August is Produce Month at all 10 SoDel Concepts restaurants

SoDel Concepts held a Produce Month culinary boot camp at Baywater Farms for its chefs and staff. Shown are (l-r) Zach Flores-Reyes, Fish On in Lewes; Jen Bradaur, Plate Catering in Lewes; Dan Levin, SoDel Concepts maintenance director; and Charlie Moranski, Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

As part of Produce Month, Catch 54 in Fenwick Island has created a peach old-fashioned cocktail, made with local peaches from Bennett Orchards and Sagamore Rye whiskey.

For the entire month of August, SoDel Concepts is featuring local produce in its 10 restaurants along the Sussex County coast.

“August is one of the best times of the year to be a chef,” said Doug Ruley, vice president of culinary operations for SoDel Concepts. “On the Delmarva Peninsula, there is an abundance of fresh ingredients. That includes seafood, meats and poultry as well as produce. We are lucky that we can partner with local growers. It goes along with SoDel’s commitment to our communities to prepare simple, fresh, beautiful food.”

To inspire ideas, Ruley took SoDel Concepts chefs and staff on a culinary boot camp to Baywater Farms, an organic and hydroponic farm in Salisbury, Md. They learned about fresh produce and how to incorporate it into menu and cocktail items. Menu items made with local produce feature the name of the farm.

“We feel that promoting our local communities and economies is as important as promoting our restaurants,” said Scott Kammerer, SoDel Concepts president. “Getting the farms’ names out there and creating name recognition for them is part of that mission.”

For a list of SoDel Concepts restaurants, go to www.sodelconcepts.com.