BY: Maria Luna
Just two days before Thanksgiving, an unexpected sense of hype and suspense hang in the air of Eva’s Village—Paterson, New Jersey’s largest soup kitchen—amid a delicious aroma of turkey, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Finally, the doors open and in walk Victor Cruz, NY Giants’ wide receiver and face of Campbell Soup’s “Mama’s Boy” ad campaign, along with six rookie teammates. The players dutifully make their way to the kitchen and don white aprons, readying themselves to serve a scrumptious and piping hot lunch to roughly four hundred disadvantaged men and women.
“I’m here today with Campbell’s Chunky Soup to give back to the people of Eva’s Village who are a little bit less fortunate,” says Cruz. “Put some food on their plates and help as much as I can.”
Founded in 1982, Eva’s Village has continued to grow and develop in response the community’s needs. It is an annual Thanksgiving holiday destination for Giants rookie players—Victor Cruz being no exception. “He’s a good guy. Most times, athletes get too famous to come back and do this kind of stuff,” comments an onlooker. “But Victor came back.”
Cruz, a Paterson native who adores his mother and dances salsa in the end zone for his abuela, confides that he does not perform as well in the kitchen as he does on the field—except for his ability to make a “mean breakfast.” He jokingly tells us, “Luckily, I won’t be cooking. I’ll be sitting down getting my grub on.” This holiday season will bring more community-service work and six-straight games for Cruz. The family hopes to get in some time to relax and enjoy what Cruz’ long-time girlfriend, Elaina Watley, CEO of publicity and marketing strategy firm—Brand Infinite, lists, “arroz con gandules, maduros, pernil and a lot more.”
With a Superbowl championship, a best-selling memoire, Out of the Blue, a very hush-hush entertainment deal in the works with Jay Z’s Roc Nation, and the birth of his daughter, Kennedy Ryan Cruz, we asked Cruz what’s on the horizon? “More of the same,” he confirms. “More positivity, hopefully more championships. Just to continue to grow as a person. I’m still young, still in the early part of my career. I want to see where this game of football takes me.”
How does the family handle Cruz’ instant success and immediate recognition? “We just try to be as normal as possible,” he says. “When I’m home, they don’t care about how many touchdowns I scored in the last game. They just want me to take the garbage out, make breakfast, and change some diapers.” Watley adds, “We’re just taking it day by day. I manage his image, his publicity, all of his marketing. So it’s hard being the person who is orchestrating all of this recognition and then wanting privacy. We understand [lack of privacy] comes with the territory.”
If behind every great man, there is a great woman, then this mama’s boy is sure to live up to the prodigious expectations of his fans. With the support of his mother, the inspiration of his daughter, and love of Elaina Watley, New Jersey’s own, Victor Cruz, is winning big time both on and off the field.
