Adriana Camacho-Church, David Ferguson, Mark Fields, Pam George, Roger Hillis, Catherine Kempista, Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Larry Nagengast, Ken Mammarella, Mary Ellen Mitchell, Matt Morrissette, Kevin Noonan, Bob Yearick
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jim Coarse, Justin Heyes and Joe del Tufo/Moonloop Photography, Lindsay Rudney duPhily, Joe Hoddinott, Kevin Francis, Matthew Loeb,
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Bauer, John D. Holton, Bev Zimmermann
Watch
Kid Shelleen’s owners Xavier Teixido and Kelly O’Hanlon raise
Photo by Justin Heyes Moonloop Photography
EVENTS ARE US!
In addition to sponsoring more than 48 events per year, we annually produce the ones listed below. Find out how your business can partner with us.
FIRST FRIDAY Art Loop Wilmington
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025
St Patrick’s Day Parade & Loop
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 16-18, 2025
17th Wilmington Grand Prix
SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2025
21st Newark Food & Brew Festival
NOVEMBER 8, 2025
Delaware Beer, Wine & Spirits Showcase
MONTHLY Movies On Tap
FEB 24-MARCH 2, 2025
Greater Wilmington Beer Week
MARCH 31-APRIL 5, 2025
20th City Restaurant Week
JUNE 2-7, 2025
Greater Wilmington Pizza Week
SEPTEMBER 15-20, 2025
Brandywine Valley Restaurant Week
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2025
Ugly Sweater Santa Crawl
SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025 Party Animal Loop
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JUNE 6-7, 2025 Separation Day Celebration
12th River Towns Ride
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2025
Looking Forward
Welcome to the first issue of our 38th year. Our anniversary is in March.
It seems like yesterday we were the new kids on the block. Today, we’re being asked if we still have a photo from 25 years ago, when my dad was playing drums in a band at the Logan House.
It’s one of the joys of creating this periodical. In a sense, we’re a scrapbook for the scene.
We’re also looking to add new memories to that scrapbook, so if you have a suggestion for a story we should share, send our way. Speaking of stories worth sharing, I’m confident you’ll enjoy this month’s cover story on neighborhood favorite Kid Shelleen’s. Likewise for the profile of community activist Traci Manza Murphy as well as our inspiring visit to the Wilmington Kitchen Collective — three stories right up Out & About’s alley.
Also up our alley is supporting or inventing creative reasons to get out and about. Some of our events, such as City Restaurant Week, Wilmington Grand Prix and Newark Food & Brew Festival, are celebrating significant milestones this year. So, please check out our 2025 event schedule on the adjacent page. We have Labyrinth playing at Penn Cinema for Movies on Tap Jan. 24 while Greater Wilmington Beer Week and the St. Patrick’s Loop are just around the corner.
Finally, we also have new editorial concepts we’re rolling out this year. As mentioned in last month’s column, our Pets of the Month partnership with Humane Animal Partners and Tito’s Handmade Vodka begins this month. See page 12.
We’ve also brought back our Bites department, provided tasty tidbits on area dining happenings (see page 37). We welcome restaurateurs and diners to send us news items pertaining to the local scene.
And in the coming months we will unveil a new partnership with Avelo Airlines and Delaware River & Bay Authority. This will be an interactive endeavor in which we ask readers to write or share stories about their travels. Those who do it well could win airline tickets. So, polish up that prose.
Those fresh concepts are just the beginning. Look for more new departments in 2025, many sparked by the thoughtful reader suggestions we received during our recent reader survey.
Yes, we’re closing in on four decades of Out & About, a milestone both humbling and a bit unsettling. After all, we feel like we’re 29 . . . and just getting started.
Happy New Year!
— Jerry duPhily
DOWNTOWN
Chris White Gallery 701 N. Shipley Street 475-0998 • chriswhitegallery.com
Artists: Shipley Showcase - Group Show featuring Chad Williams, Christian Wills, Janice King, David Harris
City of Wilmington’s Redding Gallery 800 N. French Street 576-2100 • cityfestwilm.com/redding-gallery
Artist: Togetherness by Cony Madariaga
The Grand Opera House 818 N. Market Street 658-7897 • thegrandwilmington.org
Closed on Jan. 3. Art Loop Reception on Jan. 10 from 5-7pm
Grand Gallery: Tranquility and Turbulence by Gregory Nichols
baby grand Gallery: Pacem In Terris Traveling Peace Youth Art Exhibition
Huxley & Hiro Booksellers 419 N. Market Street 439-0805
Artist: Winter Folklore by Todd Purse
LaFate Gallery 227 N. Market Street 753-5789
Artist: Diverse Seasonal Perspectives by Eunice LaFate
BEYOND THE CITY
Finist & The Owl 811 Brandywine Boulevard 786-228-6638
Artist: Retrospective and Surrealism by Khamari Smith
by
THE WAR On Words
A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to defend the English language
WHERE ARE THE EDITORS?
• I have mentioned more than once that Philadelphia Inquirer columnist David Murphy is a ne writer. However, he has at least one blind spot: the super uous of, as in these two examples from his recent column about Eagles running back Saquon Barkley: “Not since the muck-andgrind, when-men-were-men glory days of the NFL has a running back had as big of an impact on his team’s Super Bowl chances” . . . “His has been as ne of a football season as you will see, regardless of position.”
• A reader spotted this in e News Journal: “Political insiders say Carney’s administration has been reticent to the pomp and circumstance of bill signings . . .” e meaning is unclear. Did the writer mean “reticent about” or, better, “reticent to participate in . . .”?
• Another TNJ stumper, from reader Debbie Layton: “ e four residents had all sustained falls, as aging people are prone.” By itself, prone means lying on one’s front, which may vaguely apply in this case, but the writer needed to add an all-important to Prone to means likely or liable to su er from, do, or experience something, typically something negative.
• Continuing her campaign to snu out the misuse of singular verbs with plural nouns, reader Joan Burke submits this headline from TNJ: “Here’s Delaware’s trickor-treat times.”
LESS BRING, MORE TAKE: A MATTER OF LOCATION
Confusion over bring and take continues unabated. e usual problem is overuse of bring. For example, Kristen Bell, in her Net ix series Nobody Wants is, rescues a stray dog and tells her boyfriend about a nearby animal shelter, adding, “I’m going to bring him there tomorrow.” Bring indicates that the action is toward the speaker, while take indicates movement away. So Kristen will be taking the dog to the shelter. at said, it’s pretty much accepted that you bring wine to a party.
Word Term of the Month
STRAW MAN
The straw man fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents or distorts their opponent’s argument in order to make it easier to refute. Example: A teacher says her class needs to spend more time on math. A parent complains that the teacher doesn’t care about reading and writing. The concept comes from the metaphor of a straw man (or scarecrow). The straw man is not a real man; it’s a fake representation of one.
LITERALLY OF THE MONTH
By Bob Yearick
Vincente Amorim, director of the Net ix series Senna, speaking of Ayrton Senna, champion race car driver, as reported in USA TODAY: “He literally wore his heart on his racing gloves, to change the metaphor.” Yes, Vincente, you not only changed the metaphor, you also mangled it, and added the super uous “literally” in the process.
Later in the same story, Amorim spoke about Senna’s family: “ ey literally opened the vault for me, not only of their own memories of him, but sharing with me hours of taped (phone) conversations they had with him over the years.” So, no mangled metaphor here, just another unnecessary “literally.” And no actual vault.
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCIES DEPT.
• Preplan is one of my least favorite nonwords — all planning is pre. It got a vigorous workout in news reports about the assassination of United Healthcare’s CEO. Several media outlets called the murder preplanned, of course, but one CNN report stretched it out to “a premeditated, planned, targeted attack.”
• Olivia Reiner, in The Inky : “ Additionally , Covey has also watched Cooper DeJean take over his role as the punt returner.”
• Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY: “Still, after all these years, it still stings” in a story on Dwight Gooden and Daryll Strawberry and the New York Mets losing the 1988 NLCS.
• Headline in USA TODAY: “Historic Record Contract” — over a story about Juan Soto signing with the Mets.
• Inko Kang, in e New Yorker, of all places, reviewing the Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer: “Christiane Amanpour foreshadows what’s to come.” Foreshadow: a warning or indication of a future event.
FUN FACT:
Bob Woodward, he of Woodward and Bernstein/ Watergate fame and author of 21 best-sellers, mispronounces nuclear. Like many people, he says nuke-you-lerr — every time. C’mon, man, you’re Bob Woodward! It’s pronounced NEW-clee-er
NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR GROUP?
Contact me at ryearick@comcast.net for a fun and informative discussion on grammar.
The War on Words book at the Hockessin BookShelf, at Huxley & Hiro Booksellers on Market Street, or on Amazon.
PETS OF THE MONTH
Meet this month’s adorable adoptables sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
HAZEL
CERTIFIED BISCUIT MAKER 7YRS | FEMALE | 12.63LBS
Talkative Couch Potato
Loves Belly Rubs
Adoption Fee Waived
HAP STANTON
MARYBEL
New Year… New Pet?
