[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BOB HURLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Bob Hurley upon his retirement from a long and distinguished culinary 
career in Napa Valley.
  Mr. Hurley grew up in San Francisco, California. After graduating 
from high school in 1972, he purchased a van and traveled around the 
United States. He worked in hotels and restaurants along the way, his 
first foray into the restaurant business. He realized his passion for 
cooking and returned to San Francisco, where he enrolled in the 
culinary program at City College. Post-graduation, Mr. Hurley spent two 
years traveling in Europe, India and North Africa learning how food and 
culture were connected.
  Mr. Hurley and his wife Cynthia eventually moved to Napa Valley where 
he quickly became an essential part of our Yountville community. He 
opened Hurley's Restaurant in 2002, which is unquestionably a community 
staple and favorite spot for locals. Ensuring the restaurant's success 
meant his normal workweek was Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. 
After announcing his plans to retire and close Hurley's Restaurant, Mr. 
Hurley has shown the character we all know him to have. He is working 
to help members of his team, which he considers to be family, find new 
jobs.
  Mr. Hurley's unwavering commitment to our community goes beyond his 
restaurant. He is the Secretary on the Board of Directors for the 
Lincoln Theatre at the Yountville Veterans Home. He helped create the 
annual Veterans Day Celebrity Chefs Luncheon and has been a chef for 
Hands Across the Valley, a fundraiser to help feed those in need 
throughout Napa County. He has taught annual etiquette classes at 
Yountville Elementary School, organized fundraisers for Yountville 
Little League, and supported numerous programs at Connolly Ranch. 
During the October 2017 wildfires Mr. Hurley worked for four 
consecutive nights cooking for first responders. He brought hundreds of 
meals from his restaurant to the field where the responders were 
stationed.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hurley is the kind of citizen we should all strive 
to be. He is known for making everyone feel important and special. For 
many years he has provided our community with a welcoming place to 
gather. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Bob Hurley 
here today.

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