Travelers know Southern Delaware for its beach towns: Rehoboth, Lewes, and Bethany, offering sun and sand and bracing Atlantic waves. But during a recent visit, my friends and I ventured from the beach and discovered a farming community raising heritage pork, growing culinary lavender, and producing small-batch hand-harvested flaky sea salt.
The agricultural environment in Southern Delaware lends itself to serious cheffing and farm-to-table meals using Sussex County ingredients. Locally sourced produce and proteins abound, setting the table for an outstanding feast. That’s one reason why Southern Delaware markets itself as the Culinary Coast. So, let’s dig in.
A Sense of Place
According to Chef Matt Kern of the restaurant One Coastal, located in Fenwick Island, just 2 percent of the 1,400 food establishments in Delaware support local agriculture. Chef Matt hopes to influence others to consider supporting sustainability, nutrition, and farmers in the region through his restaurant and work on the Delaware Council on Farm and Food.
One Coastal’s cuisine reflects this vision. During my visit in September, the seasonal menu featured Delaware heirloom tomatoes, butternut squash, and watermelons. Chef Matt mentioned that the tomatoes were at their peak sugar content.
His inspiration for One Coastal is “to create a menu that tells you where all my food came from.” He needs 25 to 30 farms to support the biodiversity in his menu. I found it inspiring that Chef Matt talks with all the farmers to shape the seasonality of his menu. He was a 2024 James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic finalist.
Focus on Sustainability
The Corn-Fried Chesapeake Blue Catfish, a One Coastal staple, is close to Chef Matt’s heart. He features this invasive species to change perception; it’s a clean white fish living in nearby waters, making it a sustainable choice. The lightly fried fish comes on a bed of sea island red peas, sofrito, blistered okra, and roasted garlic adobo.
I couldn’t resist the velvety Eastview Farms Butternut Squash soup with delicate feta-stuffed tempura-fried squash blossoms. The soup had a hint of sweetness from the vibrant red Jimmy Nardello peppers—the perfect dish for a fall transition.
The Heritage Duroc Pork Chop is my dream bite, a savory, juicy flavor bomb. The nuttiness from the toasted Anson Mills benne on the garlicky green beans and caramelized onions was the perfect accompaniment.
After our main dishes, my friends were content to enjoy their organic wine selections from the unique wine list. I found room to sample dessert: a dark chocolate baked donut with toasted marshmallow, house graham cracker, whipped chocolate mousse, and caramel. The perfectly balanced sweet felt like an upscale campfire treat.
Rock Your Tacos
At 14, Billy Lucas started working as a dishwasher at Delaware’s beaches during summers. That experience grew into a culinary career, including learning from Thomas Keller at Bouchon at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
An opportunity in rock-n-roll catering changed his trajectory. For six years, Chef Billy cooked for Lady GaGa, The Eagles, Nine Inch Nails, Jay-Z, Black Sabbath, Tool, Blink-182, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Michael Buble, Prince, Jane’s Addiction and more. Today, you can enter the fast, casual mosh pit at Chef Billy’s Taco Reho. The space, built in a former Burger King, is a destination for Billy’s love of music. A wall of retro speakers, a tribute to the Grateful Dead, surrounds a banquet table. The Green Room features a guitar-shaped bar with a drum set lighting fixture overhead.
Legitimate Eats
Finding an authentic taco on the East Coast is challenging. You know what I mean if you’ve had one in Southern California or Austin. Taco Reho answers the call with freshly made SoCal street food.
Billy sources organic corn from Mexico to make fresh tortillas daily. The masa cooks for 12 hours, and then Myrna, a custom—built tortilla machine, does her job. You can see these perfect vessels with just the right amount of chew rolling off the press.
Both Billy’s and my favorite bite is the Baja Fish Taco, which features locally sourced herbs and layers of crema, chipotle, avocado, pico, and pickled red onions. I was also intrigued by the Buffalo Shrimp taco, which uses a burnt cheese technique he learned on his roadie days in Tijuana. I washed it down with a pumpkin spice margarita and a Snoop Dog special Gin and Juice from the Remixes cocktail menu.
Humanitarian Roots
SoDel Concepts develops chef-driven restaurants such as Bluecoast Rehoboth and Thompson Island Brewing. The group’s roots are based on Matthew James Haley, who was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2013. Sadly, Matt died during a philanthropic trip to Nepal. The spirit of supporting each other and giving back to the community lives on through SoDel’s passionate team members.
I was impressed with the opportunity team members are given to grow within SoDel. Chef Maurice Catlett at Bluecoast Rehoboth exemplifies this. He began as a line cook and developed into a Corporate Chef responsible for Bluecoast Rehoboth, Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes, and Crust & Craft in Rehoboth Beach.
Local Sources
SoDel’s restaurants also feature menus from local purveyors. Bluecoast Rehoboth features fresh, locally caught fish, where possible, and a menu that changes four times a year to feature local produce.
With his Korean background, Chef Maurice influences the menu at Bluecoast Rehoboth. One of the most popular dishes is the steamed shrimp dumplings. I chose the Scallop Pad Thai, with chewy, unctuous udon noodles and perfectly cooked scallops. Others at the table enjoyed Deviled Eggs topped with crab and pickled shallots for a bright bite. You can also count on a meaty Mid-Atlantic classic crab cake filled with moist, flaky crab.
Beer and Dessert—a Perfect Pairing
After lunch at Bluecoast Rehoboth, we walked next door to Thompson Island Brewing. It was a gorgeous fall day, so we sat on the patio filled with colorful blooms, picnic tables, and a small lawn set up for a cornhole match. Executive Chef Raul Rodriguez and his Sous Chef Maggie met us with a craft IPA called Engine 86 in hand. The SoDel spirit of giving continued, as part of the proceeds from sales of this beer, benefit the local fire engine house.
While the menu overflows with exciting options, Chef Raul shared that Corporate Pastry Chef Dru Tevis had prepared a special option for us. Dru, the season nine winner of the Food Network Holiday Baking Championship, designed a pumpkin cream pie to pair with a pumpkin beer. The pie also paired well with the house-made root beer.
The pumpkin beer could have been my only dessert, but I had to dive into the pumpkin dessert with a brown butter shortbread crust, cookie butter pumpkin cream, and salted golden pumpkin custard. While the menu did not feature that item, we selected the gluten-free Fifer Apple and Quince Cobbler with salted caramel, brown butter oat streusel, and cinnamon ice cream from the daily specials. Regardless of what’s on the menu, dessert here is off-the-charts good.
Resources for Artisanal Products
Rehoboth Beach and surrounding Sussex County have numerous choices for sampling the ocean’s bounty and fresh fruits and vegetables. Whether it’s a farm store, farmer’s market, or restaurant supporting local agriculture, a fine meal awaits.
Check out the Culinary Coast’s Source Local Specialties list for additional resources for the artisanal products mentioned.
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Autumn Adventures in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Tide to Table: A Culinary Adventure in the Pacific Northwest
