This article originally ran in the April issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the online digital edition.
In the business since 1988, Black Market Entertainment head James Melendy has seen it all. He’s even seen that very rare item: the now illegal tapes made by Traci Lords back before her 18th birthday.
Melendy recalls his very first day at his very first job—working at Intropics Video for the late Dick Miller. Melendy recalls that when he arrived at the office, Miller said, “Do me a favor. Break these up for me”—and handed him stacks of the video Traci I Love You. “I said, ‘I got to break these things up?’ With a hammer, outside, just cracking them up and throwing them in the dumpster.”
It’s been a long time since that first day, and Melendy’s worked for several companies, including Sin City, where he met his wife. In fact, that’s why we’re talking today. He and his wife, who directs under the name Miely Mynx, have stopped by the AVN office to talk about a new project that she has cooked up—literally.
This past month brought the first release from Girl Co., an all-girl adult company operated by Mynx. It’s not her first venture since entering the business in 2000, but she is raising her profile. “I’ve done a lot the past 14 years,” she said. “I’ve put everything together and let everyone else take credit. But this one’s my baby and I want to take credit for it.”
Mynx talked about when she decided to start Girl Co. “I’ve always liked the girls in the industry. They’re cute and pretty and for the most part really nice,” she said. “I love cooking—and I love porn. So I got this idea one night and I told James, ‘I’m going to make a lesbian cooking show—you know, like a real lesbian cooking show.’ So then I just started doing it and coming up with other ideas, and I started to run with it.”
The idea struck her a couple months ago. “I was watching a show on Food Network and I thought, ‘Why don’t we add some sex to it?’” And thus, Girl Co. was born. But the first release was something she did at Melendy’s request: an older/younger title called A Mothers Love, which features Julia Ann and Britney Amber cuddling on the cover underneath the company’s logo—which bears an entirely intentional similarity to a certain fashion house’s mark.
“The one that gave me the idea for this is Natalie’s Bitchin’ Kitchen. That’s what I was watching at the time,” Mynx said.
At first, Melendy was pretty skeptical about the cooking show idea. But he’s sold now. “She stands behind the camera with cue cards,” he said with affection. “It looks like a real set.”
Mynx makes everything the night before—just like on regular Food Network shows. “The cake goes into the oven and they have 45 minutes while it cooks,” she said. “They do their deed, and then the timer goes off and the cake is ready.”
She adds, “You could really take all the sex out and you’d have a cooking show.”
The very first scene featured Emy Reyes and Vicki Chase making a pineapple upside-down cake. Other dishes for that first title are apple dumplings, chocolate mousse trifle and bananas Foster. “They lit everything on fire” on the last one, the director said. “It’s fun on set because most of the girls don’t know what a measuring cup is, they don’t know what a tablespoon is. I mean, these are 19-year-old porn stars. They don’t cook.”
Titled The Lesbian Cooking Show, it will release in May as a two-disc set with BTS, trailers, galleries and bonus scenes. And, yes, “There’s a cookbook coming.”
But first there are many more scenes to be shot. “The next one I’m going to do is breakfast—all breakfast foods—and I’m going to have the girls dressed in pajamas. You know, the bunny slippers and all that,” Mynx said.
Beyond the cooking shows, there are other fun things ahead from Girl Co. “I’m going to do these girl trips. I’m going to do them two or three times a year. It’s a little vacation for the girls and we just kinda let them go. So I rented an RV, put six girls in the RV, and let them go camping,” Mynx said.
“The next trip I want to do all in Vegas—a girls’ road trip to Vegas. … They get to party for the night and do whatever happens.”
Melendy added, “Each of the girls is paired up, and at the end they get together for an orgy.”
But it won’t be just fun and games. “I want to do something a little dirtier,” Mynx said. “In the past I’ve worked with Nikki Hunter, and I adore her. I’d love to work with Nikki again. When we do something a little harder, I’m definitely going to seek her out. I really love the dirty stuff. Depends on what kind of mood you’re in. Sometimes you want really aggressive, and sometimes you want fluffy porn.”
Mmmmm …. fluffy. As in soufflés, marshmallows and eggs. Delicious! Make that one order of porn, over soft.
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