How a furry friend can impact your health & wellness
By Brianna Hansen
As January rolls in, many of us are crafting New Year’s resolutions — whether it’s prioritizing tness, managing stress, or simply living a more joyful life. If you’re looking for something that checks all those boxes, adopting a pet just may be the solution. A furry friend isn’t just about companionship (or saving a life); it’s a powerful way to improve your physical and mental well-being.
“Exercise more” seems to be a recurring new year theme and dogs are the perfect workout buddy. ey’ll have you lacing up those sneakers for walks, hikes, and games of fetch, reaching that step goal in no time. Even playing with a cat — tossing a toy mouse or waving a ribbon wand — gets you o the couch and moving.
is enjoyable cardio helps maintain a healthy weight, strengthen muscles, improve stamina, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. e American Heart Association even suggests that having a pet could reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.
But a pet's impact on mental health may be even greater. When life gets hectic, animals have a magical way of bringing us back to the present moment. Whether chasing a sunbeam or enjoying a delightful roll in the grass, they teach us to appreciate the little things in life, and simple mindfulness can decrease anxiety and improve emotional resilience. eir steady presence can even help us cope with grief and major life changes, while their playful antics present a welcome distraction during di cult times.
Spending just a few minutes petting a dog or cat can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, while boosting oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, chemicals associated with happiness and relaxation. ey also give unconditional love and nonjudgmental support, a simple yet profound antidote to daily pressures!
Caring for a pet also adds purpose and structure to your day, providing a sense of accomplishment and meaning, reminding us that we’re valued and needed — perfect pillars for a strong New Year foundation.
Your Best Resolution Yet
Adopting a pet doesn’t just enrich your life; it gives a homeless animal the chance to thrive. Shelters like Humane Animal Partners are lled with loving animals waiting for their fresh start.
Not ready for a long-term commitment? Fostering is a great way to test the waters while helping free up shelter space. Or try Humane Animal Partners’ Doggy Day Out program where you can spend a few hours adventuring with a shelter pup, giving them a reprieve from kennel life and you an unforgettable companion for the day.
FYI
Things Worth Knowing
WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE
The Candlelight eatre (2202 Millers Rd., Arden) proves “there’s nothing as amazing as a musical” when it presents the Tony-nominated musical farce Something Ro en! from January 18 to February 23. Set in the 1590s, two brothers set out to write the world’s rst musical in this mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty- rst-century Broadway. A love letter to musical theater, Something Rotten! has been hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years.” Tickets include a meal (entrée and dessert), and show-themed cocktails are also available for purchase. More at Candlelight eatreDelaware.org.
FIND THE BURGERS
Kid Shelleen’s is celebrating 40 years, and as a salute we’ve hidden a Kid’s specialty — the burger —on four pages in this issue (this page doesn’t count). Tell us which four pages we’ve hidden a burger and you could win free lunch. Email your answers to Contact@TSNPub.com with the subject line: I Found e Burgers! ree winners will be selected from those who answer correctly by January 22. Congratulations to last month’s winners — Michael Kovalycsik, Betty Moran, Malikah Aaron — who found the toy soldiers on pages 11, 26, 42, and 55.
DELAWARE TECH OPENS NEW CENTER
WILMINGTON
TRAISE A GLASS
Friends of Wilmington Parks invites beer and history bu s to Delaware: A Brew Story, a celebration of the state’s brewing history paired with craft tastings, on Saturday, January 25 from 5-8pm at the historic Blue Ball Barn in Alapocas Run State Park. is year’s event honors Dog sh Head Brewery & Distillery’s 30th anniversary, featuring a discussion with co-founders Mariah and Sam Calagione, followed by a Q&A. More at FriendsOfWilmingtonParks.org.
On December 4, Delaware Technical Community College celebrated the opening of its new Allied Health Center of Excellence at the Orlando J. George, Jr. Campus in Wilmington. The renovation of the 25-year-old Southeast Building expands paramedic and surgical technology degree programs to Wilmington, previously offered only at the Terry Campus in Dover. The 75,000-squarefoot center will also serve as a resource for graduates interested in continuing education credits, and features new classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces, plus an updated conference center with high-tech audio-visual equipment.
DRAMA LEAGUE BARES IT ALL
he Full Monty, the musical adaptation of the Oscar-nominated lm, follows a group of unemployed steelworkers who decide to make some quick cash by forming a striptease act. While preparing, they confront their fears and prejudices, discovering strength in friendship. Nominated for nine Tony Awards, it’s a show with humor, heart, and an unforgettable nale. e shows opens on Friday, January 24 and runs through February 2 at Wilmington Drama League (10 Lea Blvd., Wilmington). More at WilmingtonDramaLeague.org.
PETE DU PONT FREEDOM FOUNDATION AND WILMINGTON ALLIANCE CONTINUE PARTNERSHIP
The Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation (PDFF) will continue its partnership with Wilmington Alliance for the Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (E3) application cycle, with a $25,000 contribution from the Alliance to support up to seven additional Wilmingtonbased businesses. Launched in 2020, E3 received anchor funding from Barclays to support advancing minority-owned businesses statewide, with additional support from Discover Bank and Capital One. Since its inception, the program has invested in over 150 businesses, o ering operational support and technical assistance. In 2022, due to demand, PDFF launched a membership program, giving entrepreneurs access to resources such as coaching, workshops, networking, and more. Visit PeteDupontFreedomFoundation.org/E3.
A GREAT WEEK FOR BEER LOVERS
The annual celebration of beer brewed in New Castle County returns February 24 through March 2 with Greater Wilmington Beer Week. The week includes collaboration beers created by area brewers, special releases, flight deals, beer-and-food pairings, beer geek trivia contests, a beer can art exhibition and more. This year’s event is sponsored by Avelo Airlines — you too can travel hassle-free from ILG (Wilmington Airport) to over 14 destinations! GWBW attendees can complete the popular Beer Week Passport for a chance to win cool travel prizes including a pair of airline vouchers! Visit WilmingtonBeerWeek.com.
Taichi Fukumura joins the Delaware Symphony Orchestra as its third Music Director finalist. The concert opens with the 2019 work Pulse by Brian Nabors. Violinist Oliver Neubauer joins the DSO on Korngold’s gorgeous Violin Concerto in D major. The program concludes with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major.
Brrrr-ing it on, January
Activities worth trying to help beat the winter doldrums
ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM
Head over to the Chase Fieldhouse (401 Garasches Lane, Wilm.) to catch the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G-League a liate of the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s high-level basketball for a fraction of the cost of a Sixers ticket. is month the Blue Coats face o against Motor City Cruise on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 6pm (Health & Fitness Night presented by Anytime Fitness); the Memphis Hustle Sunday, Jan. 12 at 5pm (Youth Basketball Day); the Cleveland Charge on ursday, Jan. 23 at 7pm and Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1pm (Great Outdoors Night presented by Delaware State Parks); and the Greensboro Swarm on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 1pm (Dinosaur Adventure Day presented by Delaware State Parks).
— More at BlueCoats.GLeague.NBA.com
GET ON YOUR FEET
RELAX & UNWIND
If you indulged a little too much during the holidays and are looking to reset your mind and body in the new year, join Bath House Holistic Healing Studio (3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville) on January 11 at 3pm for Meditation + Mocktails with Meg Geisewite, author of Intoxicating Lies. In this 90-minute class, you’ll learn the basics of meditation and mindfulness while sipping alcoholfree drinks from Frank’s Wine, and end with a calming sound bath. You’ll leave feeling relaxed and ready to embrace a healthier, more mindful year ahead. $40.
— More at TheBathhouseGreenville.com
Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or have two left feet, e Grand (818 N. Market St., Wilm.) o ers you two opportunities to turn your chilly winter evenings into hot, unforgettable nights of fun and music. On January 10, dust o your cowboy boots for country line dancing with DJ and award-winning choreographer Rob Holley. He’ll have you two-stepping the night away to your favorite country hits. On January 24, get ready to move to the sizzling salsa beats of DJ Papi Chulo with expert dance instruction by Joe Figueroa. Both dances take place in e Grand’s Studio One from 7-10pm. Admission is $7 and a cash bar is available.
— More at TheGrandWilmington.org
WORK ON YOUR SWING
If you’re looking to improve your golf game, but don’t want to brave the cold, Birdies Links & Drinks (320 Auto Park Dr., Middletown) o ers an indoor virtual golf experience — no greens fees required! Take a private lesson from a pro, enjoy a round with friends, or tee o at one of two black-light mini golf courses. If gol ng isn’t your thing, their simulators feature more than 20 additional sports and games, plus there’s a play area that includes cornhole, shu eboard, ping pong and more. And if you build up an appetite after all this fun, you can grab a beer and a bite from their restaurant.
— More at BirdiesLinks.com
BECOME FEARLESS
City Theater Company’s resident improv group, Fearless Improv, hosts monthly Intro to Improv workshops that will help boost your creativity and confidence in a fun way. You’ll learn how to think on your feet, collaborate with others, and embrace spontaneity. This month’s class will be held January 18 from 4-6pm at The Delaware Contemporary (200 S. Madison St., Wilm.). Additional classes are each month through May 2025. Each class is $30 and includes free admission to one Fearless Improv show.
— More at City-Theater.org
LACE UP
Get a running start to the new year with three 5K events this January. Kick off 2025 on New Year's Day with the Hangover Helper 5K at Olan Thomas Park in Newark, a perfect way to shake off the holiday indulgences. On January 25, enjoy the sweet Cocoa & Cupcakes 5K at Glasgow Park in Newark. Start 2025 active and energized!
