The Delaware Restaurant Association will host its 15th annual Restaurant Industry Cornerstone Awards on Nov. 7 at World Cafe Live at the Queen Theater in Wilmington from 6 to 9 p.m. Two major awards will be made: Restaurateurs of the Year and the Cornerstone. The awards honor those restaurateurs that stand as benchmarks for innovation, creativity, excellence in service and commitment to the community.
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Chris Baker (left) and Joe Bisaha (right) |
Restaurateurs of the Year are Chris Baker and Joe Bisaha of Henlopen City Oyster House in Rehoboth Beach. Bisaha and Baker have worked many avenues of the restaurant trade since their teenage years, from bussing tables through washing dishes. They both envisioned a particular type of food destination they wanted to bring to the beach. Enter Henlopen City Oyster House. Named after an early iteration of Rehoboth Beach, Henlopen City opened in 2010 on Wilmington Avenue and has thrived ever since. More than a great authentic oyster bar, Henlopen City offers a robust and diverse array of beers (in cask, on tap and bottled), wines and spirits. Henlopen City Oyster House was named the Small Business Administration’s best small business in Delaware for 2016. Bisaha and Baker plan to bring the same integrity to their second culinary creation, The Blue Hen, which is scheduled to open this winter right down the street from Henlopen City.
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SoDel’s Scott Kammerer |
The Cornerstone Award for 2016 goes to Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Cares/SoDel Concepts. SoDel Concepts owns 10 coastal restaurants, a catering company and a food truck. The company has won myriad awards in recent years including the Marvin S. Gilman Superstar in Business Award presented by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. Kammerer was also named Business Man of the Year in 2015 and 2016 by Coastal Style Magazine.
Over the last 20 years, Kammerer has established himself as a premier developer of restaurant companies and concepts on the East Coast. Scott is a founding partner of Highwater Management and Haley/Kammerer Restaurant Consulting; a co-founder of Matt’s Homemade Sodas, a line of craft sodas distributed throughout Delaware; a co-founder of SoDel Salts, a line of chef-inspired flavored sea salt; and executive producer of SoDel Films. SoDel Concepts also sponsors charitable events, including the Women & Wine series at Lupo Italian Kitchen, from September through May; the Chicks for Charity series at Fish On; Girl Scout Cookie Month in February; and events held by other charities and organizations throughout the year.
Kammerer is also the founder of SoDel Cares, a charity that raises funds for causes that benefit children, at-risk youth, adults reentering society from the prison system and the elderly who need assistance. Beneficiaries include the Rehoboth Beach Boys & Girls Club, The Freeman Stage at Bayside, The Harry K. Foundation and Pathways to Success. In 2016 SoDel Cares was voted best local Charity by readers of Coastal Style Magazine.
The Delaware Restaurant Association is the state trade association dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for Delaware’s food service industry. Delaware’s 2,000 restaurants employ over 40,000 people with an economic impact of over $2 billion in annual sales. Delaware restaurants are the largest small business employer in the state and the largest component of Delaware’s tourism industry.
The Restaurant Industry Cornerstone Awards will feature fine food and drink tastings from Delaware’s top restaurants and live jazz from musician Joe Baione. DRA Chairman Steve Montgomery will host an after-party immediately following the event in Upstairs Live! featuring a late night buffet and music from The Blue Cats Blues Band, fronted by DRA Board Member and NKS VP Paul Ruggiero. The Cornerstone Awards serves as Delaware’s restaurant industry’s biggest night of the year; a time to come together and celebrate industry camaraderie, as well as recognize the Restaurateur of the Year and Cornerstone Award winners.
Tickets for the event can be purchased online at delawarerestaurant.org/events or by contacting the DRA at (302) 738-2545.
