The fantasy of a romantic kitchen rendezvous often clashes with an unwelcome reality as seen in many a date-night movie. While such foibles make choice fodder for rom-com excellence (à la “Mostly Martha” or “Ratatouille”), they could prove ruinous in real life.
In stark contrast to such ordeals of cinematic proportions, some couples have found a way to not only coexist, but also excel in the pressurized climate of a professional kitchen. While the vast majority of restaurant couples find an easier rhythm with one partner in the kitchen and the other managing the front of the house, a rare breed of culinary duo dares to wield their knives side by side as they navigate the challenges — and rewards — of co-chefdom.
From rising stars like Alex and Elvia García, whose black-metal-themed taqueria Evil Cooks in Los Angeles earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nod, to veteran chefs Florent and Amelia Marneau, whose decades-long partnership has made Marché Moderne a Michelin-recognized dining destination in California, these couples have forged a culinary alliance in which their individual strengths elevate their dishes, careers and marital bonds.
Alex and Elvia García, Evil Cooks
Chef-owners of metal-themed taqueria Evil Cooks Corazón Abierto, which, in true contemporary fashion, got its start in 2018 as a pop-up before debuting as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in November, Alex and Elvia Garcia first met each other by sliding into their DMs.
“I started following him on Instagram because of a mutual friend and where he worked,” said Elvia, who honed her skills at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena and at Wolfgang Puck Catering. “I liked the work that he was doing over there, and it was something I had never seen before. It caught my eye.”
“We ended up meeting thanks to food,” said Alex, who got his start as a baker at his father’s bakery in Guanajuato, Mexico, then later taking on roles at Ferraro’s Cucina Italiana in Long Beach, Cafe Sevilla in Riverside and Dia de Los Puercos in West Covina.
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The two then-nascent friends, who both felt stuck in their careers working for others, bonded over their future ambitions of creating something new, something of their own. “He told me his concept of Evil Cooks and what he wanted to do with the brand, and I jumped on board because I loved his idea, and that’s what brought us together,” she said.
After spending several years together in work and love, the duo, who share duties equally, amassed a following and critical acclaim for such hybrid narrative fare as octopus al pastor trompo, chorizo verde, tacos christened with such monikers as “McSatan” or “Rock Lobster,” and a kamikaze (a play on “omakase”) tasting menu wherein guests can sit at the bar as the chefs serve five custom dishes of their choice.
Such success stems, in part, from combining their comparatively distinct yet equally important culinary backgrounds. “I came classically trained while he came with experience working in the field,” says Elvia, with Alex adding, “Yeah, she went to school and did it the good way, while I jumped in the kitchen out of necessity.”
As for working side by side in the kitchen, the duo finds their relationship strengthened on the daily by being in such close proximity. “Every day, we get stronger because we learn to work with each other every day,” she said. “It’s never the same.”
While admitting to rarely cooking at home, understandably so after eight-plus hours a day creating dishes for their loyal following, the two have created a menu that tips its hat to their relationship — specifically, the Tom Yum Aguachile.
“That’s the dish I created in honor of Elvia on her birthday,” said Alex. “One day we were working on a tasting menu, and she was sitting at the table instead of working with me, so I created this menu all around her and her favorite foods. It turned out to be something that people really enjoyed, so we decided to put it on the menu.”
While their relationship, their love of food and each other, conceived Evil Cooks (which was initially a design enterprise, according to a 2019 LAist article, before Alex shifted gears into the gastronomic realm), the two can hardly imagine what their lives would look like without food.
“I’d probably be dead somewhere,” joked Elvia in metal fashion, while Alex says, “I’d be a butcher.”
Florent and Amelia Marneau, Marché Moderne
Roughly one hour south of Evil Cooks, in Corona del Mar, you can find husband-and-wife chef duo Florent and Amelia Marneau at Marché Moderne, the couple’s modern French restaurant that has won praise over the course of its 17 years in Orange County. It was located in the third-floor penthouse of Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza for 10 years (now occupied by Knife Pleat) before moving to its current home at the Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Coast.
Florent, who hails from Fontainebleau where, as a child, he first honed his skills in rural countryside cuisine, and Amelia, an Italian American who perfected her expertise studying and working in Paris kitchens. But their love story dates back to 1994 when the two met at the now-shuttered Aubergine in Newport Beach.
“I was hired by Florent and the owner,” explained Amelia. “Flor and I would arrive in the morning at the same time, have coffee and we would talk, and I would look at him and stare into his blue eyes, and I thought, ‘Oh, he’s kind of cute.’”