— More at FusionRaceTiming.com
DANCE MAGIC, DANCE
Join Movies on Tap, along with Jareth, Sarah, Hoggle and Ludo, for a screening of Jim Hensen’s cult classic Labyrinth at Penn Cinema Riverfront on January 24 at 6:30pm. Admission includes popcorn and two beers from Deschutes Brewery, with 100% of proceeds benefiting Delaware Hospice. As always, the Movies on Tap crew encourages guests to dress up as characters of the film to win cool prizes.
— More at PennCinema.com
A Champion For Children
Traci Manza Murphy has dedicated her career to the safety and well-being of children in Delaware and beyond
By Mary Ellen Mitchell
Traci Manza Murphy ascribes to a philosophy acquired from bestselling author and activist Glennon Doyle: “ ere’s no such thing as other peoples’ children.”
“When my kids were little, I’d tell them, ‘If ever you can’t nd me, look for a mommy. A mommy will help you,’” Murphy recalls.
Her willingness to look out for other peoples’ kids has been a guiding force throughout her career. As a student at University of Delaware (UD), she was on the sta at e Review and later worked at UD in annual giving, raising money for scholarships, campus improvements, athletic programs and resources for other students.
Traci Manza Murphy at Brandywine Springs Elementary, a school her children attended and where she volunteered for many years . Photo by Justin Heyes
After graduating from UD as an English major with a journalism concentration, Murphy went on to serve as director of membership at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, managing fund development and member marketing and communications for more than a decade.
She and her husband Colin Murphy, who works in digital marketing for JPMorgan Chase, have raised three children in the Wilmington area: a daughter, Mallory, now a freshman in college, and twin sons, Brian and Finn, currently in high school.
“I worked at Winterthur at an interesting time, when marketing platforms were transitioning from print to digital,” Murphy says. It was during this transition that she met Patrick Callahan, whose internet marketing agency, e Archer Group, was hired to assist with implementation.
Murphy and Callahan became fast friends. rough a mutual interest in parenting youngsters, they collaborated in 2008 to cofound e Brandywine Buzz, an innovative online platform featuring a parenting blog, social media presence and weekly email newsletter highlighting Brandywine Valley happenings for children.
“I believed there was a need for a targeted, timely approach to presenting kid-friendly activities and events, but I wasn’t a writer,” Callahan says. “Traci took my idea and brought it to life with her writing skills — creating content that was relevant, witty and fun to read.”
Murphy also took on a two-year consultancy for Delaware Children’s Museum (DCM) in 2008, collaborating with a diverse team to write grant and funding appeals, create a donor recognition and membership program, and launch DCM.
Volunteering for the PTO at her children’s elementary school led to one of Murphy’s proudest accomplishments: “Our small group of moms, many of whom held demanding full-time jobs, was able to raise tens of thousands of dollars a year for the school and push referenda over the line,” she says.
A Pivotal Day
“On the afternoon of Dec. 12th, 2012, I went to pick up my daughter at the bus stop,” Murphy says. “When she stepped o , I asked how her day was, and she replied, ‘Boring.’” e contrast was stark: “My daughter had a ‘boring’ day, while 20 rst-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary weren’t so lucky,” she says.
“ e fact children could be shot in their classroom was, and always will be, intolerable to me,” Murphy says. Within a few months of that unforgettable day, she cofounded the Delaware chapter of Moms Demand Action, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about our state responds to gun violence. rough this impassioned advocacy work, Murphy grew familiar and joined forces with Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence Education Fund (DECAGV), formed in 2013 by volunteers who were equally as outraged and motivated by the Sandy Hook tragedy. Soon DECAGV registered as a nonpro t, and she became its rst executive director in 2016.
Although Murphy cherished the experience of writing for e Brandywine Buzz, she decided to move on in 2023 to devote more time and energy to DECAGV. Callahan’s family (wife, Jennifer, and kids Maddie and Connor) picked up where Murphy left o , and today the platform has more than 5000 subscribers.
Stronger Together
Since inception, DECAGV has been operating as two organizations: e legislative team enacts, protects, and implements gun safety laws in Delaware, while the education team provides gun violence prevention education and partners with local and national alliances. In 2023, to clarify the two separate and distinct missions, Murphy and her associates rebranded the education organization as Coalition for a Safer Delaware (CSD), while DECAGV became the legislative organization, with Murphy continuing to serve as executive director of both.
Murphy and her CSD team have engaged partners from across multiple disciplines, including all types of antiviolence activism, education, government and healthcare.
Last November, Murphy convened e CSD Fall Forum, which was hosted by ChristianaCare and sponsored by Delaware Children’s Department (Department of Services for Children, Youth & eir Families), Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Everytown for Gun Safety, Gi ords, Gun Violence Prevention and Advocacy, Nemours and Wilmington City Council.
With more than 450 attendees, the forum provided thought leadership from Johns Hopkins and Rutgers universities. Local and national public health experts shared the latest research and success stories and led discussions on best practices for gun violence prevention.
e event also received support from Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative, Wilmington Community Advisory Council and United Way of Delaware.
“Having diverse voices coalesce around shared goals is powerful,” says attendee Lauren Footman, executive director of End Community Violence Now, an organization focused on addressing community violence in Delaware.
“Traci has been able to develop relationships that speak
Manza Murphy holding just-signed Senate Bill 2, which created a Permit to Purchase structure for guns in Delaware. At left Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
Photo courtesy
Traci Manza Murphy
to her strategic ability,” Footman says. “She can set the table and bring people together to create prevention programs and achieve historic policy change — 23 laws have been passed in just eight years as a result of her tenacity.”
As a gun violence expert, Murphy has served as guest speaker at local and national conferences, authored research papers and written opinion pieces for news outlets. She has testified at legislative hearings and worked with state government leaders to enact gun safety laws with bipartisan approval.
“Preventing gun violence isn’t a left or right issue,” Murphy says. “It’s a life-or-death issue.”
Last summer, DECAGV hired its first intern, UD senior Jeet Heslin, a political science and global politics major and journalism minor, who is also interning for Delaware Department of State. Heslin was interested in working for DECAGV because gun violence has affected him personally.
According to Heslin, “Traci is a mom
first and foremost, and it shows in her unyielding determination to make our state a safer place for children.”
Family, Friends & The Future
Like all moms, Murphy’s kids keep her busy, but she believes in taking time to rest and recharge. She enjoys going out for happy hour or a meal with friends, taking weekend trips with her former college roommates, getting lost in a good read, playing tennis and relaxing at the Delaware beaches with her husband.
Local mom Kira McDonnell recalls when she first encountered Murphy in the parking lot of their childrens’ preschool. “Whenever it rained, we’d make eye contact, which was akin to a silent agreement to watch each other’s older children as we alternated walking our younger ones into the building while holding an umbrella, among other things.”
Later the two recognized each other at the grand opening gala of
Delaware Children’s Museum, where they finally conversed and got to know each other.
“A few months later, Traci invited me for coffee, except that it turned out to be a fundraiser,” McDonnell chuckles. “I had to admire her strategy though — we’ve been friends since.
“The passion Traci brings to her advocacy work represents who she is as a person. She’s altruistically driven to make our community stronger and safer.”
Murphy’s term as a board member of the child and family advocacy organization Kids Count in Delaware will soon expire, but she’s looking forward to serving on the board of Delaware Theatre Company.
“I believe in the transformative power of our vibrant arts community,” she says.
Regarding her future plans, Murphy says she’ll continue advocating for gun safety, “until Delaware becomes the safest state in the nation.”
With more than 100 degree, diploma, and certificate programs, Delaware Tech will lift you up to high-demand jobs.
A Community Pillar Strengthens Its Foundation
Christina Cultural Arts Center begins a new chapter in its ‘art story’ legacy
ABy Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald
s the New Year commences, the community around Christina Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) is finding much to celebrate: a vivacious new executive director, an acquisition of an additional building, and renewed forward motion and energy — all marking an exciting next chapter for one of Wilmington’s oldest and most impactful arts organizations.
For almost 80 years, CCAC has provided affordable arts education, career pathways, internships, gallery exhibitions, and live performances accessible to the community in a welcoming environment. The organization, located in the heart of Wilmington, offers one of the only integrated arts and academic programs in Delaware, using the power of the arts to promote school success and positive social behavior to our community youth. >
For nearly eight decades, CCAC has offered youth classes in dance, drama, vocals and more. Photos by Amy Dion
Taking the Helm
In the latter part of 2024, CCAC named one of its longtime staff members to be its next leader. Shysheika Edwards, who has headed its Early Childhood Education Arts Academy (ECEAA) since 2013, now takes the reins as CCAC’s ninth executive director and the third woman to hold the position (following Cynthia Kuespert and Raye Jones Avery).
Edwards graduated from Lincoln University with a bachelor’s degree in history, obtained her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University, and is working on a doctoral degree in educational leadership. She also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Delaware.
Her plate is quite full these days, but she takes it all in stride and with much enthusiasm, determination, and grace.
