Hugh Hefner’s former chef has shared his experiences of working for the infamous Playboy creator.
JJ Reinhart was employed by Hefner for nearly a decade, but he was well aware that the Playboy Mansion’s allure wasn’t centered on its buffet.
Nevertheless, his eight years at the mansion provided him with a unique perspective on the inner workings of Playboy and its founder.
Beginning his career in 2002 as an intern in his early 20s—motivated by the thought of working at the Playboy Mansion—Reinhart eventually advanced to the position of Chef de Cuisine at Hefner’s residence.
The mansion’s kitchen was always operational, with nine full-time chefs on staff, preparing meals 24/7.
The chefs were responsible for creating all of Hefner’s meals, catering to guests’ requests, and handling the food for lavish parties.
During his tenure, Reinhart became well-acquainted with Hefner’s dietary preferences and favorite dishes.
Despite his wealth, Hefner preferred simplicity, often choosing from a ‘standard menu’ of just 26 items.
For breakfast, Hefner had the same meal for at least four years—a ‘very, very simple English muffin’—until one day he surprised the chefs by asking for scrambled eggs.
“I’m like, OK, you’ve been eating the same thing for the four years that I’ve been here and now you want those, okay, that’s fine,” Reinhart said. “So we make some scrambled eggs.”
Such changes were rare in the Playboy kitchen, as Hefner’s menu items, though not extravagant, had to be prepared to his very specific standards.
Reinhart recalled an incident where Hefner called the kitchen to complain about how a sandwich had been cut, instructing that it needed to be ‘done right’.
Reinhart was dedicated to ensuring Hefner’s meals were perfect, even going as far as cooking two dozen turkeys the day before Thanksgiving to guarantee one would be just right.
“He would always eat the turkey leg,” Reinhart said. “I would cook 24 turkeys, just to make sure that I had a perfect one.”
Thanksgiving was the only meal Hefner shared with others at the mansion; otherwise, he was a ‘private eater’ who had his meals delivered to his bedroom by butlers like Bryant Horowitz, who had behind-the-scenes access.
The chefs had to be meticulous, ensuring Hefner’s food was flawless even when no one else was around. They would select ‘all of the perfect potato chips’ and the two softest center bread pieces from a loaf for him.
Even when dining out, Hefner preferred home-cooked meals.
“If he was going out to eat, we prepared his food for him and sent it along with him,” Reinhart said. “And then as he showed up at a restaurant, a big paper bag went right into the kitchen with specific instructions on how to prepare his meal, how to plate his meal.”
Reinhart didn’t mind the effort, stating, “He was such a great boss that we did things like this, because we knew it was his expectation, but it was never an issue for us to do this for him,” he told UNILAD.
Reinhart’s perception of Hefner contrasts with some of the allegations made against him after his death in 2017. In 2022, the docuseries “Secrets of Playboy” accused Hefner of destroying lives, with some models claiming he drugged and raped them.
Reinhart, however, claimed he ‘never saw [Hefner] grope any girls’ and described him as the ‘perfect gentleman’. “All of my friends that are Playmates… they all speak very, very highly [of Hefner]. I think it’s very disappointing that all of this has come out and since he’s passed away, he can’t defend himself,” Reinhart said.
Reinhart credited Hefner with fostering a ‘big family’ among the mansion’s staff, including housekeepers, maintenance workers, and even animal keepers for the property’s zoo.
Hefner had seven girlfriends during Reinhart’s employment, often inviting friends over for movie nights—classic films on Fridays and Saturdays and current movies on Sundays.
“So Sunday nights, there was usually a pretty big crowd,” Reinhart said. “On top of that, you know, everybody knows about the parties that he threw, probably six or seven parties a year, whether it was different holidays, different events.”
As an employee, Reinhart wasn’t permitted to attend the mansion’s parties, though guests had ‘free run’ of the place when invited. Hefner aimed to impress, especially with those he invited to live there.
According to Reinhart, Hefner’s girlfriends ‘never had jobs’ because he ‘took care’ of them, and their first task upon moving in was picking out a new car.
However, Melissa Howe, a former girlfriend, disputed Reinhart’s claims, stating that this wasn’t the case when she lived there and describing restrictions on when and where they could eat.
The chefs also encountered Playmates who came to the mansion for photoshoots.
“A lot of times they would stay down the street, but they were always allowed to come into the mansion, especially to get food,” Reinhart said.
“It was kind of funny because we would see these girls come in before the photoshoot [and] they’re eating very, very healthy, lots of salads, grilled chicken.” “Then you knew when the photoshoot was finished when all of a sudden, [the models were like] ‘give me a hamburger, give me French fries’,” he claimed.
Though the Playboy Mansion provided Reinhart ‘an opportunity to grow’ as a chef, he eventually realized that the food wasn’t the main draw for visitors.
“Somebody off the street couldn’t say, ‘hey, I want to go to Playboy Mansion because I hear Chef JJ’s making a great lamb chop, or a great steak. I knew for my career, I had to move on.”
Eventually, Reinhart made the ‘tough decision’ to leave when he had the chance to take a new role in Hawaii.
He now works as the executive banquet chef at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, catering to far more people than he ever did at Playboy.
Despite his career advancements, Reinhart remains grateful for his time at the mansion. “The chefs are some of my best friends,” he said. “And we all credit Mr. Hefner for bringing us all together.”