Four couples from around the country commemorated today (Friday, Feb. 13, 2026) this love – for each other and for Junior's – as winners in the 4th Junior's Valentine's Day Vow Renewal Ceremony and Celebration contest. The couples, from Chicago; Mechanicsburg, PA; Norfolk, VA, and right here in Brooklyn, were selected from more than 1,000 entries in the annual contest. As this year's winners, they walked down an aisle to the live music of professional cellist and composer Anthime Miller, and renewed their wedding vows under a beautiful heart-shaped balloon canopy with Alan Rosen, the third-generation owner of Junior's, as the officiant. They also received an array of "2nd Honeymoon" gifts from Junior's, including tickets to the Off-Broadway show "Just Desserts; a two-night stay at a luxury hotel, and dining certificates, among other goodies. Perhaps most importantly and appropriately, each couple will receive a Junior's cheesecake on their anniversary every year moving forward.
Rosen, who was ordained specifically for the momentous occasion, noted that Junior's 75-year history is inextricably linked to romance. He explained that, "My grandfather Harry was an old-fashioned romantic who was married to my grandmother for 67 years, and my parents were married for 57. And since I was a little kid coming to work with my dad, I've seen and heard of thousands of first dates, engagements, anniversaries, wedding dinners, and other celebrations of love through the years. So, it is only natural to celebrate this legacy by bringing these couples back to where it all began for a meal, cheesecake, and champagne toast."
The 2026 Junior's Valentine's Couples are:
- Louie & Lyudmila Fleck of Brooklyn, NY. They had their third date at the original Junior's and celebrated their 2019 wedding with a custom Junior's carrot cake. And every year since, they have celebrated their anniversary with a Junior's cheesecake.
- Bob & Kristy Caton of Mechanicsburg, PA: Married for 15 years after what they describe as a "whirlwind romance," these frequent Junior's visitors once learned the hard way that you shouldn't order three of Junior's flying saucer-sized potato pancakes each before diving into cheesecake.
- Erin & Vance Van Horn of Norfolk, VA: Middle school sweethearts who shared their first kiss in middle school at age 12, they chose a plain Junior's cheesecake for their wedding cake five years ago to honor the memory of Erin's mother, who loved to take her to Junior's.
- Adam & Dara Tarkowski of Chicago, IL: While they met in Chicago, Dara took Adam to Junior's on their very first trip together to New York as a couple to connect Adam with her childhood memories of the city. As they both say, "life's simplest moments – once slice of cheesecake, two forks, and a shared memory – are the ones that mean the most."
The ceremony concluded with a celebratory lunch and a reminder from Rosen that "love is an essential ingredient" to both a happy marriage and the world's most fabulous cheesecake.
About Junior's
Since the 1950s, Junior's Restaurant and Bakery in Brooklyn, New York has been famous for great food, great fun, great service, and, of course, the World's Most Famous Cheesecake. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, Junior's Restaurant and Bakery's menu features New York and Brooklyn comfort food dishes ranging from classic New York deli sandwiches piled high, famous 10 oz. steak burgers, salads, jumbo half pound hot dogs, fresh seafood and a full-service bar. For more information, visit juniorscheesecake.com.
Instagram: @JuniorsCheesecake, Facebook: @JuniorsCheesecake
SOURCE Junior's
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