“Shysheika Edwards has been boots on the ground, serving CCAC families with compassion and competence for nearly 12 years in arts education, early learning, after school and public school partnership programs,” says Jones Avery. “Her succession to this position is a perfect example of preparation meeting opportunity. Shysheika’s years-long dedication, knowledge, and work ethic are first class.”
“As executive director, there are many tasks I’m tackling to ensure that CCAC remains the artistic powerhouse that our community has come to know,” Edwards says. “Our immediate needs are in funding and staff development, so that’s where I’ve directed my attention most recently. But my long-term goals center around our new acquisition.”
In 2023, CCAC announced the procurement of a 19,000-square-foot facility, located at 715 Orange Street, with help from the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund. The second building will increase capacity for early childhood education and art classes as well as create more programming opportunities.
“We’re strategically planning what we will do within those walls, but one thing is certain, we are not selling our current building.” Edwards says. “We’re going to be creative in how we utilize both buildings as we continue to impact our community through the arts.”
A
‘Village’
in the Heart of the City
Francee Boulware has been a member of CCAC’s piano faculty since 2009 and notes that as the longest-standing African American–based arts organization in the area, CCAC has built an incredible legacy and a venerable space for faculty and families to partner, grow, and thrive.
“What I find most rewarding as a faculty member is the sense of family and community we’ve built here,” says Boulware. “We embrace a true ‘village mentality’ — bouncing ideas off each other and collaborating in ways that spark creativity and joy.”
CCAC’s mission of empowering the community is
deeply fulfilling to Boulware as well. “Seeing how we positively impact students' lives, even outside of CCAC, brings me immense joy.”
One of Boulware’s most memorable experiences is instructing a 77-year-old student who dreamed of playing piano.
“I’m proud to have helped him achieve that lifelong goal,” she says. “Moments like these make CCAC truly special.”
And Boulware isn’t only a faculty member. “Having taken lessons here as a kid, I’ve personally experienced our longstanding value and impact. It’s rare to find an organization that has been a pillar in the community for nearly 80 years, consistently uplifting generations through the arts. The history and commitment make CCAC truly one-of-a-kind.”
As a longtime parent, Amber Lewis agrees. Her four children previously and currently attend CCAC classes, from preschool classes beginning at age 3 through dance, drama, and vocal coaching.
“I love [that CCAC] is very welcoming and family oriented, and I appreciate the support and the happiness they bring to my children,” she says. “[CCAC is] not just a school of the arts; they address children on mental-health, spiritual, and physical levels. They master being able to reach each child individually in a meaningful way. They want and push our kids to be great.”
Community Goals for a New Era
Edwards’ overarching goals also include ensuring that CCAC develops a more sustainable position for years to come and can continue to provide affordable, quality arts programming for the community.
“One of our biggest challenges continues to be identifying and securing funding to support the work that we do here,” she continues. “The greater community can help in that respect by donating to the organization directly or by supporting our many live events through the purchase of tickets.”
There are other needs that the community could help with as well. Lewis would like to see more funding available for families who may not be able to afford classes. Boulware prioritizes the need for technological growth.
“I believe technology is one of CCAC's biggest needs right now … it would help us stay current in a modern, tech-driven world,” Boulware says. “In schools, kids (and teachers) have access to tablets and Chromebooks; it would be incredible to bring that same level of innovation to music classes and allow us to … enhance learning, creativity, and engagement.”
Overall, the most gratifying thing to Edwards about leading this organization is being able to see the impact the arts have on every student who enrolls.
“I think of specific students and how the arts have completely changed their lives, and I am honored to be a part of that growth.”
— For more information on programs, visit CCACDe.org
Shysheika Edwards
Pride of the Neighborhood
At age 40, Kid Shelleen’s is a touchstone for
many Delawareans
By Pam George
In 1984, Ronald Reagan was reelected, the Macintosh computer debuted, and the Soviets boycotted the Olympics in Los Angeles. e rst Ghostbusters hit the cinemas, and Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze was the nation’s rst PG-13 movie. at year, Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal House & Saloon opened in Wilmington’s Trolley Square.
That’s right. It’s been 40 years since the landmark restaurant debuted in a former rock-and-roll club. During that time, people have come here to mix, mingle, propose, and entertain their children. If they divorce, they often return to a barstool. Restaurants have come and gone — remember Constantinou’s, Scratch Magoo’s and the Del Rose? However, the building at the corner of 14th and Scott remains a cloistered gem between Delaware and Pennsylvania avenues.
Open to Opportunities
Kid Shelleen’s isn’t the first restaurant to occupy the building. In 1965, Martin’s Steak House was “practically a landmark,” according to The Morning News. Businessmen made deals over $1 lunches; dinner was $2.25. While they ate, guests enjoyed the Ibach Banjo Band.
The steers in the building’s iron railings are all that remain of the steakhouse, which became Hoxter’s, a banquet facility hosting jazz concerts, parties, reunions and benefits. In 1982, well-known jazz and blues singer Dakota Staton performed two shows daily for three days.
Hoxter’s pivoted to become a restaurant by day and a rock club “with heart” at night. Acts included E.B. Hawkins, The Maytags and White Lighting. The club closed in September 1983, and Davis Sezna purchased the property.
Teixido jotted black bean with Madeira. It had to be fresh with a refined touch.
The men were different in other respects. When the equipment arrived at Kid’s, the driver asked for a check. Sezna refused to write one, insisting that the company bill him. The driver wouldn’t budge, and Teixido wound up combing through used equipment in a Philadelphia warehouse.
After renovations, the dining room was dressed in maroon and accented with polished wood — the telltale décor of the ’80s. There were cushy booths, an open kitchen and a bar that appealed to the Polo shirt-wearing crowd. Sezna had seen armchair-like seats at a Palm Beach bar, and he added a row to Kid Shelleen’s bar. They became known as the “comfy seats.”
It was the only place that stayed open during bad storms. Sometimes you'd get there at 11:30am and and stay through dinner.
At that time, Sezna had Columbus Inn, which his father, Wallace “Wally” Sezna, had taken over in 1953. The younger Sezna wanted to build his own culinary empire, and he asked Xavier Teixido to be a partner. They had known each other since childhood. Moreover, Teixido had worked in the kitchen at the Columbus Inn for a year. When Sezna called, Teixido was a manager at the venerable Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Tired of Commander’s long hours and looking to reconnect with family, Teixido agreed.
— Kathy Trakas
Where Everyone Knows Your Name
The year 1984 was the year of the yuppie, and Trolley Square was their playground. The neighborhood was transitioning from a community of homes to apartments. The demographic appreciated the casual ambiance and attention to detail.
Thanks to Teixido, the house wine was in 750-milliliter bottles. The only other restaurant doing that then was The Green Room, Teixido maintains. He taught the staff to use corkscrews and how to deliver plates and clear them.
“A lot of what I put into my own restaurants comes from my memories from Kid’s,” says Kim Strengari, a bartender in the 1980s who started a Pennsylvania restaurant group in the early 2000s. The feeling is mutual. Teixido was amazed at Strengari’s skills. “She remembered everyone,” he says. “She worked near the door, and you couldn’t walk in without her welcoming you by name.”
The fine-dining expert knew nothing about running a casual eatery, but he did not want Kid Shelleen’s to be another H.A. Winston’s or Bennigan’s. When Sezna said he wanted shrimp Lejon, Teixido wrote down jumbo shrimp cocktail. When Sezna mentioned a hot soup,
Bartenders have always been the restaurant’s beating heart — and face. Mary Alice StClair remembers the bartender who welcomed her to eat at the bar. Back in the '90s, she’d felt uncomfortable being a single woman on a barstool, but she was new in town and decided to take herself to lunch.
“He then introduced me to all of the lunch regulars, and at that time, there were many,” she says.
At left: Members of the Kid Shelleen's team beneath the restaurant's well-known awning. Below: Owners Xavier Teixido and Kelly O'Hanlan.
Photos by Justin Heyes
The respect goes both ways. When another bartender, 20-year veteran Alan Rutherford was in a serious accident in 2021, the venue raised $15,000 to help pay for his medical expenses.
“It was so heartening to see everyone turn out to support our beloved Alan,” says StClair.
The family feeling is one reason Megan McClelland returned to Kid Shelleen’s. She was the assistant manager from 1994 to 2002 and became a part-time server in 2007. “Xavier and Davis knew what the hospitality culture should be. It was always an easy decision to get a second job there.”
Bartenders and servers aren’t the only familiar faces. Kid Shelleen’s has a bevy of loyal customers. Many are neighbors. Karen Miller and Kathy Trakas, for instance, have trudged through the snow to meet friends at Kid’s.
“It was the only place that stayed open during bad storms,” Trakas explains. “Sometimes you’d get there at 11:30 a.m. and stay through dinner.”
Future co-owner Kelly O’Hanlon also lived in the area. “I frequented it pretty often as I was just 21,” she says.
Frequent guests know all about Tough Guy’s Corner, a section of the bar dedicated to a group of regulars, including Delaware’s birdhouse maker, Thomas Burke.
“That was definitely Cheers,” Teixido says. “They always
They weren’t always men. Amy Johnston Colbourn’s claim to fame is that she earned the title Miss Tough Guy Corner in 1999.
