With a fall opening planned for Thompson Island Brewing Company in Rehoboth Beach, brewmaster Jimmy Valm and Matt Patton, director of operations, recently spent time in Germany researching equipment and brewing techniques.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, recently announced that Chris Sockriter has been promoted to the position of director of asset management.

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently donated $4,000 to Camp Barnes, a free camp for Delaware youth run by the Delaware State Police.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, announced that Jimmy Valm will be the opening brewmaster at Thompson Island Brewing Co., the hospitality group’s 12th restaurant, currently under construction in Rehoboth Beach.

Scott Kammerer, president of Rehoboth Beach-based SoDel Concepts, recently announced the recipients of the company’s Shining Star Awards for the second quarter of 2019.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, recently announced the management lineup at Crust & Craft, a Rehoboth Beach restaurant purchased by the hospitality group earlier this year.

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.

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.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, announced that Chad McMaster was promoted to the position of general manager at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, one of the hospitality company’s 11 restaurants in coastal Sussex County.

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.

Crust & Craft, the artisan pizza and craft beer restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, recently underwent renovations that brighten the dining room while maintaining the coastal dining spot’s distinctive character.

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.

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently donated $2,500 to the Rehoboth Beach-based Community Resource Center, a nonprofit founded in 2011 to help residents in eastern Sussex County who are facing crisis.

Chefs and bartenders from seven SoDel Concepts restaurants will get ready to rumble Thursday, May 9, when they will face off at the SoDel Concepts/Woodford Reserve Food Fight Throwdown. The event, held at Fish On in Lewes, is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, DE Chapter.

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.

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.

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently donated $5,000 to Pathways to Success. Based in Georgetown, the nonprofit helps prepare youth and adults for successful lives.

SoDel Concepts announced upcoming construction of Thompson Island Brewing Company, a 250-seat brewpub. Thompson Island will be built on a site to the south the company’s Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar which opened in 2017 in the Rehoboth Gateway shopping center off Coastal Highway.

SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, recently donated $4,000 to the Delaware Adolescent Program Inc., which provides a standards-based school program for pregnant and parenting teens.

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.”