Hitched.

Tammy Mead and Doug Hamilton
AUGUST 8, 2003

When Doug Hamilton first started working as a pantry cook at Gustav's German Pub and Grill five years ago, Tammy Mead thought of him as just another employee.

She had to. As a sous chef, Tammy was Doug's boss.

She didn't try to get to know him at first--which is a shame, because they had so much in common.

Both were raised as Mormons and ultimately rejected the faith in their teenage years. Even though Tammy's from Portland and Doug was raised in California, they both found themselves in the same, smallish Utah town of Logan for a while in their early 20s. In Logan, the two worked at restaurants across the street from each other. They say they probably crossed paths hundreds of times--but never once met.

At Gustav's, Doug, now 31, moved through the ranks in the kitchen to become lead line cook after two years. That's when he started working alongside Tammy, now 32, nearly every single day. Slowly, they began to get to know each other and shared the realization about their time in Logan.

It was there--among the pan-seared schnitzels and rotisseried chicken--that Doug started to have feelings for Tammy. He was impressed by her control of the kitchen, especially when things would get hectic. "When I couldn't handle it, she'd bail me out," he recalls.

He didn't think Tammy was attracted to him. She'd only recently broken off a long-term relationship, and she was still his boss. Dating the management at Gustav's is a no-no. Still, he called her at work one day in May of 2000 and invited her over to his apartment.

Tammy was shocked by her impulsive response. "I wanted to say no," she says. "But my mouth said yes."

That night, they talked until four in the morning. When Tammy was ready to leave, Doug asked her for a kiss. She obliged.

And so began a covert love affair. They couldn't let anyone at work know about their relationship for fear of losing their jobs. Both say they maintained a purely professional rapport while at work. No stolen kisses in the meat locker. No prolonged glances over the grill. No flirting over those schnitzels.

In October, Doug left Gustav's and Portland for a two-month internship at a Northern California winery. The couple still kept their affair a secret--even when Doug returned to town and moved in with Tammy and the two announced they were "just roommates." Even when Doug was promoted and transferred to the company's sister restaurant, the Rhinelander, a few weeks later and Tammy was, technically, no longer his boss.

That January, the word got out on a day trip to Timberline Lodge. The couple told a a pair of friends from work about their relationship. News spread fast back at the restaurant--and no one was all that surprised. "People said, 'I knew it!'" Tammy recalls.

Just a month later, Doug proposed to Tammy at the tail end of a Disney World vacation. Turns out, finding and sustaining love in Gustav's kitchen isn't so unusual. This year, Doug says, there have been four employee weddings--including one between a general manager and a bartender.

As for Doug and Tammy, the couple keep opposite work schedules--she works days, he's got the late shift--and have only shared the same day off once in three years (save for a walloping 18 days surrounding the wedding). Yet they claim they manage their relationship just fine.

For now, they'll stick to everyday phone calls from work about daily specials and product ordering--with a dash of flirtation.

WWeek 2015