Hugh Hefner had bizarre list of food rules at Playboy Mansion

Hugh Hefner had some strange food rules whilst residing at the Playboy Mansion, with a head chef revealing all.

From the early 1970s up to his death in 2017, Playboy Magazine founder Hefner lived at his infamous Holmby Hills mansion in Los Angeles, California.

The A-list spot quickly became home to the media mogul’s multiple girlfriends, and also served as the backdrop to the beloved reality TV show, The Girls Next Door.

The programme, which ran for six seasons on E!, saw Crystal Harris, twins Kristina and Karissa Shannon, and Holly Madison featuring, alongside Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt, and Hefner himself.

All of the playmates who resided in the Playboy mansion had to abide by certain diet rules, including some eyebrow-raising meal time instructions.

The Playboy Mansion served as the backdrop to The Girls Next Door (E!)

The father-of-four wanted his guests, staff, and women residing within the sprawling LA home to eat a healthy diet.

However, Hefner didn’t always stick to his own legislation, according to former head chef William S. Bloxsom-Carter.

The gastronomy expert, who held the prestigious position for more than two decades, told Gourmet in 2021 that he’d often keep the kitchen stocked with pies and sweet treats to appease the Playboy patriarch.

Anyone who opened the ‘cookie drawer’ would find packets of peanut butter and jelly cookies, Rice Krispies bars, oatmeal cookies, and other delectable delights.

In order to stay healthy, Bloxsom-Carter told the publication he wasn’t allowed to order meat for the freezer; everything had to be ‘fresh’.

Hefner and his girlfriends would also slurp on ‘low fat, no cream soups’ while fellow cooks were advised to ‘stay away from butter’ when preparing meals.

So, what did a day on the businessman’s plate look like?

First thing in the morning, Hefner would enjoy ‘half a grapefruit’ and a donut from Winchell’s.

The media mogul had a sweet tooth (Getty Images)

Lunch usually wasn’t on the cards for the publisher. But if he did end up getting peckish, he’d eat something at around 5.30pm.

Because of this, he and the women he lived with sometimes didn’t end up eating dinner until 10.30pm.

Instead of a traditional afternoon feast, Hefner would graze on sweet snacks, such as banana cream pie and a glass of milk.

Lamb chops were also reportedly on the menu, served alongside sauce, a baked potato and some vegetables.

The Playboy chefs would have to serve the meat in a certain way - positioning the bones in the centre of the plate with a drizzle of sauce across each.

Hefner would have a list of meals he would request at any time of the day (Robert Mora/Getty Images)

The potato would not come with butter and was served separately, away from the mystery sauce.

Another peculiar practice that Hefner was that he had a list of 31 very specific meals and items that he liked to order at any time of day, according to Bloxsom-Carter.

"So he can call down to the kitchen and say, 'I'd like the number 6 [grilled cheese sandwich, potato chips, apple sauce, and two oatmeal cookies], or the number 21 [fried chicken strips, baked potato, caper dip, and two oatmeal cookies]," the head chef explained.

More of his favourite dishes included fried chicken, and pot roast served with mashed potatoes.