Fame of the name precedes a deal of a meal for Pittsboro’s Marsha and Robert Scurlock

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PITTSBORO — Ever notice how some people in various areas of life need only one name to be recognized?

Take, for instance, the world of music. Say the word “Elvis” and nobody needs “Presley” to know who you’re talking about. Or how about “Aretha?” When you speak that name, does anyone really think you might mean someone with a last name other than “Franklin”?

Well, there’s a somewhat similar situation locally. And while it’s not in the entertainment world, many people find it entertaining, especially since it involves food – good food and lots of it. In and around Pittsboro – and in an ever-growing area – when talk turns to “who do we want to cater a meal,” often the first answer is “the Scurlocks.”

That, of course, is two words. And it’s two people – Marsha and Robert Scurlock, Pittsboro area natives who turned what began as a family affair into a part-time business that’s now a full-time operation.

Both folks readily admit the basis for their success lies in Marsha’s skilled hands, honed by a passion she’s had since she was 10.

“I started making biscuits,” she says, “from scratch, for some of our neighbors. One lady thought they were so good she had me cook them for her all the time. I started staying with my aunt — Mary Jane Leak — as much as I could. She was a super cook. She cooked by touch, a little of this, a little of that. I’d watch her and it just became a passion for me. The only thing I can’t do like she did is apple pie. I’ve tried but I can’t. She had a crust you couldn’t beat.”

Then she adds, with a laugh, “I’ve wondered if she left something out when I was watching but I watched her so closely I know she didn’t.”

The cooking for neighbors and then family became a growing thing for Marsha but it was mostly a pastime at first.

“Both of my parents worked in Chapel Hill,” she says, “and most of the time when they got home at the end of the day, I had supper on the table.”

High school graduation, marriage, a family and careers came to the forefront of their lives before retirement afforded them more time to grow their business. Both Marsha and Robert had years of service at UNC Hospitals. Marsha, who started in medical records, later logged 20 years as a secretary and receptionist in the surgery department. Robert – Marsha and most other folks call him “Bob” – is a graduate of the first physician’s extender class at UNC. In that role, he was an assistant to physicians in the operating room, serving as an extra pair of hands.

Since giving up their commute to Chapel Hill, they’ve seen the business and their reputation grow by leaps and bounds. Even though they were feeding folks on a part-time basis while working at the hospital, it wasn’t until after those days ended that they found they’d traded one full-time career for another. Robert created a commercial kitchen at the rear of their home, “to get things legal,” he says. Their Grade A sanitation rating is prominently displayed in the kitchen.

Through the years, they’ve fed family reunions and provided food for churches, civic clubs and businesses large and small in and around not only Chatham County but in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Sanford.

“We can provide food for a family or feed hundreds,” Marsha says.

While serving as the primary cook, Marsha says she couldn’t carry on without a group of family and friends. Bob does most of the delivery, although he says he gets lots of compliments on the food. “Sometimes,” he says, “folks will say, ‘Bob, that sure was good. What’s in it?’ or ‘How did you get that so good?’ I just say ‘Thank you.’ I don’t try to take credit.”

A number of other folks are involved, especially when it’s a large order. There’s their son, Robert Jr., daughter Michelle Alston and her husband Michael and Marsha’s sister Stella Farrar.

“If I’m not careful,” Marsha says, “when I start naming people I may leave somebody out; it’s a long list but we couldn’t do without them.”

Among those helpers are Maurice Farrar, Antonio Farrar, Shelia Harris, Carolyn Newkirk, Tony Brower, Tanisha Lee, Chontai Baldwin, Travonia Burnette, Peter McKissick, Henry Bland and Johnny Richardson. Marsha also gives credit to Loretta French.

“Sometimes I’ll come out to the kitchen and she’s already here in the early morning,” she says. “It’s quiet then; the phone isn’t ringing and you can really focus on what you’re doing.”

Customers who have eaten food from Scurlock’s Catering are often the business’s best advertising.

“We get lot of requests for sweet potato pie and chicken salad,” Marsha says. “And it helps that we cook it, set it up, serve it and then clean up.”

She doesn’t make as many pound cakes as she once did — although, she says, “we do all kinds of desserts,” including a banana pudding that’s a favorite of many.

“But I still do pound cakes sometimes. I made one for Bob the other day,” she says with a laugh.

With all that experience preparing favorite foods, Marsha says sometimes there’s not much time left over for other activities.

“But we do enjoy our granddaughter,” she said. “I’ll tell her ‘I could just eat you up’ and then she says to me ‘If you did, you wouldn’t have me anymore.’ We have a lot of fun. We’re always interested in serving more people and meeting new friends. To me, cooking isn’t a talent; it’s a passion. I love it.”