Our Story

Two displaced southern Californians fall in love over a shared passion for food, drink, fun, and friends.

Dave was living a depraved and lonely life in New York, going out drinking five days a week and staying in and playing video games the rest of the time in his 6^th floor walk up in East Village. In contrast, Christina was living a scholastic life in North Carolina, going to graduate school and meeting up with her friends to watch movies and cook food.  These two disparate individuals were brought together one fateful summer day in 2006 and their lives forever changed.

Dave flew down to Raleigh to surprise his friend Chris for his birthday.  New to the area, Chris’ wife Linda, decided to invite Christina, whom she had met through Chris and Christina’s Stanford connection. Dave, was annoyed by another guest coming over, partly because he didn’t want to change out of his pajamas, and partly because he didn’t want to share the Maryland blue crabs that Linda had ordered for the birthday feast. But when Christina arrived, Dave was appeased because she’d brought a delicious plate of sticky rice to add to the table, plus it didn’t hurt that he thought she was cute.  As the party of four gathered around the table and proceeded to devour the crabs, Dave was impressed by Christina’s surprising ability to eat and drink more than him and Christina was captivated by Dave’s quick wit and silly stories. They talked and laughed as if they had been friends since childhood.

Discerning an unexpected connection, Chris hatched up a plan to give the future love birds some alone time.  “We’re out of alcohol!” he exclaimed. Dave, fearing a sober birthday for Chris, immediately said, “I’ll go pick up some more,” and grabbed his wallet, completely forgetting he didn’t have any means of getting to the store.  Christina, trying to be helpful said, “I’ll take you,” and picked up her purse and keys. The events were unrolling exactly as Chris had devised, until the very pregnant Linda shouted,”No! Chris, don’t let our guests go get alcohol, you should go!” Chris, sensing a thwarting of his master plan stumbled and stuttered, “But, uh, I can’t.  Uhhh…” oh no, what should he do, what could he say that would close the deal… “I, um, I have to plunge the toilet.”  “WHAT! Ewww…” Linda moaned,” Can’t you do it later?”  Chris, faking embarrassment said, “Oh no, I have to do it now, it’s clogged,” and he grabbed the plunger and disappeared into the bathroom. Christina and Dave left a discombobulated Linda for their alcohol run and it was the start of a wonderful relationship.

As different as their lives were, Dave and Christina were drawn to one another by their shared love of food and travel, impulsiveness, and their quirky senses of humor. Over the course of their courtship, Christina was won over not only by their many gourmet meals together but by how thoughtful and considerate Dave was. Who else would cut up two dozen roses and pack them in a shoebox so she could bring them home with her?  Who else would drive an hour out of their way on their birthday, to pick her up from a late dinner with her family?  Who else would send her a whole UPS box filled with kiddie valentines cards with corny sayings hand written on them like “You make my heart go POW!” And who else would drive down to San Diego to take her mom out to dinner to ask for her hand in marriage 3 months before the proposal?

Christina feels blessed to have found her perfect man in Dave.  He is someone who will joke and wrestle with her, can hold his own with food and alcohol, and makes her smile every second she is with him.  There is no one else who would reply, as Dave did when asked why he loves her, “I just do, there is no reason for my madness!”