Tapas and sangria interactive dinner party.
Romance isn't just for Valentine's Day, Rhodes said. So, her aphrodisiac dinner service for two is available year-round, at a cost of $425.
"Usually, when I start to clean up, they're already running the bath water," she said. "That means it's a job well done."
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