Rehoboth Beach restaurateur receives national leadership honor

Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts stands next to a photo of the late Matt Haley at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth.

Sussex County restaurants are getting more honors.

Last month, Matthew Kern, head chef of Heirloom restaurant in Lewes, was selected as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.

This month, Scott Kammerer, president of Rehoboth Beach's SoDel Concepts, was named to Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2020 list of the most influential leaders in the restaurant industry. 

Kammerer, who started working in Delaware restaurants in 1992 as a dishwasher, is in charge of the hospitality group that operates 12 restaurants at the Delaware beaches.

He was one of 95 CEOs who were selected from more than 660,000 nationwide restaurants for the honor from Nation's Restaurant News, an American trade publication covering the food service industry.

Kammerer, in a prepared statement, said he was honored to be included on the list that included "not only talented and creative business people, but many are also industry advocates and dedicated philanthropists.”SoDel's restaurants include Fish On and Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes; The Clubhouse at Baywood in Millsboro; Crust & Craft, Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar, Thompson Island Brewing Co. and Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth; Matt’s Fish Camp and Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Bethany Beach; NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View; and Catch 54 and Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria in Fenwick Island.

Kammerer is a past recipient of the Delaware Restaurant Association’s Cornerstone Award and the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s Marvin S. Gilman Superstars in Business Award. He’s currently chairman of the Delaware Restaurant Association.