SoDel Concepts Offers Banquet Space for Private Parties and Business Functions

When SoDel Concepts' 10th restaurant, the new Bluecoast Seafood Grill, opens this summer on Route 1 near Fresh Market, it will feature an 800-square-foot private dining room that will seat 50. But event organizers and celebrants needn't wait until then to book a banquet space in a SoDel Concepts restaurant. Four of the company's restaurants have rooms suitable for private parties.

Now is an ideal time to book a function. "For locals and off-season visitors, this is the perfect time of year to get together with friends, whether you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, holding a rehearsal dinner or organizing a bridal or baby shower," says Scott Kammerer, SoDel Concepts president. "It's also wise to call now for spring, summer and fall events, since many of these spaces become booked very quickly. Businesses, nonprofits and networking groups hold functions in our restaurants all year long."

Guests may have already visited these rooms during the many wine and beer dinners that the restaurants hold in the off-season. The multicourse meals, typically priced at under $50 per person, including the featured wine, beer or spirit, are considered good values. For notifications about these events, sign up at www.sodelconcepts.com.

Many guests have attended social and business functions in the largest event space, which is in Fish On in the Villages of Five Points in Lewes. The restaurant's dedicated banquet room can hold 75 people.

The dining room at Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach holds up to 45 for special occasions, while the Fenwick Island Papa Grande's has the Tequila Room, which accommodates 30. At Catch 54, located in Fenwick next to Papa Grande's, a second-story space holds 65. With its views of the water and its dedicated bar, this is the perfect spot for rehearsal dinners, showers and office parties.

SoDel Cares Donates $2,500 to Cape Henlopen Food Basket

SoDel Concepts' foundation, SoDel Cares, recently donated $2,500 to the Cape Henlopen Food Basket. Located on Oyster House Road in Rehoboth Beach, the nonprofit is an emergency food service that provides assistance to those living in the Cape Henlopen School District.

"We're impressed with the job that Cape Henlopen Food Basket is doing to help local residents who are struggling to make ends meet," said Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, which owns nine restaurants, Plate Catering and the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen. "They give people the assistance they need to get back on track."

CHFB provides a 10-day supply of canned and frozen food, as well as supermarket vouchers for fresh milk, eggs, margarine and bread. "We are so thankful to receive a donation from SoDel Cares, along with other associations, because it helps us meet our goal of $60,000, which we use to feed families and individuals," said John Devol, president of CHFB.

In 2016, CHFB served 2,397 households (6,691 people). In January 2017 alone, the organization assisted 162 households (443 people).

SoDel to Open Second Bluecoast Restaurant in Rehoboth

SoDel Concepts will add a second location for its Bluecoast  restaurant brand in the Rehoboth Beach area.

Scott Kammerer, president of the coastal Delaware restaurant group, confirmed that the location will be in the new Rehoboth Gateway shopping center,  near the site of the new  Fresh Market. The center is off  Route 1 and near Rehoboth Avenue.

Kammerer noted that Bluecoat was SoDel’s first restaurant. The new Bluecoat will be the 10th in Coastal Sussex for SoDel.

“Since it opened in Bethany Beach more than 10 years ago, Bluecoast has become a nationally recognized, award-winning restaurant,” Kammerer said. “Now our customers in the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach area don’t need to cross the Indian River Inlet Bridge to experience their favorite restaurant.”

The restaurant is slated to open in spring 2017.

Bluecoast is the third SoDel concept  to expand from the Bethany-Fenwick area.

First, the Papa Grande’s Latin restaurant in Fenwick added a location in Rehoboth. That was followed by Matt’s Fish Camp in Bethany Beach adding another location in Lewes and now Blue Coast.

SoDel also operates Catch 54, a waterfront restaurant in Fenwick, Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, Fish On, near Lewes; and Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach.

The restaurant group, started by the late Matt Haley, also has a catering operation, restaurant consulting company, food truck, spice  and a craft soda line.

Bluecoast has set the bar high for dining along the coast. “Bluecoast epitomizes what we do best: create and serve beautiful, simple coastal cuisine that allows our chefs’ talents to shine,” agreed chef Doug Ruley, vice president of SoDel Concepts.

