In the Wilmington hospitality industry, the song lyric âWhere you lead, I will followâ carries weight. A chef or restaurateur with a track record is a culinary Pied Piper. If you need proof, consider Robert Lhulier’s summer arrival at The Brandywine Restaurant in the 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue buildingâ the old Michael Christopherâs site. It is a few doors down from …
For four decades, the face of Stanleyâs Tavern has been a Steve, not a Stanley. Steve Torpey went from managing the Brandywine Hundred landmark to owning it. But in July, Torpey turned over the keys to Newark-based Ashby Hospitality Group. âThey took over the restaurant with my complete staff, all our systems, all our vendorsâeverything,â says Torpey, who is officially retired. Marc Ashby, …
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 …
Breakfast has always been a significant dining segment at the beach, partly due to the high volume of hotel guests. However, lingering over a stack of pancakes while sipping a bloody Mary epitomizes a lazy vacation. The demand for breakfast on the Culinary Coast has led to a bevy of restaurants ready to serve hungry beachcombers. Here are some …
Big Fish Restaurant Group, a Delaware titan in the hospitality industry, and the Baltimore-based lifestyle hospitality company Atlas Restaurant Group announced today that theyâve formed a partnership. The Delaware group is known for its flagship Big Fish Grill, which has locations in Rehoboth Beach and Ocean View and on the Wilmington Riverfront. A previous site in Glen Mills closed and …
Itâs not often that you get to meet your idols. But during the James Beard Awards events in Chicago this past weekend, Delawareâs Matt Kern chatted with Elizabeth Faulkner, a âTop Chefâ alum and âa hero of mine for probably 20 years,â said Kern, chef-owner of One Coastal in Fenwick Island. He met Michel Nischan, another hero, and Kevin Tien …
Memorial Day weekend may be the traditional start of the summer at the beach. but anyone who lives in coastal Sussex County knows the highways are crowded most of the year. Nevertheless, beach restaurants are gearing up for an onslaught. According to the tourism group Visit Southern Delaware, dining is the leading visitor activity along the coast, surpassing the allure …
Robbie Jester has come home. Sort of. Raised in Galena, Maryland, the chef is partnering with Jamestown Hospitality Group, owner of Deep Blue at Kitty Knight, an inn and restaurant in Galena, to infuse new life into the old establishment. âIronically, my dad owned Kitty Knight in the 1980s, and I was conceived there,â said Jester, a Culinary Institute of …
Dan Butler is unafraid to take risks. In 1991, the Culinary Institute of America graduate opened Griglia Toscana in Trolley Square. At the time, most Italian restaurants served red âgravyâ and meatballs. However, Butler offered artisanal pizza from a wood-burning oven, grilled veal and hard-to-find risotto. He wasnât afraid to mess with success; heâs tweaked Toscana several times. Itâs now Piccolina …
Christina âChrissyâ Villare-Talbot and her husband, John, shared the dream of owning a restaurant together. Most would agree that John has the pedigree for it. A graduate of The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, heâd worked at Creedâs Seafood & Steaks in King of Prussia since 2000, when he was hired as a sous chef. He later became executive …