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Florent added that, in addition to his sky-blue iris hue, food was their connection point. “We talked about food almost every day, every morning right as we’re having coffee, for long periods of time until we get so hyper.”
As for maintaining a balance between professional lives? Good luck. The Marneaus echo sentiments similar to the Garcias. “Oh, my God, where do we start with that?” said Florent. “It’s not possible,” Amelia added, saying that while it’s “a blurred line,” the couple have attempted to create church-and-state boundaries over the years between the personal and the professional.
“I mean, I think as we get older, we do a lot better than we used to,” said Florent, with Amelia adding, “Sometimes we catch ourselves and say, ‘OK, I’m going to stop talking about food or the restaurant’ but it’s hard.”
Florent counters the notion that business and personal need always remain separate, saying, “But it also helps us, you know, because we have so much in common, right? We’re involved in the daily operations and after so many years, it’s what we do, it’s who we are.”
Recipe development is also easier since the two remain each other’s closest allies, able to push one another toward creative and inventive ends.
“For example, he’ll start talking about a recipe or I’ll want to make something, and he’ll say, ‘Oh no, no, no. Why don’t you try this?’ Or I’ll be like, ‘Come on, trust me.’ And he says, ‘No, no, no.’ And then, he’ll try it and say, ‘OK, yeah, yeah, that’s not bad.’”
Florent mentioned a recent example of their process, which started with a humble rice pudding that Amelia typically makes at home, which recently found its way onto the menu, but in elevated fashion using arborio rice (jasmine rice is nuttier but arborio offer more richness since the latter releases more starch, the couple detail in unison), macadamia cremeux, and a mango trilogy (fresh, dehydrated and powder) laced throughout the dessert.
When asked how they handle disagreements, if any, in the kitchen and if such issues spill over into their personal life, Amelia said, “We do not disagree at work, we always keep it professional. We do not bring any things into our business life. We work really well together.”
The two also cleave duties equally, with Florent noting, “We divide the work a lot. So she’ll do some stuff, and I’ll do some stuff.”
The two credit having distinct roles in the kitchen as a way of maintaining not only a successful kitchen but a nurturing work environment as well. “I have seen some crazy situations showing me what not to do,” said Amelia. Benefitting from bearing witness to less-than-happy couples working together in the kitchen (without naming any names), she’s learned what not to do. “People should not be exposed to that,” she added.
Such professionalism and, well, basic human decency — something other kitchens lack, infamously so — also helps create a familial environment for their employees, some of whom have been with Marché Moderne for years on end.
“We also want to be an example for everyone we’re working with too,” said Amelia. “I want everyone to feel comfortable. We do feel like Mom and Dad here and we try to lead by example.”
“It’s why, in part, we’re still open, too,” added Florent.
Another reason for their success is their culinary philosophies that work harmoniously. “I have a more relaxed approach, because I want everyone who comes to be relaxed and have a good time,” said Amelia “And while he also wants people to have a good time, he wants it to be a little bit more fancy, a little bit more elevated.”
Their ying-yang ethos help make this Corona del Mar staple, located in one of the state’s most expensive zip codes, an elegant yet approachable eatery minus fussiness or avant-garde vapidity. A successful restaurant “doesn’t have to be Michelin three-star or a hole in a wall,” said Florent. “It can be a bit of both.”
And now, some advice
“It’s very volatile business in the first place, not for the faint of heart” said Florent. And how. But what should wide-eyed culinary couples who want to get into the restaurant business together by combining their gastronomic prowess?
“You better have a strong relationship,” said Amelia, suggesting that mistakes are the cornerstone of growth. “That’s key, key, key. Definitely take every scenario that comes at you, good or bad, and learn from it.” She also recommends keeping newbies to tap into the feelings they had wanting to get into this finicky business of food. “Often new chef-owners have on rose-colored glasses, which is great, and they need to keep them on until they hit bumps in the road,” she said.
Alex and Elvia echo the same sentiments stressing the need for composure and persistence in the face of chaos. “It’s all about patience, learning how to have patience,” said Elvia. Alex agrees, saying, “You try to learn from each other, try to correct any mistakes. It all feels like it’s part of the learning process, how to work with each other.”
Not only have these lauded chefs learned how to work alongside their paramours above a hot hob, they do with children in tow: Florent and Amelia raised two children who are now college-aged, and Alex and Elvia have a young daughter.
While the restaurant world remains demanding and unforgiving, these duos demonstrate that with a strong relationship, a shared vision and damn good palates, love can, if not conquer all, at least crush it in the kitchen.