Ruley, who has been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York three times, will head up the kitchen with Jason Dietterick, who started his career with SoDel in 2001, and Scott Visselli, who was named “Sussex County Chef of the Year” by Coastal Style Magazine.

The 250-seat, 4,500-square-foot restaurant is being built from the ground up. An outdoor area will feature firepits, corn hole games and an acoustic stage. The restaurant will employ more than 100.

Like its Bethany counterpart,  the menu will highlight oysters and seafood, as well as a selection of steaks and other items.  The wine list, created by wine director Mike Zygmonski, will be on par with the Bethany Beach location.

SoDel Concepts was founded by chef-restaurateur Matt Haley, the recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award. After Haley passed away in August 2014, Scott Kammerer became president and CEO of SoDel Concepts. The SoDel Cares Fund, a nonprofit, helps children and people in Delaware and across the globe. Many of the fund’s efforts address hunger and sustainability.

SoDel Concepts Breaks Ground on New Bluecoast

SoDel Concepts, one of Delaware's largest restaurant groups, recently broke ground on its latest business venture.

The company will open its 10th restaurant, the second Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar, in the Rehoboth Gateway Mall by June 2017. The shopping center on Route 1 is already home to The Fresh Market and Bed Bath and Beyond.

"This will be our most exciting project yet," Scott Kammerer said, in a recent press release. 

Kammerer is president of SoDel Concepts, which also owns Plate Catering, the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen and hospitality management and consulting divisions. "Bluecoast in Bethany Beach, our flagship restaurant, has received national recognition. We’re pleased to bring the concept to our customers north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge.”

The 250-seat, 4,500-square-foot restaurant will have an outdoor area with several fire pits, corn hole games and an acoustic stage. The restaurant will employ more than 100 year-round jobs to the coastal area.

Just like the restaurant in Bethany, the menu will highlight oysters and seafood, as well as a selection of steaks and other Bluecoast favorites. The wine list, created by wine director Mike Zygmonski, will align with the original location's.

Doug Ruley, who has been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York three times, will head up the kitchen with Jason Dietterick, who started his career with SoDel in 2001, and Scott Visselli, who was named “Sussex County Chef of the Year” by Coastal Style Magazine.

"We’re looking forward to working with the local companies who are helping us make the second Bluecoast a reality," Ruley said, adding that Lingo Asset Management and Broadpoint Construction, both based in Rehoboth Beach, are working on the project.

For information about SoDel Concepts, visit sodelconcepts.com.

SoDel Concepts' Kammerer Wins Delaware Restaurant Award

Anyone who knows Scott Kammerer would say 2016 has been his year.

He was named Business Man of the Year by Coastal Style Magazine, won the Marvin S. Gilman Superstar Business Award, and most recently, the most coveted award in the industry — the Delaware Restaurant Association's Cornerstone Award.

Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, said the award celebrates those who have made significant contributions to their local restaurant communities. Past recipients include the Blue Moon restaurant in Rehoboth Beach and Xavier Teixido of Harry's Hospitality Group.

"It's like a lifetime achievement award — one of the most prestigious given," she said. "I do not know anyone who is more deserving than Scott."

For the last 25 years, Kammerer has worked his way up from dishwasher to line cook to general manager and beyond.

With the help of Matt Haley, Delaware restaurateur and late president of SoDel Concepts, Kammerer co-founded Highwater Management, a food service management company that now oversees more than 1,000 employees and $45 million in annual managed sales. Kammerer is also a founding partner of Haley/Kammerer Restaurant Consulting.

After Haley passed away in August 2014, Kammerer became president and CEO of SoDel Concepts, an award-winning hospitality group, which also owns nine restaurants, a catering company and food truck.

A year later, he founded a charitable nonprofit, SoDel Cares, that has given thousands of dollars in grants to organizations that help children, the elderly, and at-risk youth and adults.

"In such a short time, Scott has shown us a just mere glimpse of what he is capable of," she said. "This award is less about recognizing someone who is continuing Matt Haley's legacy, and much more about honoring someone who is forging his own path to better the community."

But don't let the success fool you. Kammerer is never too busy to pitch in if needed.

"I still wash dishes, I still cook," he said. "I'll never ask someone to do something that I wouldn't. I'm just trying to encourage a better experience for everyone, and build a company that people can be proud of."