Sezna ordered a carved wooden sign to pay tribute to them. Unfortunately, men under the influence began challenging the guys to a fight, saying: “Oh, you guys think you’re so tough, blah, blah,” Teixido recalls. The sign now hangs in a restaurant hallway as a memento.
The place came alive at night, and at one point, a doorman had the power to admit those standing in line and enforce the strict dress code. One night, Teixido walked out to see Gov. Mike Castle’s limousine pulling away. He’d stopped in after a benefit and was wearing a T-shirt, which the doorman forbade.
restaurant's walls. Photo provided
Teixido, who was accustomed to New Orleans politics, figured the restaurant was screwed. The next day, an inspector of some kind would find a costly issue. However, the governor drove home, changed and returned to the restaurant. “That’s Delaware,” Teixido says.
Castle wasn’t the only mover and shaker to dine at Kid Shelleen’s. Kate LeVan recalls her grandmother’s 90th birthday at Kid’s. “We were eating brunch, and the building was suddenly surrounded by black SUVs,” she recalls.
Joe Biden, then vice president, sat down near the LeVan’s group. His party included his wife, Jill, son, daughter and granddaughter.
“There were four students from Sallies at another table, and they asked him for a picture with him,” she says. “He was so gracious and obliged, talking with them for a few minutes.”
Rubbing elbows with the bigwigs was an everyday occurrence in the late 1980s and early ‘90s — “the heyday of people meeting and getting together,” Teixido says.
Love & Marriage
Some connections had sparks. Although Kid Shelleen’s isn't known for a romantic ambiance, it’s been the backdrop for many memorable couple moments. For instance, Trakas, a longtime bartender at Pala’s in Little Italy, and husband-to-be Mike had an aha moment at the restaurant bar. He was frequent Pala’s patron and assumed she was married. She thought he was also taken. They cleared the air after running into each other at Kid Shelleen’s.
Patrick Walsh proposed to his wife, Lori, on the dance floor on New Year’s Eve in 2004. Lori had met good friends and fellow alums in 1999 at Kid’s, and they introduced her to Patrick. That chance encounter led to marriage and children.
More recently, Patrick Jones swiped right and met his match at Kid’s for lunch. “I was so excited to meet her in person, I ended up drinking 17 iced teas,” he says. “I couldn’t stop shaking or talking from the nerves and the caffeine. We’re getting married this summer.”
Guests have children who’ve grown up to become regulars. Mary Jane Kealey and her husband became customers in 1993.
“Our two sons were so little, they would tiptoe at the window to see the freight trains go by,” she recalls. “We have celebrated many family milestone celebrations, such as birthdays and graduations… Our son, Sean, worked there during high school as a busboy as well.”
McClellan takes a doubletake when she sees children she’d waited on at brunch sitting at the bar.
The Comeback Kid
Kid Shelleen’s history isn’t without setbacks. In the 1980s and early 1990s, cocaine was the party drug of choice, and the spotlight shone on the restaurant in 1988 when the body of 37-year-old Cheryl
“Sherri” Tobin, a manager, was found in the restaurant office. According to the medical examiner and police, cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmia was the cause of death.
“Unfortunately, it made us the center of cocaine investigations,” Teixido says. “Our phone was tapped. Delaware businesses instructed employees not to eat at Kid’s. Our lunches dropped by half for a year or two years. We were high profile.”
In May 1989, New Castle County police arrested 30 people in the so-called “cocaine clique.” Along with Kid’s, members had gathered at George’s Next Door — later Klecko’s. The arrests did not include any Kid’s employees.
Live music and DJ dance nights took a hit when neighbors complained about the noise. Meanwhile, the restaurant had lost Teixido — the opening chef and manager — in 1993 when he split from Sezna. Teixido retained Harry’s Savoy Grill, which was struggling at the time.
In 2005, Sezna sold Kid Shelleen’s and Klondike Kate’s and 17 investment properties to Delaware Hospitality LLC, led by Alan Burkhard. Those who read the news learned of the sale, but many didn’t care, and the restaurant continued to garner new fans.
“Kid’s was my first grownup bar,” says Jordan Rynier, who first went to the restaurant in 2009. “My college friends and I decided my last semester that we were too cool for college boys and started going there on Thursday nights instead.”
Full Circle
Teixido had not stepped into the restaurant since he’d departed. As with Kid’s, he built a community around Harry’s Savoy Grill by hosting nonprofit events and getting involved with local organizations. By 2010, Harry’s Savoy was a success, and Harry’s Seafood Grill was open on the Wilmington Riverfront.
Teixido looked for a space to open a more casual, recession-proof experience like Kid Shelleen’s. He returned to his old stomping ground to check it out. The regulars watched him from the Tough Guy’s Corner.
“You’re going to buy this place, aren’t you?” one asked as Teixido was leaving. He said no. They didn’t believe him.
O’Hanlon, who had worked her way up the ranks at Harry’s Savoy, was excited about the prospects. “It’s iconic and always busy,” she says. “I could never imagine that someone would want to sell it.”
Teixido arranged a meeting with Burkhard, and each put a number on paper.
“We were close enough,” Teixido says. They made a deal; however, Teixido and partners O’Hanlon and Dave Banks could not enter the restaurant until the sale was final. The staff had no idea the deal had transpired.
It was September 1, 2010, and the >
new owners entered a restaurant without a computer system. The just-hired employees had to write orders on paper — and it was Burger Day.
“It was like jumping on a running horse,” says O’Hanlon. “But we managed.”
Teixido ditched packaged salsa and guacamole and told the kitchen to make it from scratch. When people complained, Teixido vowed not to tell customers a recipe had changed.
One day, a bar regular told him: “You screwed everything else up, but at least you didn’t eff up the burger.” In reality, the bun, meat blend, toppings and seasoning were all different.
Teixido just smiled and said, “Thank you.” Most people appreciated the fresh difference, even if they weren’t quite sure what had changed.
In truth, it doesn’t matter what Kid Shelleen’s serves, Teixido maintains. “This place will always do business. If you only serve burgers, nachos, and wings but have friendly service and good bartenders, it will still do business. It’s the kind of place you can’t build anymore.”
Or can you?
In 2022, a second Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal House & Saloon opened in Brandywine Hundred. It has the same color scheme and exposed brick, but the spaces are decidedly different. O’Hanlon acknowledges that it’s not as cozy.
“We need to make the new place a little grittier,” Teixido says of the shiny, new construction. “It takes a while to become a community place.”
There’s name recognition, of course, especially among those who moved from the city to the North Wilmington suburbs. But customers might not be as forgiving if the burger isn’t cooked to their liking as they would in Trolley Square. At the latter location, they’re tasting nostalgia along with their food.
Teixido and O’Hanlon are attracting families and, again, supporting the community and area schools. (Banks left the partnership and remade Harry's Seafood Grill on the Riverfront as Banks' Seafood Kitchen.)
“We’re getting there — we’re definitely getting there,” Teixido says. “The location is good, and that’s why we’re here.”
Judging by the crowded parking lot, the little Kid may soon catch up to its big brother. And can the partners envision a third Kid Shelleen’s? O’Hanlon doesn’t hesitate.
“I can,” she says firmly.
Kid Shelleen's has a well-earned reputation for serving up one of the area's best burgers.
Now You’re Cooking
Wilmington Kitchen Collective provides local culinary-based entrepreneurs a place where they can grow
By Catherine Kempista
In January 2022, the Wilmington Kitchen Collective officially opened the doors to its first shared commercial kitchen space, culminating two years of collaboration between Riverfront Ministries and Wilmington Alliance to launch a new economic development program in the city. Their goal — to provide local culinary-based entrepreneurs commercial kitchen space to start and expand their small businesses and the business development support to sustain it.
Today, the Wilmington Kitchen Collective operates four kitchens in churches throughout Wilmington, supporting 35 businesses run by 42 entrepreneurs. Currently, 72 percent are women-owned and operated; 89 percent are minority-owned businesses. The waiting list consists of 50 entrepreneurs in various stages of operation waiting to get through the door.
“I don't know that any of us knew how great the need was and how many businesses would be looking for a shared space,” says Rev. Chelsea Spyres, pastor and executive director of Riverfront Ministries, which handles the daily operations of the Wilmington Kitchen Collective. >
Rhythm + Heat owners Lance and Adrienne Williams with son Raymond. Photos by Moonloop Photography
Heavy Lift
In late 2019, as conversations were happening among leaders at Wilmington Alliance about creating a shared downtown kitchen to spur economic development in the retail food space, Riverfront Ministries was in search of ways to deepen their impact in the city. Grace United Methodist Church provided the connection.
“Wilmington Alliance approached Grace about using their space, and they liked the idea of it happening in their church but didn't feel like they could operate it,” says Spyres. “Because of the partnerships that already existed, Riverfront said this is a thing we could operate, and it fits into our mission of working around food and economic justice.”
Under the new nonprofit Wilmington Kitchen Collective, Riverfront Ministries assumed the operational piece of the program while Wilmington Alliance provided their economic development and small business expertise.
To open its first kitchen, Spyres and Wilmington Alliance staff raised approximately $200,000 for capital upgrades necessary to bring Grace Church’s existing space up to code.
According to Spyres, “The build out of Grace was a really heavy lift because Grace wasn't approved by the Health Department, and it required a lot of construction to bring it up to code. And at this point, we're also trying to convince people that this project and this program is going to work.”
