Chef Couple Shares Recipe for Romance on Valentine's Day

Chuck Cruz and Hailee Catalano, the internet's favorite cooking duo, reveal their love story and a special holiday dish.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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Chuck Cruz and Hailee Catalano, a chef couple who have built a large online following for their cooking videos, share the story of how they met in culinary school and have cooked together ever since, even through the high-stress environment of restaurant kitchens. Now, they celebrate their love of cooking and each other by creating recipes and videos from their home in Asbury Park, New Jersey, including a special Valentine's Day dish.

Why it matters

The story of Cruz and Catalano highlights how a shared passion for food and cooking can bring people together, even in high-pressure situations. Their journey from culinary school classmates to online cooking sensations shows how two people can build a life and career around their love of food. Their Valentine's Day recipe also provides inspiration for others looking to celebrate the holiday through a shared culinary experience.

The details

Cruz and Catalano met in 2012 while attending the Culinary Institute of America, where they were paired as station partners in a fundamentals class. Despite Cruz's initial struggles in the kitchen, the two bonded over their shared love of cooking and soon began dating in 2014. They went on to work in restaurant kitchens together in Chicago and New Jersey, often on the same station, and found that they worked well as a team. In 2020, Catalano joined TikTok and began building a large following for their cooking videos, which they see as a way to spend quality time together doing what they love.

  • Cruz and Catalano met in 2012 while attending culinary school.
  • They started dating in 2014.
  • Catalano joined TikTok in 2020 and began building a large following for their cooking videos.

The players

Chuck Cruz

A chef who met his partner, Hailee Catalano, in culinary school and has since built a career cooking and creating online content with her.

Hailee Catalano

A chef who met her partner, Chuck Cruz, in culinary school and has since built a large following on TikTok for their cooking videos.

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What they’re saying

“When we compare to how we used to cook together in high stress, nowadays—and we still enjoyed it then—the way we get to cook together, now it really is our time of enjoyment and spending time together.”

— Hailee Catalano, Chef (Vogue)

“Now when we do it, it brings back those days.”

— Chuck Cruz, Chef (Vogue)

What’s next

The couple plans to continue sharing their love of cooking with their growing online audience, including more recipes and behind-the-scenes looks at their life together.

The takeaway

The story of Cruz and Catalano shows how a shared passion for food and cooking can bring people together and lead to a fulfilling personal and professional partnership. Their journey from culinary school classmates to online cooking sensations is an inspiring example of how two people can build a life around their love of food.