One afternoon, peering from the window of his DiVino restaurant in Central, Michele Senigaglia locked eyes with Joey Wong Wai-man as she walked past. He was instantly lovestruck.
'I smiled at her and she smiled back at me, and it was like that, I fell in love,' said the 44-year-old Venice-born, corporate chef and co-owner of DiVino Group.
That was seven years ago, and Michele didn't see Joey, 38, and now an art consultant for private collectors, for another six months.
'It was a very busy Friday, and when the waiter told me some customers wanted to see me, I thought they must be complaining about something. But when I got there, I saw Joey,' Michele recalled.
'I'd told my friend that the chef here was very good looking, so we decided to ask for him,' Joey said.
'They told me how much they appreciated the cheese platter, but I mean, I didn't even have to cook it,' Michele said, unaware that the girls had just wanted to get his attention.