Quickly, news spread about the work at Grace Church and the waiting list for entrepreneurs, spurring interest among other groups to get involved in this highly sought-after program. Ultimately, the overwhelming interest from the community and businesses changed their plans.
“First and Central really changed the model of the kitchen because at that point, we thought we were going to run one site,” says Spyres. “They came to us and said, ‘Our kitchen is already certified as commercial. Would you consider operating here?’ We had a waiting list of 50 businesses, and we hadn’t opened at Grace yet.”
So, as the first shared kitchen space opened its doors at Grace Church, plans were soon underway to do the same at First & Central Presbyterian Church on North Market Street. Because far less work and funding were needed to bring their kitchen on board, entrepreneurs started
Joanne Graves says WKC not only helped launch GravesYard Apiary, it makes her feel part of a special community.
cooking in their space in November 2022. Aldersgate United Methodist Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church both opened their doors to the entrepreneurs in 2024.
With the existing waiting lists and growing demand among organizations to adopt the model, the Wilmington Kitchen Collective has now created the Kitchen Collective Affiliate Network, which provides one-on-one consulting, training, and program development support for a fee to organizations that join. To foster a sense of community, the Kitchen Collective Affiliate Network will host events for members to meet and share stories and best practices. In January 2025, Newark United Methodist Church will become the first official member of the Kitchen Collective Affiliate Network, as it opens its own space, the Newark Kitchen Collective.
Operational Necessity
In the earliest days of planning for the program, the people behind the Wilmington Kitchen Collective quickly realized they were creating a solution to two major problems culinary entrepreneurs faced to legitimately operate in Delaware — access to a licensed commercial
kitchen and assistance navigating the food safety regulatory and licensure process.
“These businesses really can't be legally licensed without a commercial kitchen,” says Renee Bennett, director of development and marketing for Wilmington Alliance. “And there are minimal opportunities for people who are just starting out that may not have the capital [to] have their own brickand-mortar commercial kitchen.”
The Wilmington Kitchen Collective has become the answer to the hopes of food-based small businesses throughout the area.
Once an entrepreneur is accepted into the program, they not only gain access to the physical kitchen but also to business support resources focused on setting them up for long-term success.
“This is a holistic program,” says Bennett.
Participating entrepreneurs receive assistance in navigating the licensure process with the City of Wilmington, State of Delaware and, when needed, the FDA, and the Kitchen Collective pays for their first-year licensures and permits, according to Bennett. Business owners also have access to business plan experts
Sandra Pedraza, owner of Desserts de Corazon, in the WKC Kitchen putting the finishing touches on a cake.
and marketing, design, and social media help. They can attend various workshops hosted by the Small Business Development Center and the Launcher Entrepreneurship Program at the West End Neighborhood House.
When possible, the Kitchen Collective and its partners connect its small business owners to opportunities for direct financial assistance to help with necessary upgrades, like new equipment or food truck improvements.
“There's a lot that goes into the program other than just the actual commercial space,” says Bennett.
Collective Support
For Lance Williams, co-owner of Rhythm + Heat, a low-sodium specialty seasonings company, the assistance he and his wife Adrienne received from Spyres and the Wilmington Kitchen Collective team has been essential to their success.
Like many new culinary entrepreneurs, Williams quickly figured out through his own research that the path to legally operate his small business and start turning a profit was going to be riddled with regulatory hurdles and operational challenges. They would need to eventually find a commercial kitchen because the Cottage Food Law would only take them so far. Thanks to Adrienne’s research, they found the Kitchen Collective online and signed up for the wait list.
According to the Delaware Office of Food Protection, the Cottage Food Law allows “for the preparation of a limited type of food products made in residential kitchens.” It can provide a start for entrepreneurs looking to sell their food, but businesses operating under this provision are significantly limited in the type of products and quantities that can be made and sold.
To the delight of the Williams family, they were off the waiting list in a few months and added to the Grace Church kitchen schedule.
“They provided so much assistance,” says Williams. “From the three or four licenses that we needed, the ServSafe certification, the off-premises license we needed from the Department of Health, we had no clue about any of this stuff. If they had never sent us this list and walked us through getting these things and have these connections with numbers to call people directly, we would have been super illegal.”
For Joanne Graves, co-owner of GravesYard Apiary, being a part of Wilmington Kitchen Collective has not only benefited her business but also made her part of a special community shepherded by Spyres and her team to ensure their long-term success.
Through the work of the Wilmington Kitchen Collective, Graves was connected to the president of Brew HaHa, where she now sells her products.
“Chelsea guided me through that process, so I could sell my products to Brew Haha,” says Graves. “She loves the entrepreneurs. She loves the community. I love everything about this organization.”
Savor the Flavor of Newark!
JOIN US FOR RESTAURANT WEEK, PRESENTED BY THE NEWARK PARTNERSHIP.
Indulge in exclusive menus crafted by the region’s best chefs. Discover the essence of our city, one bite at a time.
A Culinary Journey Awaits!
Bites
PLATINUM DINING ACQUIRES
HEARTH KITCHEN
Platinum Dining Group (Capers & Lemons, Eclipse, Taverna, among others) is making its rst venture into Pennsylvania with the purchase of Hearth Kitchen in the Shoppes of Longwood Village in Kennett Square. Hearth will be closed through the month of February and reopen in March sporting a fresh look and a new Mediterranean-inspired menu that includes woodred pizzas and pastas. Hearth will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and plans to introduce a brunch with live music on Sundays.
INTRODUCING HAYWORTH + FINCH
Created by the same minds that brought us El Diablo Burrito, Hayworth & Finch opened last month in Trolley Square, just a few doors down from the original El Diablo Burrito. Described by owners as a “Philly interpretation of a French bistro,” Hayworth & Finch o ers casual fare with cosmopolitan air. Guests can choose from a variety of made-to-order dishes they otherwise would be hard-pressed to nd in one place locally — items such as the mushroom Gruyère smashburger, shawarma spiced chicken bowl and greenpea falafel sandwich.
— Visit PlatinumDiningGroup.com
COZY CAFÉ IN COOL SPRINGS
Wilmington’s Cool Springs neighborhood has a new spot to grab a bite. Coterie Café + Kitchen, located at 1149 W. 7th Street, has transformed the space previously occupied by Books & Bagels into an intimate setting with an open kitchen. Opening in late December (at press time), the café seats 16, with additional outdoor seating available during the warmer months. e kitchen, led by Chef Joshua Santiago, will feature a menu of budget-friendly breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch options, including such signature items as Pasteis De Nata, a traditional Portuguese sweet pastry. While you’re encouraged to sit and enjoy a meal, to-go and delivery options are also available.
— Visit CoterieCK.com
—Visit HayworthAndFinch.com
THREE NEW SPOTS SPICE UP MIDDLETOWN DINING SCENE
Middletown’s culinary scene has received a boost, with a trio of new restaurants opening within the past few months. Pithari, which o ers a contemporary spin on Mediterranean cuisine, has taken over the space formerly occupied by La Banca at 1 West Main St.
— Visit Pitharimc.com
T he historic building at 1919 Augustine Beach Rd., which dates to the early 1800s, has been renovated and reopened by Philadelphia-area restaurateurs Phillip and Kate Ferro as the Augustine Tavern. e couple also owns the Chadds Ford Tavern. Augustine Tavern’s menu focuses on steak and seafood.
— Visit AugustineTavern.com
J ackson House in Middletown has opened at 17 Wood Street, the former site of Metro Pub and Grill. Owners Hope and Jose Lopez ran the popular 1857 Jackson House in Dover but had a chance to double their restaurant’s size with the move and took it. e menu is vast, o ering everything from salmon nuggets to rack of lamb.
— Visit BlueMezcalGroup.com
DINING DEALS AT NEWARK RESTAURANT WEEK
Nothing like a restaurant deal to get you out of the house in January. Once again, e Newark Partnership is presenting Newark Restaurant Week at some of the city’s best-known eateries. From Jan. 16-22, guests can enjoy three-course dinners for $40. e current roster includes Blue Crab Grill, Ca e Gelato, Deer Park Tavern, Del Pez, Home Grown Café, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Klondike Kate’s, Santa Fe, Skipjack and Taverna but check the website for additional participants. You can make reservations directly with the restaurants. — Visit eNewarkPartnership.org
BARDEA GROUP ON THE GROW
Bardea Restaurant Group, known for Bardea Food & Drink, Bardea Steak, and e Garden at Bardea on Market Street, is expanding its footprint in Wilmington with two major projects. First, it will manage DE.CO Food Hall at 10th and Orange streets, where it currently operates Pizzeria Bardea and Taqueria El Chingon. In early 2025, they will open Casa Nonna, a 70-seat restaurant and bar, designed by Stokes Architecture + Design, also inside DE.CO. It will be distinct from the other kiosks, with adjustments to the space planned after its opening (Al Chu’s Sushi will remain).
Also in early 2025, the team will open the Roost Pub & Kitchen, a rebrand of the former Stitch House Brewery at 829 N. Market Street, which they acquired in August. e new concept will o er a more casual dining experience, with items such as atbreads, burgers, and wings. While the brewery equipment remains, they will initially serve beers from local and international breweries, while looking to produce its own beer for each of its ventures down the road.