Kammerer will accept the Cornerstone Award at the Delaware Restaurant Association's Cornerstone Awards event Nov. 7 at the Queen Theatre at World Cafe Live in Wilmington. For more information or purchase tickets for the event, visit delawarerestaurant.org.

More Than Just Restaurants

Scott Kammerer had a bike and $17 in his pocket when he took the Cape May Ferry to Lewes for a summer at the beach.

Last month, Kammerer’s company announced plans to open their tenth restaurant.

“I like to say we’re an overnight success 25 years in the making,” said Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts. In addition to restaurants, the company includes Plate Catering, Matt’s Homemade Soda Co., the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen, the hospitality consulting firm Haley/Kammerer, Highwater Management, a hospitality management company and SoDel Films.

Kammerer’s path to success hasn’t been easy, but it has been laser-focused since that summer when he arrived and took a job washing dishes at The Royal Treat.

“It was like I got hit by a lightning bolt,” he said. ““It made me feel very comfortable to be in the restaurant. At 20 I made a conscious decision that I would learn all I could about the restaurant business so I could be good at it.”

He worked in more than a dozen restaurants, taking jobs waiting tables, cooking, pretty much every job he could, and all the while soaking in everything he learned. Eventually he worked his way up to general manager at one of the area’s more popular restaurants at the time. I short time later, he met Matt Haley.

“The first thing out of his mouth was ‘do you want to build a restaurant empire with me,’” Kammerer said.

They started Haley/Kammerer Restaurant Consulting Co. and worked with clients including Atlantic Sands hotel, Bayside and even the Cape May Ferry. Their management company runs the concessions at Sports at the Beach, among other places, and they help plan, design and run similar facilities.

The first restaurant was Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar in North Bethany Beach. Then came Fish On in Lewes, Northeast Seafoood Kitchen in Ocean View, Catch 54 in Fenwick, Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth, Matt's Fish Camp Bethany, Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria Fenwick, Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria Rehoboth and Matt's Fish Camp Lewes. The newest, Bluecoast Rehoboth, was just announced last month and will be completed next spring.

Alan Levin, Chief Advisor for SoDel Concepts, said each restaurant has its own distinct personality.

“They are unique to the area they are serving,” he said.

Levin, who previously served as Cabinet Secretary of the Delaware Economic Development Office under Gov. Jack Markell, began his career as Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice before becoming executive assistant and counsel to then-U.S. Senator William V. Roth Jr. Levin is rare in the company in the sense that he didn’t come up through the ranks working in restaurants, as Kammerer said most of the management team has.

“Almost everyone started at the lowest level and worked their way up,” Kammerer said. “It gives us a marked advantage.”

It also creates a team environment where everyone works together.

“We want everyone to be successful,” Kammerer said. And while the restaurant business isn’t typically known for stability, SoDel Concepts goes against that perception.

“People in this company are buying houses,” Kammerer said. “They’re getting married and having kids.”

Part of that has to do with changing demographics. Whereas the beaches draw visitors throughout the summer, the winter months historically have been a slower time. But that is less the case these days as more people move in to the area.

“The off-season has gotten shorter,” Kammerer said. “Four years ago restaurants closed a couple weeks in the off-season. Three years ago they closed a couple nights. Now all the restaurants are open all year. October and June are as busy as each other.”

Nelia Dolan, marketing director for SoDel Concepts, said the company employs more than 200 people full-time and in the summer about 650, including the high schoolers at the Sports at the Beach concessions.

For Kammerer, having a positive work experience, learning the responsibilities that come along with a job, and being part of a successful business can all shape a youngster’s impression of work.

“We can set the tone for the rest of their life,” he said. “That’s a large responsibility that we don’t take lightly.”

Another responsibility they don’t take lightly, Levin said, is their role in giving back to the community.

“They give back as much as they get,” he said.

Kammerer founded a charitable non-profit, SoDel Cares, in September 2015. The charity has given several grants to organizations that help children, the elderly and at risk youth and adults. This year, SoDel Cares received a Best of Award from Coastal Style Magazine and Kammerer received an award for Businessman of the Year in the same readers’ poll.

Levin said the philanthropic efforts are a reflection of the people who work at the businesses that make up SoDel Concepts.

“We have a lot of unselfish people in this company,” he said.

