SoDel Cares 5K won by engaged couple

Matt Latimore and Katie Tomlinson, both 31 years old from Virginia, are engaged to be married. An April wedding is planned for the elite runners and Races2Run’s Barbara Kursh will officiate.

At the inaugural SoDel Cares 5K at Bluecoast in Rehoboth Beach, Matt was the overall winner in 17:53, while Katie was the first woman and third overall in 19:09.

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Caroline Judge
Teamwork and common goals: A recipe for success

Director of Training & Development Meghan King and Corporate Chef Ronnie Burkle outlined for me the “culture of training” that is the hallmark of service at SoDel Concepts. Both Meghan and Ronnie remember late founder Matt Haley’s insistence on adherence to standards. So the cornerstone of their program rests on “food, cleanliness, service, and keeping people accountable.” The practical and written exercises impart certain expectations to trainees; underlining the practical reasons for the training and what is expected after each level is completed.

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Caroline Judge
SoDel Cares donates $4K to Food Bank of Delaware

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently donated $4,000 to the Food Bank of Delaware, which provides nutritious foods to Delawareans in need and facilitate long-term solutions to the problems of hunger and poverty through community education and advocacy.

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Caroline Judge
SoDel pilots ‘apprenticeship beyond the trades’ program created by Delaware Restaurant Association and Dept. of Labor

State and restaurant industry officials will unveil the nation’s first Registered Apprenticeship Program for culinary professionals on May 29. Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts is sponsoring the pilot program for eight apprentices, who actually is already under way.

The two-year Cook Apprenticeship Program combines 4,300 hours of on-the-job training and classroom education. The effort represents a “professional, modernized approach to workforce development that we see as apprenticeship beyond the trades,” said Delaware Restaurant Association President and CEO Carrie Leishman.

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Caroline Judge
The world is an oyster for SoDel Concepts team members

Most of SoDel Concepts’ 11 restaurants are known for their oyster dishes. At two recent events, the hospitality group’s employees recently went from bagging shells to shucking bivalves.

Employees from Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes and Catch 54 in Fenwick Island helped bag oyster shells Feb. 5 as part of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays’ Don’t Chuck your Shucks program.

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Caroline Judge
SoDel Concepts’ Mike Zygmonski competing for Man of the Year

Mike Zygmonski, the wine director for SoDel Concepts, has thrown his hat into the ring for the title of Man of the Year, an annual fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

To compete for Man and Woman of the Year recognition, individuals form fundraising teams to honor two children who are blood cancer survivors. Zygmonski is honoring Delaware residents Jack, 10, and Kyleigh, 11. At the end of the 10-week campaign, the man and woman who have raised the most funds receive the titles.

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Caroline Judge
Cunningham joins The Clubhouse at Baywood as executive chef

Scott Kammerer, president of Rehoboth Beach-based hospitality group SoDel Concepts, recently announced that Ryan Cunningham has joined the company as the executive chef at the Clubhouse at Baywood in Millsboro, one of SoDel Concepts’ 10 restaurants along the coast in Sussex County.

“Ryan is a well-known chef at the Delaware beaches, and not just because he was born and raised in Lewes,” said Kammerer. “He’s respected for his talent, teamwork and professionalism.”

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Caroline Judge
SoDel Concepts announces annual Girl Scout Cookie promotion

For the sixth year, SoDel Concepts is featuring its Girl Scout Cookie dessert promotion. Through March 14, each of the company’s 10 restaurants will feature a dessert made with a popular flavor.

The friendly contest between the company’s chefs will hit a sweet peak March 14, when all the desserts will be served from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Clubhouse at Baywood in Millsboro, one of SoDel Concepts’ restaurants.

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Caroline Judge
SoDel Concepts to purchase Crust & Craft

SoDel Concepts, a Rehoboth Beach-based hospitality group, has entered into an agreement to purchase Crust & Craft, a Rehoboth Beach restaurant specializing in handmade pizzas cooked in a wood-burning oven, and craft beer. The sale should be finalized by Feb. 25.

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Caroline Judge
SoDel Concepts promotes Chris Parks to corporate chef

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, recently announced that Chris Parks was promoted to the position of corporate chef.

Parks, formerly the executive chef at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, will continue overseeing that restaurant — one of 10 under SoDel Concepts’ umbrella — as well as the regularly catered breakfast operations at two major downtown Rehoboth Beach hotels.

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Caroline Judge