Daniel Urquhart and his grandmother, Nancy Higgins, at the start of the Day of Hope celebration.

Carol J. Reiner Award Recipient: Daniel Urquhart

You may have seen the cherry red custom trailer at a local fair, concert, or food truck rally. Although, if you haven’t tried a Lidos cheesesteak, then you are missing out on one of Santa Maria's food gems! However, there is more to owner and operator Daniel Urquhart than a great meal though, he's a man of generosity and kindness, as displayed prominently during the 2019 Day of Hope.

Serving up humankindness

More than a decade ago, Daniel’s grandmother Nancy Higgins was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fighting through it, she was able to beat the disease the first time. Cancer again reared its ugly head a year ago in her hip, and fortunately she was able to beat it a second time at Mission Hope Cancer Center. Though she is cancer free, Daniel wanted to do something in honor of his strong grandmother. He chose to put his own strength to work to help bless those in the community, especially cancer patients.

As the owner and operator of Lidos concessions, Daniel purchased the business when he graduated from Righetti High School in 2002. Transitioning it from a popular storefront restaurant to a mobile business, Daniel and his wife Alisa has taken their delicious culinary work on the road and often are seen working as a family team with the children.

Desiring to give back to the community, in 2018, Lidos held a fundraiser during Day of Hope at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA and donated a portion of sales that day for Day of Hope. In 2019, Daniel chose to make the day even bigger.

“It’s a special day to me because you see the community comes together,” Daniel said. “I wanted to do something for my grandma and this was a perfect opportunity to give back.”

On April 10, Daniel and his family chose to donate their time and effort by taking part in Day of Hope at Mission Hope Cancer Center. Donating their net proceeds to local cancer patients, Lidos delivered up cheesesteak after cheesesteak to impact the community, raising $1,300.

Carol J. Reiner Award Recipient

Daniel shares a moment with Deborah Crough, daughter of the late Carol Reiner (pictured at right), after receiving the inaugural Carol J. Reiner Award.

Later in the month, Daniel was honored at the Day of Hope celebration event with the inaugural Carol J. Reiner Award. Named after the late nurse, Foundation Board Member, volunteer, and cancer patient, this award is given to an individual who supports Day of Hope in a meaningful and special way. The daughter of Carol, Deborah Crough, was also on hand at this event to witness this award recipient.

“My husband and I enjoyed the celebration and were thankful for the creation of an award in my mom’s honor. She would have been humbled by this, and I’m blessed to see that my mom was and is a gift that keeps on giving to others and to me,” Deborah reflected.

For Daniel, he plans on furthering the support of Day of Hope among the local food truck community in the future. At Marian, we are grateful for his desire to further hope through serving up cheesesteaks and kindness.