SoDel Concepts' Ruley Wins Chef Throw Down

As chefs Doug Ruley and Robbie Jester took the stage, there was a frisson of excitement for guests at the second Southern Delaware Wine, Food and Music Festival at the clubhouse at Independence, a Schell Brothers community in Millsboro. The first North versus South Chef Throw Down, a competition like the television show "Chopped," had begun.

Representing the south, Ruley is vice president of SoDel Concepts, which has nine beach-area restaurants. Jester is the executive chef at Stone Balloon Ale House in Newark. He's also the winner of "Beat Bobby Flay," and he's been a two-time contestant on "Guy's Grocery Games."

When the smoke cleared, Ruley was declared the winner for his crabmeat hash, made with Manchego cheese and Anson Mill white grits and a Nocello-candy corn butter jus. It was all topped with a sunny-side-up egg. Jester made a semolina-fried crab cake with walnut-scented bacon-Brussels sprouts-pumpkin hash and Old Bay frozen yogurt.

"Doug demonstrated yet again that he is an amazing chef," said Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts. "This competition also shows how well Doug performs in a stressful situation: he stays remarkably cool under fire."

Ruley enjoyed the friendly competition. "It was a blast going up against a chef as talented as Robbie," he said.

Scott Thomas, executive director of Southern Delaware Tourism; Bryan Shupe, the mayor of Milford; and Chris Rausch, sales manager at the Cape Gazette; served as judges. "The event went down better than I could ever have expected," said Stacy LaMotta, the festival organizer. "The ballroom was packed with attendees and other chefs dying to see what was going to happen. Everyone had a lot of fun seeing this live action-packed event."

SoDel Concepts was a title sponsor of the festival, which featured local restaurants whose dishes were paired with wine and spirits. "All the participating chefs brought their A game to the event," Ruley said. "It was an amazing afternoon."

Kammerer said, "We want to thank Schell Brothers for providing the perfect venue for the festival. We're looking forward to next year's event."

SoDel Concepts to Open Second Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, announced that the hospitality company will open Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar in Rehoboth. Jack Lingo Asset Management entered into a lease with SoDel Concepts to open the restaurant at Rehoboth Gateway on Route 1 in 2017.

This is Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts’ 10th restaurant and the second Bluecoast concept. The first – the company’s flagship restaurant – is in Bethany Beach. Attaché, US Airways’ in-flight magazine, named Bluecoast among the top 10 dining destinations in the country. SoDel Concepts took the same successful approach when it opened a second Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes this year. The first is in Bethany Beach.

“Since it opened in Bethany Beach more than 10 years ago, Bluecoast has become a nationally recognized, award-winning restaurant,” Kammerer said. “Now our customers in the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach area don’t need to cross the Indian River Inlet bridge to experience their favorite restaurant.”

Bill Lingo, principal of Jack Lingo Asset Management, said, "We are thrilled to add SoDel and their BlueCoast concept to Rehoboth Gateway. They are a best-in-class operator and certainly further our goal of delivering Rehoboth's most desirable retail destination."

"We are so excited to build our restaurant on the premier commercial site in southern Delaware. BlueCoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar is a perfect fit for Rehoboth Gateway. We look forward to opening in summer of 2017 and working with the Lingo family for many years to come," said Kammerer.

Bluecoast has set the bar high for dining along the coast. “Bluecoast epitomizes what we do best: create and serve beautiful, simple coastal cuisine that allows our chefs’ talents to shine,” said chef Doug Ruley, vice president of SoDel Concepts.

Ruley, who has been invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York three times, will head up the kitchen with Jason Dietterick, who started his career with SoDel in 2001, and Scott Visselli, who was named Sussex County Chef of the Year by Coastal Style Magazine.

The 250-seat, 4,500-square-foot restaurant located near Fresh Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond – is being built from the ground up. An outdoor area will feature firepits, corn hole games and an acoustic stage. The restaurant will employ more than 100.

As is the case in Bethany, the menu will highlight oysters and seafood, as well as a selection of steaks and other Bluecoast favorites. The wine list, created by wine director Mike Zygmonski, will be on par with the Bethany Beach location.

Along with running 10 restaurants from Lewes to Fenwick Island, SoDel Concepts owns Plate Catering and the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen. It also owns hospitality and management divisions and a selection of proprietary seasoning salts and artisan sodas.

