Here's How Sohla And Ham El-Waylly Really Met

When people become famous, fans tend to be curious about their lives from how they got started to their big break, as well as their personal lives. The same is true for chefs and food personalities and Sohla El-Waylly and Ham El-Waylly are no exception. Both are chefs and work in the food industry. They opened their restaurant Hail Mary in the neighborhood of Greenpoint, New York, where they served up diner classics with a modern twist until they closed their doors less than one year later, according to Gothamist. 

Sohla has been in the spotlight for speaking up about racism and being significantly underpaid as an assistant editor for Bon Appétit, where she often appeared in their Test Kitchen videos (via NPR). And currently, Sohla is involved with a variety of creative projects, including a column for Food 52 and a series on the History Channel.

Although Sohla may be more in the limelight than her husband these days, you may be wondering how they met, especially when chefs are notorious to have little to zero spare time with the demands of the kitchen.

While some people meet their significant others in high school and others meet their partners in attending college, Sohla and Ham grew up in different countries, with Sohla growing up in the San Fernando Valley of California and Ham living in Qatar before moving to New Jersey (via StarChefs). Then, after pursuing college degrees at the prompting of their families, both Sohla and Ham were beckoned by food and ultimately found themselves attending the same program at the Culinary Institute of America (via Edible Brooklyn) — and having the same schedule.

Although the school tried to make changes to Sohla and Ham's schedules so that the couple wasn't always taking the same classes, per Edible Brooklyn, Sohla and Ham were determined to stay close to each other. And, after getting married following their externships, they built a life together.