Samantha Durley hails from the woods of northwestern WI where she grew up heavily immersed in gardening, 4-H, and raising all types of hobby farm animals. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Superior with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration Finance Concentration and uses her degree while working for UIF Corporation as their Consumer Finance Operations Specialist.
Samantha enjoys her free time gardening, being a part of the Marquette County Fair Board, reading and spending time with our three adorable pets: Bellatrix and Maizie, our sweet kitties, and Calliope, our Bernese Mountain puppy.
Twirling in circles with Samantha is her arm candy, Christopher Durley. Originally from the area, Chris is a second generation South Marquette’er. In high school Chris started working in the dish pit at Lagniappe, and from there began learning the ins and outs of the restaurant industry.
In 2014, after graduating NMU with a degree in Criminal Justice, Chris moved to Madison, WI to pursue his degree. It didn’t take long for him to learn that his true passion would always be the hospitality industry. Chris dove back in headfirst working for Food Fight as Catering Manager, Assistant GM and General Manager.
Samantha and Christopher Durley
After living in Wisconsin for four years, Chris moved back to Michigan with his wife, and helped open The Courtyards Neighborhood Cocktail Bar with his father, Chef Don Durley. Currently Chris sits on the board of the American Culinary Federation Upper Michigan Chapter, The Marquette County Fair, and The Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum. Chris also serves as the Fundraising Chair for the Marquette City Fourth of July Fireworks Committee, and the Chair of the Values Committee for the Marquette Masonic Lodge 101. Chris’ hobbies include community involvement, recipe testing, and day trips to Appleton.
This SOMA team is ready to shake things up and bring buckets of laughs to the community.