'Inflated Tomato' Leads to 'Spectacular, Magical' Romance

The three-dimensional tomato outside The Pasta Shoppe in Port Washington is an eye-catching add-on for the business, but it means a bit more than that to one couple whose romance began with a dinner in that spot.

"Port Washington was roughly half way between where the two of us were living at the time. Jenny had picked The Pasta Shoppe because it had an 'Inflated Tomato' on the outside of the building, which would be an easy landmark for us to find," Brad Rosenbaum of New Berlin said.

Rosenbaum said he has been dating Jenny Sproehlich for "nine of the happiest months ever," and the two recently won Patch's Cutest Couple Contest — landing them a gift card to The Pasta Shoppe (donated by the restaurant), where it all begain.

Sproehlich grew up just north of Random Lake, and said she knew the Port Washington area well — prompting her choice in restaurant options.

"I had to talk myself into getting out of my car to meet him by the front door of the Pasta Shoppe," Sproehlich said. "I had an extreme case of the butterflies. Once I met him and we began to talk, I began to feel more at ease. He was incredibly easy to talk with."

Rosenbaum entered the two into the contest as a surprise to Sproehlich, sending her on a scavenger hunt until she found her picture on Patch.

Sproehlich wrote:

"I was at my apartment one evening, about a week or so before Valentine's Day, when I noticed a token hidden by my computer. I sent him a text asking him what it was all about. He didn't say much about it. The next day I found two more tokens in my jacket pockets. I began to look all over my apartment to find more. I felt like a kid again looking for my Easter basket! :)

"There were eight tokens total, hidden throughout my apartment. He wrote different numbers and letters on the tokens. I had to decipher it. I figured it out about a week later. The number and letter combination led me to discover Patch's website and the contest."

Describing their relationship in one word, Rosenbaum leands to "spectacular" and Sproehlich calls it, "magical." Despite the contest win, though, neither will take credit for claiming the title of "cutest."

"Jenny has an outstanding personality. She is perpetually optimistic, infinitely patient, and infectiously happy. Now that she is officially part of the cutest couple, she can’t deny her good looks any more either!" Rosenbaum said.

"Honestly, I think it was Brad who won the contest for us," Sproehlich rebuttled. "He is the cuter one of the two of us. I mean, how can you deny those dimples?! Aside from the fact that he is devastatingly handsome, he is an extraordinary person with an amazing heart."

Rosenbaum still lives in Menomonee Falls, working as software developer; Sproehlich has since moved to Wauwatosa and works as a kindergarten teacher. Despite the distance from this lakeside community, the two say it will never be far from their hearts.

"Port Washington will always be where our relationship began," Rosenbaum said. "We met there a number of times initially, so it holds a special memory for us.  We have visited the Pasta Shoppe several time on our milestones, so they will always have a customer with us.  We are looking forward to Spring and Summer there so we can explore the little outdoor spots that made Port Washington so fun for us."