Shaun Kenworthy was born and brought up in Staleybridge, a small town near Manchester in the UK and knew that he wanted to be a chef from a very young age ? even at 10, he?d save up his pocket money to buy himself cookbooks. He turned his passion for cooking into a vocation and soon made a name for himself as a noted pastry chef, with stints at the famous Atlantic Bar and Grill and Quaglino?s in London.

After doing several restaurant openings across London and even in Paris, Shaun decided to move to Delhi after meeting an Indian restaurateur at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore. In the Capital, a chance meeting with Priya Paul of the Apeejay Group led him to join The Park hotels chain. Since then, as executive chef, Shaun has been responsible for overhauling the menus at Park properties in Chennai and Delhi, though the bulk of his three-and-a-half-year stint has been spent in Calcutta. He has recently been responsible for overhauling the entire menu of the new-look Flury?s, which has met with a great response ever since its relaunch.

When he?s not busy cooking up a storm, Shaun can usually be found with his lovely wife Pinky, one of the best-known faces on Calcutta?s modelling circuit. Pinky, who ran a modelling school for sometime with friend Koena Mitra, and even anchored Tara Bangla?s lifestyle programme, Showcase, has to her credit, campaigns like Bata and Khadim?s as well as countless ramp shows over the past six years. She also dabbles in art, and plans to take it up seriously in the future. In fact, she recently sold her very first painting to movie star Sushmita Sen.

Pinky on Shaun

I knew Shaun right from the time he came down to Calcutta over three years ago, but purely as an acquaintance. After any show at The Park, my friends and I would usually head for the hotel coffee-shop, The Atrium, where Shaun would often come over for a chat. Gradually we became friends, but that?s all it was, in fact, I happened to be married at the time.

My divorce with my first husband came through in August 2003, after seven years of marriage. Suddenly being single again was something I found pretty difficult to handle. So, I immersed myself completely in my work, and whenever I found myself at The Park, I always called Shaun over for he was a great person to talk to. He was completely non-judgmental and easygoing and it was wonderful to have someone to discuss just about everything with. But friendship was all it was.

Things continued for quite some time in this vein, till Shaun suddenly asked me out for dinner last June. I refused a couple of times ? it seemed too much like a date ? but once I gave in, we ended up having a blast. Three dates and we were already thinking along the lines of a serious relationship. He proposed in about three weeks and we?ve been together ever since. Our marriage last October was quite a hush-hush event ? we wanted to surprise our respective families ? and it has been smooth sailing ever since.

Shaun is a wonderful husband ? extremely sweet, loving, understanding and humorous and a great conversationalist to boot. He gives me a lot of space and encourages me all the time, especially to pursue my painting. In fact he?s the one who sets up my canvas every morning. He paints too, so it?s good fun, when both of us end up painting on the same canvas at times.

Shaun and I love spending a lot of time at home, or just in each other?s company. We go for long walks, watch a lot of movies and of course, he cooks for me. I?m a pathetic cook, but I?m learning now, and like in everything else, Shaun is always encouraging, no matter how bad my efforts turn out.

It may seem difficult to believe but Shaun and I hardly ever have any arguments. As it is, in all the time I have known him, I have never ever seen him in a bad mood. We share a great rapport, and I find that Shaun, being a foreigner, has a very different perspective on things, much of which is similar to my own. It?s the little things he does for me that I find most endearing. It shows that despite his harried schedule, he still pays attention to every little thing I like or dislike.

Shaun on Pinky

I used to see Pinky hanging out at The Park quite often and she?d catch my eye. But at the time, I was involved with someone, so with Pinky and I, it was just a casual friendship that we struck up. We used to go through this whole routine of having coffee whenever she was at The Park and it was during these meetings that I found her to be very deep, creative and artistic as a person.

That I think, is the best thing about Pinky ? she?s nothing like most people would perceive her to be. She?s very loving and caring, and very deep emotionally, very much the kind of person I am as well. And once both our respective relationships came to an end and we got to know each other much more closely, we discovered that we had far more in common. We both enjoy doing much the same things, listening to music, reading, painting, going for long walks and since then, we?ve been stuck together like glue.

Before our marriage, I often thought that her career as a model would irritate me at times. I mean, she has to meet so may people who find her attractive and many come on to her as well. But my doubts were soon laid to rest, for Pinky just isn?t the kind of person who?ll flirt or encourage the attention of other men ? she isn?t the least bit bothered.

Ever since our wedding, there?s so much we find to do together that I never thought that just hanging around at home could be so much fun. We never fight, there?s no clashing of interests, both of us are so laidback that if one doesn?t want to do something, the other just goes along with it. With us, it?s the little things we do together that are special, our relationship is very simple, very straightforward. And at the end of the day, I don?t think I can be happy with anyone else.