Couples Who Cook

First comes love, then marriage, then . . . a restaurant? Many a Twin Cities eatery is the prodigy of partners in both business and life. Why not? Who is better suited to running a high-stakes enterprise than the person you trust the most? The one who knows you better than you know yourself and can read your handwriting?

A peek into the lives of these restaurateurs reveals much about risk and reward, passion and practicality, trust and independence. Clark Knutson of Pop! says, “If it weren’t for Leslie, I wouldn’t be here,” noting the role his wife and business partner plays in managing their Latin–infused bistros in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This refrain echoes through the kitchens, dining rooms, and bars of lofty white-tablecloth establishments and simple neighborhood sandwich joints. Balancing sense and sensibility, emboldened creativity and the day-to-day grind, requires extraordinary faith and a tough skin. Heidi Woodman, co-owner with her husband, Stewart Woodman, of Heidi’s in Minneapolis, quips, “Divorce? Never! Murder? Yes!"

Like many couples, Isaac Becker and Nancy St. Pierre of the acclaimed 112 Eatery in Minneapolis met at D’Amico Cucina’s bar. The difference is they were working, she as a server, he as a chef. On the job when others play, playing when others work, the two shared Isaac’s vision of being restaurant owners early on. His mom spied 112’s space in the storied Amsterdam Building; the couple designed and remodeled it with the help of friends. When it opened in 2005, their second child was but nine months old. “I like to say the baby was planned, the restaurant wasn’t,” says Isaac.

“Sure, it can get tense,” Nancy says. “But we believe that each of us is doing the best he or she can. We don’t criticize each other. We divvy up our responsibilities. It just works.” Isaac runs the kitchen, Nancy the front of the house. “Isaac has fought with general managers, but he can’t fight with me,” Nancy adds. That said, Becker runs his menus by his wife, whose palate and business savvy he considers keenest. Safe to say she deemed 112’s signature sweet-and-sour crab salad and foie gras meatballs can’t-miss brainstorms.

Photo by Steve Henke

Russell and Desta Maree Klein also met while working—at W.A. Frost. Married at the Landmark Center, they held their reception at A Rebours, and in 2007 the space became their new home, Meritage. “I swore I’d never work with my wife,” says Russell, “but now, I’d have it no other way.”

A native New Yorker who trained at the French Culinary Institute under Jacques Pèpin, Russell cooked in Manhattan’s legendary La Caravelle, but, he says, “the events of 9/11 had a way of rewriting my script.”

Desta grew up in restaurants. “Mom, a waitperson and manager, loved the community of staff and diners,” she says. Those values play out at Meritage. “Our clientele is loyal to us and we to them. They are willing to trust Russell’s new, interesting dishes.”