By J1 Reporter Josie Piernicky

The work that happens behind the scenes in the lunchroom builds a sense of community in the Marian Catholic school atmosphere. Mr. Bob Hurtado, the current food services manager, loves interacting with the students and staff. He enjoys the community that he’s built through his food and loves how it brings people together.

Mr. Hurtado is the main guy behind the scenes while his wife, Mrs. Colleen Hurtado, deals with the financial aspect of the business. They are contracted by Marian so they don’t have to follow any federal school cafeteria guidelines, but they make sure that the girls are fed with nutritious food everyday.

However, Mrs. Hurtado has gone missing as of this year. Her presence was always appreciated in the lunchroom for the last two year and students were sad to see her go. According to Mr. Hurtado, she is switching to an investment advisory role. 

Today, Mr. Hurtado comes to Marian by 5 a.m. and prepares lunch with the help of his staff. He is still managing the food truck of Bob’s Grill in his after-school hours. Although selecting the food for the next week’s lunch schedule challenges him, his favorite meal is the burrito bowl and he makes all of the food from scratch. 

Mr. Hurtado is constantly praising his mentor and gives him credit for his own success in the food industry. “If you have a great teacher, you will do great.” He said in response to how he fell in love with the process of making food for people and building community.