It was love at first sight for Cat Michalski and Katie Thompkins.

The newly married couple says the key ingredient to their happy union is an “ability to be ourselves but still be totally obsessed with each other.”

Three years ago, Michalski was at her best friend’s wedding at a restaurant in Capitol Hill, Seattle. Thompkins, who had just switched from working in the biotech industry to being a chef, had prepared the meal for the festivities. She was sitting at a nearby table with her friend.

“It was one of her first big parties that she ever cooked for. She kept looking over at the table, looking at me,” laughed Michalski.

Thompkins was too shy to speak with the woman she couldn’t take her eyes off of — but her friend wasn’t.

“She said, ‘My friend thinks you’re really cute, can she have your number?’” remembers Michalski. “Katie texted that night!”

A week later they went on their first date, which included drinks and rollerskating. The two — whose birthdays are one day apart — have been inseparable since that night.

“I thought you were very mysterious and smelled really good. And confident,” Thompkins said. “And you still smell very good! You have a way about you that feels so safe. It was a confidence that turned into a sense of safety that I haven’t felt with anyone before.”

Michalski was intrigued by Thompkins’ enigmatic personality.

“I felt like it was going to take time to get to know Katie,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to crack this nut.’ Even today, Katie is on her own time. We have always had time for each other to open up. Katie still keeps me on my toes. I respect her approach and when she feels ready. She is still mysterious to me. She is still unfolding. In our vows, I said, ‘I can’t wait to get you know you more.’”

In January 2020, the couple decided to leave the city for the quiet peace of the San Juans. Both were in the food service industry and “wanted to get out of Seattle.” During a visit to the Doe Bay Resort, where their friend had just begun working as a bartender, Michalski and Thompkins landed jobs in the cafe.

“We put our trust in the universe,” Michalski said.

Then the pandemic began. As the island shut down, the couple quarantined together with their dog B. They returned to work at Doe Bay, only to leave again during another wave of COVID-19 cases.

“During the second shut down, we started doing to-go orders in our pop-up restaurant at Odd Fellows, one day a week,” Michalski said. “We always knew we’d work together.”

In January, the Sunday Supper Pop-up expanded to Friday through Sunday, serving chicken and waffles, pho and banh mi, to go. Michalski, who was the manager of Darvill’s coffee shop, recently joined Thompkins full-time in the restaurant.

“We have a blast. We high-five way too much,” she said. “We take our job really seriously. It’s an honor to feed our community. Intuitively, we pick up where the other leaves off. What Katie doesn’t do, I pick up. Katie is still teaching me how to cook. It’s a dance. Katie is a scientist, the way she understands food. I come into work humbled.”

The couple is celebrating another achievement: marriage. Early on, they knew their search for love had come to an end. Michalski broached the topic after their first Christmas together.

“We talked about what getting married meant to both of us,” she said.

Added Thompkins: “There is so much pressure to put on someone to do the proposing. We wanted to start things off equally and as a partnership.”

They chose rings and booked a special dinner at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island. While en route, they received news that Thompkins’ father was admitted to the hospital. So they turned around and went back to Seattle. Later that day, they proposed to each other in their backyard, and a few weeks later celebrated a second proposal during a rescheduled meal at The Willows.

Their wedding was on Aug. 28, 2021 at their Orcas home, in their garden. It was a small affair with family and close friends, who visited for a week leading up to the ceremony. The couple says “everyone is still talking about it.”

“We had a rehearsal the night before,” Michalski remembers. “It was a procession with siblings and best friends. Katie and I had a moment right before where we said, ‘Should we do our vows real quick?’ We shared a whiskey and recited our vows to just one another. We had that moment to ourselves during the week of wedding chaos.”

Their favorite memory from the wedding was the day after when their guests were still in town.

“We were all sitting on our deck at the table, eating leftovers. Sharing time with our family and friends, people coming and going — it was so magical,” Thompkins said.

The two love to travel and spend as much time together as they can. Thompkins’ most cherished times are “just waking up and having coffee on the deck as the sun hits our faces.”

“One of the things I admire most about Cat is her ability to be present,” she said. “It makes for some of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever had. I have never met anyone like Cat. She is down for anything! She is so much fun.”

Michalski says Thompkins is the nicest person she knows, and that they are “two old biddies in young women’s bodies” who laugh together every day.

“Katie is very patient and kind. She is just the sweetest. I admire how even-keeled you are,” she said, turning towards her wife. “You bring me back down to earth when I have my head in the clouds. …. Love will change your whole life if you let it. There are so many benefits to truly being in love.”

Contributed photo The couple in their home on Orcas.