FENWICK ISLAND – Following its founder’s death last summer, SoDel Concepts has been focusing on serving appealing food, developing talented employees and continuing to support local communities.
SoDel Concepts lost its founder, Matt Haley in August following a motorcycle accident in India. Haley was on a humanitarian endeavor for six weeks through northwestern India and eventually Nepal where he was going to deliver stoves to the village.
SoDel Concepts President Scott Kammerer and Controller Lindsey Barry sat down this week with The Dispatch in Catch 54’s newly renovated lounge to catch up on the direction of the company.
“As a group, there is all kinds of different ways that we can face a challenge, so we decided to take this time to refocus, redefine our mission statement and core values, redefine who we were as a group, and decided to grow internally and support each other,” Kammerer said. “One of the first things as a group was we set up three goals. We decided we wanted to make beautiful simple food. We wanted to support the people that work with us, and we want to give back to the community that we do business and live in.”
SoDel Concepts is a James Beard Award-wining restaurant group, which includes eight restaurants, a catering company and food truck, that has collectively received over 50 Best of Delaware awards.
The SoDel Concepts restaurants include Fish On Bar & Grill in Lewes, Lupo Di Mare Italian Kitchen and Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth, Matt’s Fish Camp and Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar in North Bethany, NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, Catch 54 and Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island.
Plate Catering and Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen operate to all points on the Delmarva peninsula.
“One of the ways we decided to handle the challenge is we looked within, and said ‘Hey, we can support these guys that we have been working with that are smart and talented. What can we do to help them?” Kammerer said.
An example is Mike Zygmonski, who has worked his way up from a bus boy over the past 10 years to become a certified sommelier. He has been promoted recently to SoDel Concepts’ wine director and has taken on the initiative to revamp all restaurant wine lists.
Ronnie Burkle was NorthEast Seafood Kitchen’s chef and was named Best Chef in Sussex County by Coastal Style Magazine last year. He has been promoted to SoDel Concepts’ corporate chef and now oversees four restaurants and the food truck.
“He is another example of taking a young, successful, and talented guy and expanding his role in the organization,” Kammerer said.
Shannon Colburn was promoted to general manager of Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar.
“She was a longtime server since day one and when Matt passed away she called us and said ‘I am ready to take a bigger role. I want to have a say in the company. I want to have a say in what we do, and I want to create a better experience,’” Kammerer said.
The same applies to Catch 54 General Manager Lauren Bohager.
“She is a long-time employee, and assistant manager who made a commitment. She said she believed in what we are doing, and believed in the company and wanted to help it be great,” Kammerer said.
Phil Blush, general manager of Papa Grandes in Fenwick, and Kris Medford, general manager of NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, are also two long-time SoDel Concepts employees that decided to commit even further to the company.
SoDel Concepts instituted a new gardening program and promoted Chris Wertz, who has a degree in horticulture, to design and grow all of the restaurants gardens.
“He works with chefs and plants herbs and peppers that the chefs can use in their dishes all summer,” Kammerer said.
Kammerer recognized Haley’s death left the company with a huge void to fill when it comes to continuing to support local as well as international organizations, which is where several employees stepped up to the plate.
SoDel Concept’s original corporate chef, Doug Ruley, who now serves as vice president, is carrying on the company’s relationship with the James Beard House, among other organizations.
Ruley cooked at an event at James Beard House this week and coming up he will also be participating with Hearts Delight in Washington DC, and will be the honorary chef at a Peninsula Regional Medical Center gala.
“Those are all things that when Matt Haley passed away that Doug rose to the occasion and is representing our company very well,” Kammerer said.
For her part, Comptroller Barry is now spearheading and taken on the role of supporting local organizations, such as Meals on Wheels in Rehoboth.
“Right around the time Matt died as a company we signed on with Meals on Wheels of Rehoboth that cooks 300 meals a day for homebound senior citizens in Rehoboth, Dewey and Lewes,” Kammerer said.
Barry furthered Meals on Wheels in Rehoboth had lost its previous provider, and Haley had expressed an interest in partnering with the organization but never had the opportunity to iron out the details.
“We made sure that we continued with that,” she said. “Matt was the face of the company, so it was important when he died to let everybody know we will continue as a group and remain to be who we are.”
Prior to his death, Haley played a large role with the Freeman Stage, an open air performing arts venue located near Fenwick Island. It is a program of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and presents diverse programming in the genres of dance, live music, theatre and children’s programming.
Kammerer took it upon himself to fill Haley’s seat on the Freeman Stage Board of Directors for the rest of the term as well as on the Governor’s Task Force for Early Education.
Burkle has also filled Haley’s seat on the Delaware Botanic Garden Board of Directors.
“It wouldn’t have been possible for a company of this size with such a big loss if it wasn’t for all these people stepping up,” Kammerer said. “They are all in now. All these people rose to the challenge.”
The company has started many other initiatives in making SoDel Concepts the best it has ever been, such as remodeling Catch 54, Bluecoast, Lupo Di Mare and Matt’s Fish Camp in the past three months.
Additionally, it has developed a new website, www.sodelconcepts.com, and grown its Facebook likes by 5,000 combined. The company hired a new marketing director, Nelia Dolan, who is a long-time Delaware restaurateur.
Monthly, SoDel Concepts puts on 15 wine and cooking demos, and SoDel Film produces a short clip exhibiting all the happenings of the restaurants.
Matt’s Homemade Sodas line has continued to grow with the newest addition of a Blood Orange and Sage flavor that came out for the winter of 2015.
“We bottle it, label it and cap it to serve in the restaurants,” Kammerer said.
The company has also expanded on its nightly specials, happy hour menus and special events.
“We went to every employee and asked what they would like to do in giving back to the community and to create a better experience,” Kammerer said.
Kammerer concluded prior to Haley’s death the company had executed five-, 10- and 15-year long-term plans.
“All those plans are in place and those things won’t change. His [Haley’s vision helped create those plans, so we feel like as employees we are in pretty good shape as a company,” he said.
According to Kammerer, SoDel Concepts is in process of opening a new restaurant location in the beginning of this year in downtown Rehoboth and a new restaurant location in the beginning of 2016 to be located in either mid-town Ocean City or West Ocean City. While SoDel Concepts already consults many restaurants in both Maryland and Delaware, an Ocean City location will be a first restaurant location in Maryland.
“Matt and I were best friends and business partners for over a decade … I am influenced by what he wanted and how he wanted things. I will honor that even after his death. I will honor his passion, his vision and this company. It is a big responsibility but I am stewarding this company into the future, and that’s how I see it,” Kammerer said.