Any restaurant owner would like to boast the track record of Pam and Paul Sturkey. In three years, the couple has opened two restaurants, Sturkey's in Wyoming and Cafe Encore in West Chester Township, to critical acclaim and commercial success.

        It is hard work, though, and — to the surprise of some — they credit their marriage as an asset.

        “We both know the expectations to work in the field,” Ms. Sturkey says. “We also know what it takes to make the marriage work. We make ourselves have that balance.”

        Both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, the couple met in 1991, when Mr. Sturkey was chef-owner at Pigall's, downtown, and his wife-to-be was pastry chef at J's Fresh Seafood in Hyde Park. They married in 1995 and have two children: Mitchell, 4, and Marissa, 2.

        The Sturkeys have also figured out how to balance their roles as parents and restaurant owners. While his wife is working the early morning shift, Mr. Sturkey gets the children up and fed. Ms. Sturkey then takes care of the kids in the afternoon and evening.

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