Popular Bluecoast Seafood to Open 2nd Location in Rehoboth

Food lovers rejoice.

Bluecoast Seafood Grill is coming to Rehoboth Beach.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, said the restaurant will be located in the Rehoboth Gateway shopping center, in front of Fresh Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond, and is expected to open early summer 2017. It will be the 10th restaurant for SoDel Concepts, a hospitality group that also owns a catering company and food truck.

The flagship Bluecoast restaurant, located in north Bethany Beach, is one of the company's most successful eateries, Kammerer said. It has been named one of the top 10 destination restaurants in America by Attache Magazine.

"Opening a second location feels like the right, natural progression," he said. "And by doing so, we'll be able to better serve our customers."

The new Bluecoast Seafood Grill will be open year-round, serving lunch and dinner. The restaurant — 4,500-square-feet inside and 2,500-square-feet outside — will be able to accommodate 250 guests. The large outdoor gathering area will feature fire pits, a fully stocked bar and an acoustic stage.

It will be the second restaurant built by SoDel Concepts within a year.

Earlier this summer, the company opened a second Matt's Fish Camp in the Tenley Court shopping center on Route 1 in Lewes.

Kammerer said opening a second Matt's Fish Camp has been "a very satisfying and enjoyable experience for the company," and he expects the same will happen with this latest project.

The culinary team will be led by Doug Ruley, SoDel Concepts executive chef; Scott Viselli, who was named Sussex county's chef of the year in 2015 by Coastal Style Magazine; and Jason Dietterick, who was named Delaware's rising star in 2015.

Construction for the new restaurant will begin next month, and SoDel Concepts anticipates hiring more than 100 employees before its grand opening.

"We are excited for what this means for us as a company," Kammerer said. "Our goal is to always build great restaurants that people can enjoy, and that create jobs and meaning experiences for our communities."

Ten SoDel Concepts Employees Receive Shining Star Awards

Scott Kammerer, president of Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts, announced the recipients of the company's Shining Star Awards for the third quarter of 2016. The employees, who are selected from each restaurant, help foster a positive work environment. They're also committed to giving guests a memorable dining experience.

One of the youngest employees is Troy Draine, who works at Lupo Italian Kitchen. "Troy is awesome. We are so thankful to have him on our team. He is hardworking, dedicated and willing to help out in any way possible. He's a rock star! That's why he deserves to be a Shining Star," said Meghan King, Lupo general manager.

The other Shining Stars include: Anthony Leonardi from Fish On in Lewes, Azucena Hernandez Solis from Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach, Ashlan Poniatowski from Matt's Fish Camp in Bethany Beach, Brain Fritzinger and Kirsten Goodman from Bluecoast Seafood Grill in Bethany Beach, Nolbia Hernandez from NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, Jaime Rubio from Catch 54 in Fenwick Island, Efrain Martinez from Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island and Jayson Saldana from Matt's Fish Camp in Lewes.

The restaurant managers and the directors of operations selected the employees. "As a criteria, we ask the managers to look for employees who represent our company culture and our mission," Kammerer said.

Each employee received a certificate and a $250 bonus. The awards are given out four times a year.

SoDel Cares Receives Award for Contributions to the Community

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently received a Best of Award from Coastal Style Magazine. The nonprofit’s founder, Scott Kammerer, received an award for Businessman of the Year in the same readers’ poll, which is conducted each year by the magazine. It is the second year the magazine has honored him with the award.

SoDel Cares was created to continue the core values that philanthropist Matt Haley, founder of SoDel Concepts, instilled in the company.

“As a company, it’s been an honor to carry on Matt’s passion for giving back to the community,” said Nelia Dolan, marketing director of SoDel Concepts. “At the same time, we are creating our own legacy with a new generation of the SoDel Concepts family. The primary mission of SoDel Cares is to contribute to the communities in which we live and work.”

Matt Denn, Delaware’s attorney general, said he is grateful for SoDel Cares’ donations to programs that benefit youth and provide job training to adults. “Investing in young people is the right thing to do to ensure that they have an opportunity to fulfill their potential,” Denn said. “SoDel Cares' contributions are incredibly important and much appreciated in a time of scarce state resources.”

