She saw potential in his Coney Dog pizza, however, and agreed to it despite the hours needed to prepare its chilli con carne base. “It’s also very fun to be playing around with new things,” acknowledges Tay.
She appreciates how he pushes her beyond her comfort zone. His calmness can also soothe her nerves, like when he told her before the dinner where they debuted their new pizza: “Deep breath, dear.”
Shen, in turn, credits her with getting things “back on the rails” with her practical approach. When a misshapen pizza emerged from the oven, for example, she arranged the slices to make it look rounder before serving it.
Even with their differences to iron out after more than two decades together, she sees this as a natural part of getting things done rather than “a bad thing” to avoid.
They work through their disagreements while planning each meal so they can focus on serving guests. Once dinner service begins, she says, “we’re a team — we work together”.