Speak Up

Sunday, February 24, 2008

And then, I Met the Chef.

From a long time ago.
A good question was recently brought to my attention and I intend to find an answer. If chefs works so much and don't see the outside world until the early morning, then how in the world did we get lucky enough to capture and enslave them? (totally kidding about the last part)



I met a boy really, who grew up to become my husband. And no, that is not an insult. I met Erik when were in middle school. We dated from our freshman year until this very moment. And at this moment my man is playing a serious game of MARIOOOOO GALAXYYYY where his little man Mario is chasing a rabbit. (Or as Erik calls it: a rabbit mother-f***er)



But really, how did you meet your chef? At his restaurant? Were you working there? Did you meet in culinary school? Share your stories be they romantic, quirkey, or otherwise interesting.



DCW_NYC

-H-

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh that is so cool. You guys are long time sweethearts. God bless!! You 2 must have a very deep friendship/foundation under the usual loving marriage.

~PassionFoodie

LA RN said...

I can't believe how cute you two are! I met my chef twice. We dated once pre-chef days and seven years later re-met after he had become a chef. Then we got married. So I knew him "on the outside" first and was lucky enough to squeeze in to his life once he became a hard-to-reach chef...

Mandy said...

Haha! My question! You and your love look absolutely darling, by the way, what hotties!

I met him while working at his restaurant (surprise, surprise... I'm sure this is the case for many people). I was newly hired and he nearly ran into me and he wasn't dressed in his work clothes yet, and since he is so young I thought he was a waiter or a busboy or something, so I asked him a series of stupid questions regarding the front of the house. He came back out with a chef coat on with his name and "executive chef" on it, and I was like, who the heck is this guy?!?!

He started charming me with after work snacks and desserts and the rest is history.

Anonymous said...

I love this photo!! It's great, you look like you're having such a good time.

Chef and I met at a restaurant where he used to consult. He was waiting at the bar to talk to the owner, who never showed up, and I was trying to go to another place across the street that wasn't open yet, so I came in with a friend to have a drink and kill some time. So basically we met at a bar. Yes, kids, it can happen!

chefdater said...

who says you can't meet a decent guy at a bar?! i was out with a friend when this group of guys came in (drunk)...turned out they were a bunch of chefs who had just gotten off of work. he said he wasn't looking for anything serious that night (you know how chefs are)...well, almost three years later, we're living together and just picked out a ring. now he just needs to pop the question!

Anonymous said...

You two are adorable. I like the topic choice, by the way.
Like a couple of you, my R-Man (restaurant manager) was a ghost from the past- my high school sweetheart. Then we parted ways during college. Eight years later we met again at, drumroll, a bar. Come to think of it, I still can't believe he had off from the restaurant that night, and I had a break from single-momming. What fate! Sometimes I cannot believe we lasted, having the schedules we did. Other times, it seems that's the reason it did work. In case you are looking for more questions in the future, i was wondering: how many chefwives/daters work jobs with hours that are 9 to 5 style, and how many have less traditional hours?

Anonymous said...

I'm another who snagged my chef in a bar after he'd gotten off work. We were all blind drunk (don't tell my mother this part of the story!) but I remember the moment his friend told me Bill was a chef...something clicked for me and I thought, "Of course! I should be dating a chef! I should have been staking out restaurants after hours to snag myself a man!" I had visions of elegant meals and fame and fortune. Okay, so that part didn't work out, but the rest did,

Buona Forchetta said...

First - I love this picture!!

I met my chef at his restaurant. It was pretty late on a Sunday, I'd just finished a rehearsal, and an article I'd recently read about the place had made me so curious that I stopped by for a late dinner before heading home. It was kind of slow because it was right before the press went really mad about them and I was sitting at the bar chatting with my waitress. He came out to get a drink from the fridge underneath and we started talking.

2 hours later I left to drive home with a huge smile on my face. I actually was dating someone at the time (though it was about to end) and didn't think I was interested in the chef at all - just thought he was so interesting and I really am not sure I've ever had such a great conversation.

I had plans to go in with my parents that week and I wanted to thank him (for the conversation), so - don't laugh - I made him cookies. I wrapped them up and wrote a little note and, unsurprisingly, he thought I was interested. So he asked me out - and I turned him down (still had that silly Italian boyfriend)... but every time I went into the restaurant - well, I was styled out. But more than just the AMAZING food and wine he would send me, he was so kind and mature and interesting - he won me over. He wooed me.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days when he was on his best behavior and generally cheerful, but then I wouldn't have everything that's come with this year of dating.

Wow... epic comment. I apologize.

Chef's Widow said...

To celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary post, I wrote this a few weeks back:

http://chefswidow.blogspot.com/2008/02/chef-i.html

It is all about how I met the Chef. Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I met my chef in culinary school. I was in the business, but "retired" after getting pregnant with our first child. He's still slaving away over a hot stove though! ;-)

DCW - Eric has such a sweet baby face there!!!!

NikkiBee said...

My chef is a personal chef on a yacht, for the time being - and I met him trying to coordinate a company party on his bosses yacht. He was a complete ass at first, but after he came to my office to discuss logistics, it was instant attraction, flirting, and all the other ghey-ness one feels when they meet a devastatingly handsome fella.. WHO CAN COOK! All he had to do was take one look at me and the asshole in him vanished.

Still going strong!

Hilary Battes said...

Thanks for all the kind remarks, ladies, and the comments in general! I really feel like this blog is starting to become a community and love that we are moving into that direction. Keep the comments coming!

Anonymous said...

I met my chef when he was opening a restaurant a block from my home. I started imagining that he would enjoy living so close...but never told him. We've been dating for 6 mos and I'm loving it. The restaurant failed but he has great new position across town. We are still together and it doesn't matter that his restaurant is not a block away anymore...

Anonymous said...

great stories!
Here's mine:
I'm German met my English chef sober and in bright daylight (!!!!!!) at a thai take away shop in Sydney, of all places.
I went there by myself for a quick bite to eat, just having moved to OZ for a job. He was there by himself too, as he was on holiday (!) and i did what I don't usually do and just started talking to him.

Little did I know at the time, that being sober, on holiday and neither asleep nor at work during daylight hours is an extremely rare thing in a chef's life!!

That was nearly five turbulent years ago.. filled with a lot of moving house, jobs and countries..

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled across this site recently and I think it's awesome! It's great to know others are dealing with the same sort of situation and having success in their relationships.

I met my chef when a mutual friend invited me to play in an outdoor hockey game that the two of them had organized. It was a Saturday night, and to this day I still don't know how he managed to get the night off! Nearly a year and a half later, our mutual love for hockey, food, and ofcourse eachother (haha), has kept us together, despite the fact that he has since moved 6 hours away. I know, long distance relationship PLUS dating a chef...I must be a masochist! Luckily, I'm a student and I'm able to make the trek fairly often. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic.

Anonymous said...

My chef and I are high school sweethearts. We got married and both entered the corporate world.

A year ago, he realized he was miserable and decided to go to culinary school. Now he's working in the industry, finishing up school, and is happier than he's been in a long time.

I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, but he's happy when I do see him, which makes it worth it.

I'm still a 9 - 5 gal.