Lifestyle

Labors of Love

Mary Ellen Buxton and Kevin Kutch, owners of Pier Glass

Mary Ellen Buxton and Kevin Kutch, owners of Pier Glass (Tamara Beckwith)

Alex and Renee Melnichenko, owners of Tomcats Barber Shop

Alex and Renee Melnichenko, owners of Tomcats Barber Shop (Tamara Beckwith)

This Valentine’s Day, most couples will head home from work to be with the one they love. But some will head home with their partners, too. We met three Brooklyn-based couples who work or run businesses together to see how they balance work and love. Take a look:

These Brooklyn couples who work together don’t worry about mixing business with pleasure

COOKING FROM THE HEART

Riccardo Rossetti, 28, and Patrizia Volanti, 23

Sous chefs at Antica Pesa, 115 Berry St.,Williamsburg

* What they do: Rossetti and Volanti are both chefs at this Billyburg restaurant, an American outpost of the same-named institution in Rome — a favorite of Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino that’s been open since 1922.

* How they got started: The two met while working at a restaurant in Milan four and a half years ago and now live together. Both went on to apprentice at the original Antica Pesa in Rome. When owners Simone and Francesco Panella invited Rossetti and Volanti to help launch the Williamsburg location in October, the couple — both eager to travel and advance their careers — jumped at the opportunity. Now, they run the kitchen and brainstorm ideas for new dishes when the Panellas are out of the country.

* Pros and cons: Rossetti and Volanti have found their partnership makes them a better team in the kitchen: Both are perfectionists — they taste and re-taste everything on the menu — and they’ve discovered that finding an equilibrium between their tastes and cooking styles is similar to finding an equilibrium in their relationship: In their cooking, Rossetti prefers sharp edges and acidic tastes; Volanti, a talented pastry chef, is more inclined toward delicate flavors. In their relationship, Rossetti says he tends to see things in black and white; Volanti is more moderate.

“At the end, you have the right plates,” Volanti says. “That’s it.”

Spending so much time together, though, also means they’re together when they’re stressed. And while the two like supporting each other — in the kitchen and out — “it’s really hard sometimes,” Volanti concedes. “You come home, and when you think about work, and when you speak to your partner . . . ”

“Our fights are work-related,” Rossetti finishes.

But Rossetti and Volanti don’t feel as though they’ve bitten off more than they can chew: Even though they’ve been logging 11-hour days since Antica Pesa opened — and haven’t yet had a day off — they still manage a healthy work-life balance. Sometimes, they’ll sneak out of the restaurant for dinner on a slow night, and they often cook together at home before or after a long shift (unsurprisingly, they try to avoid cooking Italian).

* Tips: Before arriving stateside, Rossetti and Volanti promised to be “very honest” with each other. It’s particularly important when they’re tired and stressed and still go home to each other, notes Rossetti: “We always try to challenge each other and face the problems when we have to face them.”

A GLASS ACT

Mary Ellen Buxton, 62, and Kevin Kutch, 61

Owners of Pier Glass, 499 Van Brunt St., Red Hook

* What they do: The couple own and operate a blown glass studio, where they create sculptures for private galleries, on commission and with museums.

* How they got started: The two met in 1973 while studying art at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. “We had similar interests, of course, and we started dating,” Kutch says. “We both had the desire to create our own artwork.”

For almost two decades after their 1978 marriage, Buxton taught art at an alternative high school in Colorado, and Kutch worked in a glass blowers’ studio. They began talking seriously about opening their own studio and moved to New York in the early 1990s; in 1994, they opened Pier Glass.

* Pros and cons: In the studio, Buxton lays out estimates and conceptualizes upcoming works. Kutch takes over for most of the glass-blowing, and Buxton finishes the projects with back-end detail work. The two weren’t worried about starting a business together. Still, Buxton recalls friends questioning the wisdom of their decision. “I remember a number of people going, ‘Really? Are you sure you want to work with somebody and live with that same person?’ ”

But living and working so closely has reaped unexpected benefits. Scheduling vacation days is simple, and hardships are easier to weather. The couple was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy: Their home in Coney Island flooded, and their shop saw 5 feet of water. Equipment and most of their works were destroyed. At the shop, recovery efforts remain ongoing.

“We would come here and work on cleaning up the mess, tearing up drywall and trying to figure out what we could save, and then we’d go home and turn on the generator,” Kutch says.

But such a disruption caused Buxton and Hutch to pull together. “You work together, and you work together tightly,” Buxton says. “We were much, much closer at that point.”

* Tips: Buxton acknowledges it can be hard to keep work separate from their personal relationship. It’s important to “leave everything entirely at the studio,” she says.

A CUT ABOVE

Alex Melnichenko, 39, and Renee Melnichenko, 40

Owners at Tomcats Barber Shop, 135 India St., Greenpoint

* What they do: The Melnichenkos, along with friend Joey Covington, run a barber shop specializing in retro haircuts and styles for both men and women.

* How they got started: The two met at a rockabilly music bar where Renee was bartending in 2004. At the time, Covington was cutting Alex’s hair; he specialized in retro hairstyles — a niche specialty at the time. Alex, meanwhile, was worried other old-timey barbers who could do his hair were retiring — without replacements.

In 2006, the three began talking about creating a traditional barbershop, where the barbers weren’t afraid of pomade and could create old-fashioned hairstyles. “Everybody who used to do this is either retired, or dying, or dead,” Renee says.

Less than three months later, they signed a lease. The salon — decked out with antique-looking barber chairs — initially catered to Greenpoint’s swing scene. But the wild popularity of “Mad Men” and other retro dramas led to a resurgence in interest in boomer-era hairstyles, and the shop has found a broader audience.

* Pros and cons: Covington cuts hair, and Renee oversees most of the shop’s management, including handling paperwork, hiring and firing. Alex acts as a superintendent and is responsible for the shop’s décor.

Although the couple have had their fair share of fights, including over hiring or firing employees, Alex says he thinks the conflicts and compromises they encounter in their work are similar to the ones they face in their marriage. It helps that he and Renee are temperamentally suited to spending long hours together. “We do long-distance motorcycle touring as a hobby,” he says. “It takes special people to be able to stay on a motorcycle for eight hours straight . . . ”

“And not want to kill each other,” Renee chimes in.

And even though they have to work at it occasionally, Renee says it’s worth it: “It’s taxing on a relationship, but it’s joyful at the same time, because it’s yours. Being able to work for yourself and do it with your husband or wife is awesome — or at least it is for us.”

* Tips: Melnichenko adds she and Alex try to take the same days off. If you don’t, “you’re constantly working, and your relationship goes by the wayside,” she says.