Chef Robert Lhulier signs lease for Avenue North restaurant

Robert Lhulier is a man of his word.

When the chef left Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar in March 2024, he said he was seeking space in north Wilmington for his own restaurant.

On July 30, Lhulier signed the lease for an end-cap location at Avenue North, the nearly 80-acre mixed-use redevelopment on the former AstraZeneca campus.

If all goes as planned, Lhulier’s new baby—Sardella Mediterranean Cantina—will open in nine months. (It’s pronounced sar-DAY-lah).

Currently, he is the operator/executive chef at The Brandywine Restaurant in Wilmington and will continue in that role.

Ernest Delle Donne, chairman of developer Delle Donne & Associates, said Lhulier’s fine dining experience and “stellar reputation” made him the perfect fit for the project.

“We’re trying to create something special—unlike anything in Delaware,” Delle Donne explained.

He noted that Lhulier’s restaurant would appeal to the site’s employers, including AstraZeneca, Solenis and ChristianaCare.

Flavors of southern Europe

The $350 million Avenue North project impressed Lhulier, and it’s easy to see why.

When complete, it will include 12 new buildings, 360 apartments and 10.5 acres of connected open space. Brew HaHa! has already opened in the complex.

However, Lhulier is most impressed by the people behind Avenue North.

“What interested me most was Ernie’s commitment to his vision and his enthusiasm,” Lhulier agreed. “A lot of thought, consideration and money went into launching this project. That shows that Delle Donne recognizes the importance of a strong landlord-tenant relationship.”

Sardella’s 3,000-square-foot space will have two walls with floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor seating.

“The sunny and vivid palette of the Mediterranean—and its cool blues, silvers and blacks—are evocative of the cuisines of the region: mussels, oysters, sardines and anchovies, bronzino,” said Lhulier, who majored in art at the University of Delaware. “Clean, bright and fresh will be my culinary palette.”

The chef will draw inspiration from coastal Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Dishes on the working menu include swordfish carpaccio with radicchio, caper, preserved lemon vinaigrette, micro celery and shallot; mussels in a white wine cream sauce with herbs; grilled Spanish octopus; and braised rabbit in red wine atop polenta. Entrée prices will range from $24 to $42

Lhulier curating experience

It’s not the first time the Culinary Institute of America graduate created a restaurant. From 2005 to 2007, he owned The Chef’s Table in New Castle, which ultimately did not have the traffic to sustain the overhead.

He kept refining his skills and developing new ones at a bevy of local restaurants and the University & Whist Club, where his wine dinners made non-members envious. His pop-up business—fixed-price dinners for eight or more guests—added more cachet. People clamored to book a meal or be part of a host’s ensemble.

Delle Donne and his son hired Lhulier to handle many events at their homes.

“He’s phenomenal,” Delle Donne maintained. “He’s a homegrown superstar.”

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Lhulier, Bill Irvin and David and Joanne Govatos opened Snuff Mill in 2021. The Govatos departed to concentrate on Swigg, their wine and spirits boutique, across the parking lot in Independence Mall. Lhulier, a minority partner, decided to leave last March, saying, “Creatives want to create.”

In a typical Delaware twist of fate, Lhulier replaced Irvin at The Brandywine Restaurant, which Lhulier is tweaking, starting with the menu.

He enjoys seeing a culinary vision come to life.

“I am excited about creating a space at Sardella that is as warm and inviting as my popup dinners and as retro and country as Snuff Mill,” Lhulier said. “Expect some of that energy at The Brandywine in the near future, too, as we rebrand.”

Restaurants today are about more than dining, he continued. “People want an experience and to be engaged. That’s where we will have an edge.”

Follow Sardella at SardellaCantina on Instagram and Facebook to watch the progress.