“Congratulations to my friends at SoDel Concepts for SoDel Cares being named Coastal Style Magazine’s readers’ choice for best local charity,” said Sen. Chris Coons. “Scott and his team of amazing staff care a great deal about serving a delicious meal, but more importantly, serving their community."

Kammerer said he is proud of SoDel Cares’ impact in 2016. “With the help of our friends and partners, we hope to do even more in 2017,” he said.

SoDel Concepts Honored with Outstanding Service Award

The Delaware Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education recently honored SoDel Concepts, a hospitality company, with its Outstanding Service Award for a Delaware business. Samuel E. Lathem, chairman of DACCTE, presented the award June 9 at the Duncan Center in Dover. 

Terry Carson, the principal of Seaford High School, nominated SoDel Concepts, which has supported the school's ProStart curriculum, a two-year culinary program developed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Ronnie Burkle, a chef and a director of operations for SoDel Concepts, has cooked with the students in the high school and given them of tours the dining room and kitchen of two of the nine SoDel Concepts restaurants. He's also brought students to SoDel Concepts' corporate office in downtown Rehoboth Beach for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the business.

In addition, Phill Blush drove the company's food truck, Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen, to the school for tours. He discussed the truck's day-to-day operations and showed students how to use the equipment. The students then created their own food truck concept. They even created a truck design and menu.

"We were totally surprised and pleased when the staff at Seaford High School nominated us for the award," Burkle said. "We love meeting young people who're interested in the restaurant business and talking about the career paths available to them in this industry."

Burkle said the Seaford High School students were welcoming and enthusiastic. "They make the future of the restaurant business in Sussex County look very bright."

SoDel Concepts Employee Wins Trip to Italy

Chad McMaster, a server and the assistant manager at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, recently earned a trip to Italy for being the top seller of Conti di San Bonifacio wines during SoDel Concepts’ company-wide contest this summer. McMaster sold a total of six cases of the Tuscan wine.

“Chad is an enthusiastic and talented member of the team, and he has a bright future with SoDel Concepts,” said Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts.

The contest was part of SoDel Concepts’ employee development program, which is  

an important part of the company's culture.

"Our servers are taught how to talk about wine, suggest pairings and properly serve it," he said. "We also want our team to learn all facets of the industry, which includes visiting farms and wineries."

McMaster will travel to the Conti di San Bonifacio Wine Resort in Tuscany as part of his prize. Count Manfredo di San Bonifacio presented the award to McMaster during the Women & Wine event at Lupo on Sept. 22, which featured his wines and benefitted the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter.

For information about SoDel Concepts, visit sodelconcepts.com. For information on Conti di San Bonifacio wine and the wine resort, visit contidisanbonifacio.com.

SoDel Cares 2nd Annual Fundraiser a Success

SoDel Cares held its second annual fundraiser Oct. 1 at Fish On in the Villages of Five Points in Lewes. Fish On is one of the nine restaurants owned by SoDel Concepts, which started SoDel Cares in 2015 to honor the company’s founder, the late Matt Haley, who was nationally recognized for his philanthropy.

“Matt created a company culture that is dedicated to giving back to the community,” said Mike Dickinson, vice president of SoDel Concepts. “He firmly believed that you should help those in need every day and in any way possible. We are committed to carrying on his legacy.”

In its first year, SoDel Cares donated funds to local charaties that benefit children, at-risk youth, adults re-entering society from the prison system, and the elderly who need assistance. Some of the beneficiaries include The Harry K. Foundation, Primeros Pasos, Pathways to Success, Meals on Wheels Lewes/Rehoboth, Surfers Healing and Camp

"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we received this year from our community. We received donated goods and services from so many fellow business people and friends, and the turnout for the event was amazing," said Lindsey Barry, SoDel Concepts controller, who has been with the company for more than 11 years. "This year's event was a great party, filled with local business people, state representatives, volunteers from community-based charities and SoDel employees. I think everyone had a really good time."

SoDel Cares is managed by the Delaware Community Fund, an organization dedicated to facilitating philanthropy throughout Delaware. The Matthew James Haley Trust announced it will match funds raised at the event, and SoDel Concepts also pledged to donate a matching amount, tripling the total earnings for the evening.

