SODEL Concepts est 2004

SoDel Concepts was founded by James Beard House Award-Winning Chef, Matthew James Haley.

Matt was a chef, entrepreneur, recovered drug addict, and ex-con.  In 2002 Matt opened Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar. This would become the flagship restaurant for SoDel Concepts, a company that would grow to become a leader in hospitality on Coastal Delaware.

In the coming years Matt grew his business quickly, opening up new restaurants on Coastal Delaware including Fish On in Lewes, Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, and Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. It was during this time that Matt began to work closely with and mentor Scott Kammerer who became his Director of Operations, overseeing operations at all of the restaurants under the SoDel Concepts umbrella.

Matt enjoyed many accomplishments and accolades including winning the prestigious Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation. In 2013 Matt named Scott the President of SoDel Concepts, freeing him up to concentrate on his humanitarian work.  On August 19, 2014, Matt died tragically in a motorcycle accident while in Nepal. He left behind a restaurant family that was devastated by his death, but also determined to honor and carry on his legacy.

In early 2015 Scott Kammerer, along with his family and  partners Alan and Dan Levin, purchased SoDel Concepts, a move made to keep the SoDel family together. Scott would lead the team through an extraordinarily trying time, during which the restaurants thrived.

In 2016 Scott decided it was time for the company to again start to grow, and opened Matt’s Fish Camp Lewes, a sister restaurant to the Bethany location that fittingly is named for the company founder. From 2017 to 2023, the business opened five new restaurants and acquired four. Currently the SoDel Family is made up of four companies: SoDel Concepts restaurants, Southern Delaware Brewing, Highwater Management and Surf Bagel. All restaurants are located along Delaware’s coastal region, and Scott and Lisa Kammerer were named the best Family Owned Business in Delaware by the Delaware Business Times in 2021.

As leader of SoDel Concepts, Scott has received many honors and accolades, but is most proud of founding SoDel Cares, a non-profit created to  honor the legacy of Matt Haley. SoDel Cares assists children, at risk youth and adults, and the elderly in our communities. To date SoDel Cares has given out over $750,000 in  grants to local and statewide nonprofits that serves those in need in Delaware. After leading the restaurant industry in Delaware through the pandemic as Chairman of the Board, Scott was appointed to a leadership position for the National Restaurant Association.