They have hired back a full-time employee who milks five days a
week, "which has freed us up to bottle the milk," says
Bubba. The
Kurtzes "rarely spend any time apart"; they even act in tandem at
farmers' markets. Though they've considered splitting up to hit
twice as many markets, "we've found we're a marketing team," Leslie
says. "We finish each other's sentences."
The key to their success: "We don't cut each other down," says
Leslie, adding that though the communication might get
high-pitched, they never make it personal. "We're still in love -
madly in love," says Bubba. And, Leslie adds, "We like each other."
MADE-TO-ORDER
If
Karen and David Waltuck didn't work together, they might not see
each other very often. So goes the restaurant business.
The couple, who have been married for 26 years, own two restaurants
in
New York City, Chanterelle and Le Zinc. David, 50, is the chef
and Karen, 52, manages the restaurants. "Though they no longer have
to work the five-day/five-double-shift schedule they endured when
they opened Chanterelle 25 years ago, there's still "no clear-cut
schedule," says David.
Because the Waltucks run two restaurants, their schedules tend to
fluctuate depending on the needs of the different locations. Even
when they're in the same restaurant on the same day, their front of
house/kitchen roles often keep them separate during work hours.
They definitely hop between the front of the house and the kitchen
to see each other. "It's because we work together that we see each
other," says Karen. Still, it's not surprising that work talk
spills into their personal time. "We don't have enough time to talk
about our work because we're working," Karen says. Adds David: "The
personal stuff doesn't get into the restaurant, but the restaurant
permeates our personal life. It's always in our conversation."