— Visit CasaNonnaDe.com and RoostWilmington.com
Choose Filet Mignon or Fresh Salmon with lobster bisque, broccoli, au gratin potatoes, crab stuffed mushrooms and dessert!
Bound for the Beach
Before you buy your dream home, do your homework
BBy Pam George
y 2013, real estate prices had dropped due to the 2008 housing market collapse. e Pocono vacation home that my husband and I bought in 2005 had lost $30,000 of its value. However, after it sold, we realized that the beach home I’d wanted was within reach.
Using equity in our Wilmington house, we purchased a two-bedroom condo for cash. It was a xerupper west of Route 1 — but so close, you could walk to the highway. We paid $170,000. Today, our neighbors are getting $320,000-plus.
To be sure, a lot has changed in the last decade. e plethora of new communities west of Route 1 has made that area more appealing. Mortgage rates have uctuated, and so have home prices. Since the county’s property taxes are low, New York and New Jersey buyers have joined the usual D.C.-area folk who’ve long bought in Delaware. >
“The demand exceeds the supply,” says Compass real estate agent Robin Gordon Bunting.
If your New Year’s goal is to purchase a beach property in 2025, do more than scan Zillow. “The more research you do, the better,” says Lee Ann Wilkinson with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices.
Ask yourself and the experts some key questions.
Does the Area Matter?
In short, yes. Wilkinson knows sellers who relocated to Sussex County for its low taxes only to learn that the community doesn’t match their lifestyle or needs.
“They came down, looked at three builders’ models and bought something,” she explains. “Two years later, they say, ‘We don’t want to live here. We want to live over there, where our church is and where we spend all our time.’”
Your interests will narrow the focus. For instance, boat owners may want a dock or a nearby marina, while golfers wish to live on or near a course. People with chronic illnesses will want to be close to the hospital. Foodies want access to restaurants and grocery stores.
Moreover, Delaware’s beach towns have distinct personalities. Lewes has a historic downtown and yearround vibe, while many of Fenwick Island’s shops and
restaurants are still seasonal. The southern beaches are quiet. Admittedly, Ocean City is just over the state line.
It helps if you’ve spent time in the town. I’d only vacationed in the Lewes-Rehoboth Beach area. So one month in the off-season, I rented a historic home in the Lewes downtown district to learn what living in “Mayberry” was like.
For those who don’t know the area well — or who are open to exploring unfamiliar towns — Bunting suggests spending a day or two with a real estate agent for a tour. Jenn Barrows of Barrows and Associates, part of Monument Sotheby’s International Realty, would agree.
“We call it ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood tour,’” Barrows says. “We introduce them to the towns.”
Although the coast isn’t long, most real estate agents specialize in certain sections. So, if you know where you want to buy, consider using an agent with a lengthy list of listings in that area. Local agents “will know each town or community intimately, and through getting to know you and what you desire, they will be able to help identify the right fit,” says Shawn McDonnell on the Carrie Lingo Team at Jack Lingo Realtor in Lewes.
He recommends staying in several towns at different
Ocean block properties are the most desirable — and priciest. This seven-bedroom contemporary in Dewey Beach is priced at $4,799,000.
Photo courtesy Carrie Lingo Team
times of the year — summer and winter. And don’t be afraid to talk to locals and ask questions.
Should I Buy East or West of Coastal Highway?
East of Route 1 is prime real estate because it’s closer to the shoreline, and many of Wilkinson’s clients look here rst. But those unfamiliar with housing prices may experience a reality check. Moreover, there is a long section from just south of Kings Highway in Lewes to Holland Glade Road with no beach access. (Some have bike trails.) at’s also true of several neighborhoods north of Lewes. ese residents must use Route 1 to reach Cape Henlopen or Rehoboth Beach.
“I ask people: ‘How often do you want to go to the beach?” says Justin Damadio, an agent with Iron Valley Real Estate in Ocean City who represents Sussex County buyers and sellers. Remember that a waterfront view isn’t limited to the ocean. ere are bays, marshes and salt ponds sprinkled all along the coast.
You’ll get more bang for the buck if you go west.
“Most of my clients decide that 10 to 15 minutes west will work if they can get the home that meets their needs,” Bunting says.
Do I Prefer a New or Existing Home?
While there’s been an explosion of new homes west of Route 1 in Millville, Ocean View and Millsboro, there’s also been a lot of new construction in Lewes, east of Route 1 o New Road and Kings Highway.
New developments appeal to buyers who want a fresh start without having to do renovations. at’s especially true for retirees tired of their 50-year-old Colonial, Wilkinson notes. Moreover, many new neighborhoods have amenities, including pools, clubhouses and tennis courts.
e community may dictate which builder you use. In Show eld and Olde Town in Lewes, you can choose — unless the builder owns the lot, Wilkinson says. You can also select your builder if you buy a tear-down home or a vacant lot in a town.
Remember that most new neighborhoods have
Clean Starts Clean Streets
Bayfront at Rehoboth on the Rehoboth Bay boasts an abundance of amenities. This five-bedroom property at 3170 Marsh Island Ave. is listed for $1,175,000.
homeowner associations, Damadio says. Rules and regulations may dictate the color of your door and whether you can fence a yard for your dog. Read the documents carefully before you buy.
Bunting recommends working with a local agent if you are considering new construction. Barrows agrees. e onsite agent’s primary responsibility is to the builder. “We’ve had to really go to bat for our clients and light a re under a builder to x things,” Barrows says.
Wilkinson appreciates Schell Brothers because they respect the buyer’s agent. “When the market was down, Schell Brothers went out of their way to encourage realtors,” she says. “ at’s why we like them so much.”
Your representative can help you decipher the model variations, understand utilities and ensure home inspections are complete, Bunting says.
Investment or Private Residence?
A beach investment property is a short- or long-term rental home. Here’s where the homeowner’s association may present an issue: Boards are increasingly restricting the length of stay. (Blame Airbnb.) Damadio knows of one that limits stays to a month.
I can vouch for the community’s concerns. I’m on the board in my development, and our mission is to tackle the issue.
Regardless, many beach home buyers like having the option to rent. While some listings may detail rental income, others do not, and the rental agency might be unwilling to share the information with prospective buyers.
“We go online. We look to see what other rentals charge. We call,” Barrows says. “If it’s never been rented, I get estimates.”
e demand for beach rentals has dipped since the pandemic, Barrow says. Vacationers can y to Europe for less than the cost of a beach rental. Of course, the pendulum will swing depending on the world economy.
Is a Local Lender Best?
Yes, maintain the experts. “Borrowers can get the same competitive rates plus knowledge of the local community,” says Wm. Jack Riddle, president of Community Bank Delaware.
Many communities have unique characteristics, he adds. For instance, Sussex County has several areas where residents lease the land. Lewes Beach, Pot-Nets and Rehoboth-by-the-Sea are three examples. ere are also neighborhoods with manufactured homes, which can be challenging to nance.
“Without this local knowledge, settlements can be delayed, deadlines missed, and sometimes purchases lost,” Riddle says. Too often, issues arise late in the process, which causes stress.
A local lender will also know if comps in a neighboring community don’t apply to the house under contract. “ ey will know the di erence between the beachside of Cedar Avenue and the non-beach side,” Wilkinson says of the street on Lewes Beach. e representative can question an appraiser if the numbers are out of line.
e more you know, the happier you’ll be. For instance, I knew where I wanted to be because of my experience vacationing and writing about the beaches. And having had two houses — and the upkeep that goes with them — I wanted a condo. With two big dogs, I also needed a lot of land. Our community has about 40 acres with trees and landscaping. I may never see the ocean when I visit, but I nearly always see the inside of a fantastic restaurant, from Lewes to Rehoboth. And that’s my priority.
In other words, I have no regrets.
The Rehoboth Beach Yacht & Country Club appeals to golfers and marine enthusiasts. This home at 12 Blackpool Road sold for $1,200,000.
Photo Barrows & Associates
Off-season Reasons
The colder months at the beaches have plenty of options
Winter
at Delaware’s beaches offers a peaceful escape, especially after a busy holiday season. With fewer crowds and great rates on cozy accommodations, it’s the perfect season to unwind, enjoy scenic views, and experience a serene seaside getaway. For an overview of your options, visit SouthernDelaware.com.
DINING DELIGHTS
Delaware’s Culinary Coast™ is a foodie’s paradise, boasting a vibrant dining scene with an array of restaurants and nationally renowned chefs, including James Beard nominees, finalists, and winners. The area’s local agriculture ensures chefs have the freshest, healthiest ingredients to create their mouthwatering magic with. In the off-season, it’s easier to get a table at popular spots with many offering specials, making it the ideal time to go on a epicurean adventure. More at CulinaryCoastDe.com.
FIRE & ICE FESTIVAL
This annual festival, presented by Quiet Resorts, celebrates winter with a weekend full of family-friendly festivities including ice sculpture tours, ice carving demonstrations, bonfires, a skating rink, chili cook-off, drink tastings, and more. Taking place this year Jan. 31 – Feb. 2 with “A Weekend for the Books” as the theme, the ice sculptures will be inspired by famous novels. More at FireAndIce.com.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AWAITS
Winter is also the perfect season for outdoor enthusiasts to experience the area’s tranquility while staying active in the cool weather. Miles of scenic trails through coastal forests, marshes, and farmlands can be explored year-round. Those willing to brave the brisk bays and waterways in their wetsuits can also enjoy surfing and paddling. Plus, discount packages offer great deals on lodging and exclusive offers at local restaurants, breweries, and shops. More at VisitSouthernDelaware.com.
