For four decades, the face of Stanley’s 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. “They took over the restaurant with my complete staff, all our systems, all our vendors—everything,” 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 …
Two years after relocating to Newark to open Hamilton’s on Main, owners Anthony and Jeremiah Brooks have left Main Street. The restaurant’s last day was Sunday, Jume 16. The couple put blood, sweat and tears into renovating the First Bank of Newark, built in 1850, which had fallen into disrepair after two pubs’ beer-soaked tenures. When the partners were done, …
Big Fish Restaurant Group, a Delaware titan in the hospitality industry, and the Baltimore-based lifestyle hospitality company Atlas Restaurant Group announced today that they’ve 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 …
It’s not often that you get to meet your idols. But during the James Beard Awards events in Chicago this past weekend, Delaware’s Matt Kern chatted with Elizabeth Faulkner, a “Top Chef” alum and “a hero of mine for probably 20 years,” said Kern, chef-owner of One Coastal in Fenwick Island. He met Michel Nischan, another hero, and Kevin Tien …
Pizza is a $46.98 billion industry in the United States, and its appeal is evident in the First State. Options range from small standalone pizzerias to Rehoboth Beach-based Grotto Pizza, which has more than 20 locations. The industry receives its due on National Pizza Day, which is Nov. 12 this year. But that’s not enough time to salute Wilmington’s favorite …
Despite the name, a wine dinner is not all about wine; the special events give chefs the chance to think outside their daily menus, which is why they’ve become so popular. Indeed, featured dishes and ingredients often stray from the restaurant concept. Consequently, it’s rare to get a glimpse, let alone a taste, of what the chef is planning. However, …
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 …
The Fusco’s Italian Water Ice stand in Wilmington’s Little Italy has long been part of Joseph Staffieri’s life. His great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles worked in the seasonal business. “As a kid, I would stop in to see whichever family member was working,” said Staffieri, who went to St. Anthony of Padua Grade School. “I have great memories. I loved it.” But it …
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. “Ironically, my dad owned Kitty Knight in the 1980s, and I was conceived there,” said Jester, a Culinary Institute of …