To make a donation to SoDel Cares via the Delaware Community Fund, go to www.sodelcares.com and click on the donate button. To mail a donation, send a check payable to SoDel Cares; c/o Delaware Community Foundation, 36 The Circle; Georgetown, DE 19947-4393.

SoDel Concepts to Open It's 9th Delaware Restaurant

Matt's Fish Camp, named after the company's late founder Matt Haley, is the ninth restaurant to be opened by SoDel Concepts.

Matthew Patton, director of operations, says the company plans to open its tenth restaurant next summer; however, the new Lewes restaurant serving coastal comfort food is not completely new to Delaware. SoDel Concepts currently operates another Matt's Fish Camp in Bethany Beach.

"We wanted to bring all of that great food and bring it a little further north for the people who don't want to fight traffic all the way down to Bethany," says Patton. "This is a great option for them to try all that great food here in northern Sussex County."

Patton tells us the restaurant opens on Monday.

SoDel Concepts Put Employees First

Working long days for weeks on end is what the summer season in coastal restaurant business is all about.  That’s always been the accepted norm, at least.  But last year, SoDel Concepts said "enough."

One of the most successful hospitality groups in Delaware, the company announced its

full-time directors, general managers and chefs only would be working five-day weeks whenever possible. “Our people are people,” SoDel CEO Scott Kammerer said. “They should have lives and feel like they can spend time with their families. And in the end, that makes them better employees.

”A semi-normal work week is just one of the ways SoDel is changing the coastal restaurant game for the better, according to its workers. Employees earn more than the $8.25 minimum wage in Delaware. Full-time workers get two, 7-day vacations – one in the fall and one in the spring. Managers benefit from quarterly profit-sharing, along with a $300 monthly stipend for workers with children and $150 for those without.

And starting in November, all full-time employees will be able to enroll in a comprehensive medical plan that includes dental and vision coverage.

Those are just a few of the reasons SoDel Concepts won the first-place award for midsize companies in the 2016 Top Workplaces Survey, an honor based on anonymous ratings from employees.

“At SoDel, you don’t work for a company, you work for a team,” said Meghan King, who started as waitress in 2008.

Today, the mother of two is the general manager of Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, where she oversees a staff of about 30.

“You feel respected and cared for here,” she said. “And that makes me want to give that same feeling to my servers, hosts, bussers and back-of-the-house staff.”

Founded in 2004 by the late Matt Haley, SoDel Concepts has grown into a $50 million company that owns and operates nine restaurants in Sussex County, along with a food truck, a catering business, a charity and a production house that releases one documentary film a year.

And that doesn’t count Matt’s Homemade Soda, the second largest craft soda business in the state, or SoDel Salts, possibly the best selling line of specialty salts in Delaware.

Altogether, the company employs about 180 workers year-round – a number that swells to more than 500 during the busy summer months. 

Like King, most of SoDel’s managers started out in entry levels positions and worked their way to the top.

“We want to grow a dishwasher into a line cook into a sous chef and then into a chef,” said Ronnie Burkle, who started as a sous chef and now is one of SoDel’s three directors of operations. “If they want it, we’ll give it to them and help them develop their career to get there.”

For that reason, Burkle said, SoDel looks for passionate employees who can handle the pressure of the busy summer months with “calm, cool and collected attitudes.”

“It’s hard work, it’s hot and it’s constantly busy,” he said. “That’s why being able to get some time off to attend your kid’s birthday parties or sports games is so important.”

That spirit of caring also extends beyond SoDel’s employees.

The company’s philanthropic arm SoDel Cares has distributed close to $150,000 in grants, scholarships, and food donations since being created by Haley in 2014, just months before his death.

“That was really Matt’s lasting legacy,” Kammerer said. “He instilled in us that it’s not always about the center of the plate. It’s about leveraging your business to help others.”

Still, Kammerer said, growing the business side of SoDel is his chief mission.

The company has more than doubled in size since being named one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the country by Inc. Magazine in 2009.

Last year, SoDel hired former state economic development director Alan Levin as a senior adviser to help facilitate that growth, which currently tracks at about 20 percent per year.

The company opened a second Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes this summer and plans to open a second Northeast Seafood Kitchen off Coastal Highway near Rehoboth next year.

“I see us someday doing business beyond Sussex County,” Kammerer said. “We love the beach, but I’d like to keep growing and one day cook great food for people throughout the state.”