It was a story of love at first bite that started with a sandwich for Jill and Aubrey Martin, who met while working at UC San Diego Health in 2015. The two were both tasked with opening a new hospital, Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health, set to open in November 2016. They had met at a catered steering meeting organized for hospital construction and planning.
After one fateful steering meeting, Jill had kindly offered a few leftover sandwiches to team members who worked in the building. What had developed was not only hunger, but sparks as well; the two had caught each other's eye at these lunches, but maintained professional decorum.
Jill, senior director of Food, Nutrition and Hospitality, had led a recent kitchen remodel project in preparation to expand food service and accommodate the new Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health. Aubrey, director of Business Administration for CORE Services, had just joined UC San Diego Health for the final construction phases of the new hospital.
Eventually, Jill sent a search party (her boss) out to investigate Aubrey's story and if he was single.
Turns out, he was and the two quickly created "Pizza Friday,” which was nothing more than a disguised lunch date. What started as many co-workers having lunch together quickly became just the two of them.
"By the end of the first slice of pizza on our 'first date', we knew the weekly date would be a mainstay on our weekly calendar," said Jill Martin. "And I'm sure the others at the table quickly realized the 'third wheel' role they were playing."
From that day forward, if you needed to find Aubrey at noon, he was in the Thornton Atrium trying to make Jill laugh.
One year later, they were officially engaged about a year after their first date and had already planned a destination wedding in Kauai the week after the hospital opened in November 2016. They returned from Kauai as "The Martins.” Getting married was a fun surprise to share at work and a story they love telling, which continues to this day!
The Martins and Jacobs Medical Center will be celebrating their 9-year anniversaries in 2025. UC San Diego Health continues to expand its network of clinics and hospitals to better serve patients and the community. When not carpooling to work, The Martins enjoy traveling the world. Scotland, Argentina and Japan are next.
Happy Valentine’s Day to the Martins and to all at UC San Diego Health! ??