Captain Lee Rosbach's "Favorite Chief Stew of All Time" Is Actually Not Kate Chastain

They may not have hit it off at first (more on that in the Below Deck Season 7 After Show, above), but Captain Lee Rosbach and Kate Chastain grew to become close work colleagues and even besties after six seasons of Below Deck together. Why, Captain Lee has even admitted to giving the chief stew "preferential treatment" over the years.

But Kate actually isn't Captain Lee's favorite chief stew that he's ever worked with. No, that distinction is reserved for another special lady.

Captain Lee shared a throwback photo from his yachting career on Instagram on Thursday, February 20. In it, he is joined by his wife, Mary Anne, who is wearing a matching crew uniform. "A blast from the past," Captain Lee, who almost looks like Kenny Rogers' twin in the pic, wrote in the post. "Myself and my favorite chief stew of all time."

Yes, there you have it. Mary Anne holds that special spot in Captain Lee's heart as his favorite chief stew — as it should be, we might add.

Mary Anne also has the distinction of being the only crew member Captain Lee has ever hooked up with, we learned during his appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen back in October. That is both comforting and TMI to know.

In case that vintage pic of Captain Lee and Mary Anne hasn't sufficiently melted your heart already, his Valentine's Day message to his wife of more than 40 years should do the trick.

"Happy Valentines Day to my very best friend in the whole world, oh and Happy Birthday as well. Love you to the moon," Captain Lee gushed in a post on Instagram to commemorate the holiday last week. "You're the best, sweetie, thanks for putting up with all I've put you through, love you."

Kate announced earlier this week that she would not be returning to Below Deck after serving as chief stew for the past six seasons. "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, I have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new land based role," she wrote on Instagram on February 17. "I intend to step back as a senior member of the Below Deck Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support His Majesty Andy Cohen."

Kate reveals her favorite Below Deck moment of all time in the below clip.

Kate Chastain Reveals Her Favorite Below Deck Moment of All Time