Joanie and Ben met on two separate occasions. The first was in the winter of 2017, when they were in Stratton for a ski weekend with mutual friends. Joanie walked into the kitchen and Ben was standing by the sink, making one of the most delicious-looking vegetable lasagnas she had ever seen. Ben was kneading the spinach, ricotta and sauce together, and Joanie noticed how passionate his cooking was, how he cared so much about each layer. When his masterpiece was finished, she grabbed a slice, sat by the fire and devoured it in awe. Ben’s first impression of Joanie that weekend was slightly different. Joanie had accidentally forgotten to pack her ski clothes, and had to borrow Chloe’s brother's old, baggy jacket and pants. Ben remembers Joanie looking like a tomboy, as the outfit made her appear quite large and very steezy. Joanie and Ben’s second meeting took place that summer in East Hampton, when they once again crossed paths due to mutual friends. While dancing at a groovy disco party, the two of them caught each other’s eyes and remembered meeting in Stratton. Joanie thought, wow, The Lasagna Man is here… and Ben thought, wow, she’s a girl! They hit it off immediately and have had a blast together ever since. Ben still believes Joanie looked different that weekend in Stratton, and they continue to laugh about the story. One of their first dates involved the making of Ben’s vegetable lasagna (see image below - thank you, Chelsea!). They like to think it was the vegetable lasagna that brought them together.