George Hochbrueckner, ‘85, also known as “Soup God” is a local worker at the popular Mama Mia’s pizzeria on Main Street. He loves the Geneseo area and described his long history of involvement with Geneseo.
Hochbrueckner has been an employee at Mama Mia’s for about one and a half years now and emphasizes his love for the fast-paced work environment as well as customer satisfaction with the food quality.
Known for being a “Soup God,” Hochbrueckner has joyfully made variations of soups for years now.
“I've loved making soups for many years. I graduated Geneseo in 1985 with a Business/Marketing degree and a minor in studio art, but my first full-time job in 1986 was short-order cook and soup-making at a little diner in East Avon called Marshall's Place,” Hochbrueckner said via an email interview. “I don't really have a signature soup but have about 40-50 recipes in my head that I can make [with] my taste buds and without a recipe.”
Hochbrueckner further explained how the restaurant was affected by the pandemic, but how business has thankfully picked up since.
“Business sales were clearly down when the pandemic hit in March, but thankfully food is an essential business,” Hochbrueckner said. “We had lots of pick-up and delivery orders as well as curbside deliveries where people would park out front and call us and we would bring the food to their cars.”
Hochbrueckner further described his youth and his affiliation with Geneseo, and how his experience at this school affected his future positively. As a Long Islander, Hochbrueckner came to Geneseo in 1981 and soon became a manager at Campus Auxiliary Services in the Mary Jemison Dining Hall, as well as in the College Union. He also worked for two years in the Office for College Activities. He later met his wife, also a student at Geneseo.
“I met my wife Nicole from Huntington, NY in 1991. She graduated from Geneseo in 1994 with a teaching degree and got a job at Keshequa schools in Nunda 26 years ago. She will most likely retire from there in 10 or 15 years,” Hochbrueckner said. “Basically, Geneseo is now in our family's blood. Both my kids, Kate and Kyle, [who are] 25 and 21 [years old], graduated from Geneseo High School and attended SUNY schools.”
In addition to his work as a manager, Hochbrueckner was also involved in Alpha Chi Rho AXP as a student. He, along with other students, helped revive the organization, which is still functioning today.
“In 1982 and 1983, myself and about seven or eight other undergraduates joined George Pullis in reviving and repurposing Alpha Chi Rho AXP, which at the time was ready to die off,” he said.
With his accomplishments of holding high positions in CAS and in the College Union, meeting his wife in college, as well as helping to revive a Greek Life organization, he feels able to offer students advice and guidance, to help them lead a legendary path for themselves.
“Be the change you want to see. Work your ass off in the things that truly inspire you. Buck the system but be really, really smart and kind-hearted about it. Find ways to get paid to do the things you love,” Hochbrueckner said. “Be over-prepared in the areas that inspire you and when the time comes to speak up, be strong and courageous and people will literally be infected with your passion and knowledge. Don't be afraid to work weird jobs that you don't necessarily like because you learn super valuable skills in those odd seasons of life.”