One of the many creations at Fire & Ice.
Enjoying a pint at Dogfish Head Brewery.
Now is a great time of year to explore Southern Delaware’s wineries, breweries, and distilleries with a self-guided sips tour. From the iconic Dogfish Head Brewery to award-winning Brimming Horn Meadery, there are plenty of stops to wet your whistle. The Delaware Tourism Office’s Delaware On Tap mobile-exclusive passport provides a list of all the options and gives you a chance to win prizes based on the venues you visit. Sign up for the free downloadable passport at Visit Delaware.com/de-on-tap.
TAKE THE PLUNGE
For over 30 years, thousands of people have braved the icy Atlantic to support Special Olympics Delaware. The Lewes Polar Bear Plunge Benefiting Special Olympics Delaware returns to Rehoboth Beach beginning Jan. 31 for a weekend of festivities, including sand and ice sculpting demonstrations, a 5K run, Jolly Trolley Tours and more, culminating with the Plunge at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2. More at PlungeDe.org.
EXPERIENCE THE ARTS
Visiting Southern Delaware in winter means fewer crowds, but still plenty to do and see. From live theater and film screenings to art galleries and museums, the area’s second season offers a chance to explore and enjoy local attractions without the hustle of peak season. The excitement doesn’t cool down with the weather! More at VisitSouthernDelaware.com.
STATE PARK SIGHTSEEING
Southern Delaware boasts five state parks, each open year-round and providing a distinct experience, including winter programs. Your options include Delaware Seashore State Park, Cape Henlopen State Park, Fenwick Island State Park, Holts Landing State Park and Trap Pond State Park. More at VisitSouthernDelaware.com.
HIT YOUR STRIDE
For those who enjoy running, plan your visit around a Seashore Striders event. Established in 1988, this inclusive club offers activities for residents and visitors alike, welcoming runners and walkers of all background and abilities. Upcoming runs include the 3rd Lover’s Lane Valentine’s Boardwalk 5K in Rehoboth (Feb. 15), the 12th Lucky Leprechaun 5K in Milton (Mar. 9), and the 19th Shamrock Shuffle 10 Miler & 5K in Lewes (Mar. 16). More at SeashoreStriders.com.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
Southern Delaware is a shopper’s paradise with plenty of spots to enjoy taxfree shopping. Bargain hunters can score great deals at the outlets and local retailers, while antique lovers can discover unique treasures at charming shops. More at VisitSouthernDelaware.com.
— Compiled by Amy Watson Bish
The Lewes Polar Bear Plunge is a 30-year tradtion. Live theater has strong appeal during the winter months.
MOT has raised more than $255,000 since 2016, with 90 Delaware nonprofits benefiting.
Top: Movies on Tap co-founder Ryan Kennedy in spirited attire at December's showing of Elf. Below, MOT faithful come dressed "appropriately" for National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Photos by Kevin Francis & Jim Miller
Movie Night Magic
Movies on Tap combines sips and cinema for a good cause — a winning formula for nearly a decade
By Adriana Camacho-Church
Since April 2016, family and friends, breweries and nonprofits have gathered monthly at Penn Cinema Riverfront in Wilmington for an interactive night of classic movies, fun and giving. It’s called Movies on Tap (MOT) and as the concept begins its 10th year, there is much to celebrate.
A $25 movie ticket includes two cans of craft beer handed out by brewery representatives, unlimited popcorn, a bottle of water, and a viewing of a classic film such as Jaws or Caddyshack. But the best part is that a local non-profit receives 100% of ticket sales that night.
“It’s an easy and fun way to donate,” says Ryan Kennedy, owner of Kennedy, an event management, public relations and marketing consulting firm in Wilmington. The Food Bank of Delaware, Ronald McDonald House Delaware, Urban Bike Project and Delaware Restaurant Association are four of 90 Delaware nonprofits to have benefited. MOT has raised more than $255,000 since 2016.
The monthly showings have become a 10-year tradition for folks who sometimes include dinner at riverfront restaurants to finish off the night. MOT has hosted more than 12,000 moviegoers since its inception.
“All these people come out for a fun time and to donate," says Kennedy. “It’s not easy to get people out. Yet, when the movie tickets went up from $20 to $25, no one even blinked an eye.”
The idea of connecting breweries with the community and the community with nonprofits originated with Kennedy.
“I think Penn Cinema was one of the first movie theaters in the marketplace to add beer and wine as an amenity to the movie theater experience and I thought that sounded like a fun opportunity for an event,” he says.
At the time, Kennedy worked for Harvey, Hanna & Associates.
“I was looking for ways to promote our brand, bring people together and support the community simultaneously. Soon after, I brought the idea up to Jim Miller (director of publications for Out & About Magazine), and he introduced me to Drew Sheaffer (director of operations at Penn Cinema).
Kennedy, Sheaffer and Miller volunteer their time to promote the event and select movies and breweries for MOT’s monthly screenings.
Giving back to the community is in Kennedy’s DNA. “I was raised that way,” he says.
“Delaware has an inspiring nonprofit network hosting thousands of nonprofits statewide that
are working tirelessly to strengthen Delaware and make it a better place to live, work and play,” Kennedy says. “The people behind those nonprofits need to be recognized more and Movies on Tap is a platform to help showcase all their work.
“Then, when you look at Delaware’s brewing industry, equally impressive in our little state, it’s another industry stacked with passionate, hardworking, and creative people. When you combine these organizations and people in a fun and approachable environment on a month-to-month basis, you’re going to learn something new about the community and have fun.”
About 70 to 100 people fill one or two of the 12 theaters during the monthly showing.
“Our first movie filled a screen with 35 people,” says Sheaffer. “It was a success right off the bat.”
December is MOT’s most popular month with the showing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. “We struck gold with our Christmas movie,” says Sheaffer.
The showing of Christmas Vacation averages more than 400 attendees each year. Six of Penn Cinema’s 12 screens usually sell out.
During last month’s showing, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery provided the beverages and again hundreds turned out, with the Delaware Restaurant Foundation (DRF) walking away with a check for $8,675.
“Movies on Tap has supported restaurant industry relief efforts for several years and we could not be more grateful for the support and the partnership from Dogfish Head, Penn Cinema and other groups that make these events possible,” says Karen Stauffer, DRF’s Senior Director of Communications and Strategy. “It is one the largest fundraisers of the year for our relief fund . . . and what a fun way to do it!”
“It’s a win, win for everyone,” says Chase Diem of Wilmington, who dressed in a green turban and pajamas to depict Christmas Vacation’s main character, Clark Griswold, in the attic scene. “It’s my favorite Christmas comedy and it’s a great way to kick off the Christmas spirit.”
“It gives us an affordable date out each month,” says Erica Hostetler, a six-year MOT devotee. “We are totally spoiled by it. We get to hang out with friends and every month we try out lots of different craft beers.”
Wayne Rapine, owner of G&E Welding Supply in New Castle, brought 17 of his employees to the December show. “After this, we’re heading to Iron Hill Brewery for dinner.”
A fan of MOT for six years, Rapine adds, “We love Kennedy, Sheaffer, and Miller. We love this event.”
—Visit PennCinema.com for more information.
Ryan Kennedy (l) and Drew Sheaffer at December's Movies on Tap.
with
5 Questions Reeves Gabrels
His unique musical journey, which includes stretches with David Bowie and The Cure, now brings him to Kelly’s Logan House
By Matt Morrissette
Though best known for his stunning electric guitar work as a sideman to David Bowie and a member of the British goth gods The Cure, Reeves Gabrels’ career reads like a great adventure novel brimming with exciting plot twists.
Born in Staten Island, N.Y. in 1956, Gabrels began playing guitar at age 13 and never looked back. His varied life and musical path includes: attending the Parsons School of Design and the Berklee School of Music; taking lessons from legendary jazz guitarist John Scofield; playing in bands with styles ranging from rock to jazz to experimental in scenes ranging from Boston to London to Nashville; making six solo albums; being an in-demand studio and touring guitarist and
producer for artists such as Paul Rodgers of Bad Co. fame and Jeffery Gaines.
Despite such a diverse and busy career, Gabrels has maintained his sense of adventure and musical restlessness that manifests itself in the form of his improvisational outfit Doom Dogs. Featuring Jonathan Kane (a founding member of Swans, a legendary NYC band) on drums and Jair-Rohm Parker Wells (Machine Gun, Embryo) on bass and electronic textures, the trio
The Doom Dogs (l-r): Jair-Rohm Parker Wells, Jonathan Kane, Reeves Gabrels. Photo by Henry Leutwyler
plays a unique and unpredictable brand of experimental music. e band is on a short tour playing intimate venues, which brings the trio to Kelly’s Logan House in Trolley Square on January 11.
We had the privilege of ring a few questions at Reeves Gabrels ahead of this month’s show.
O&A: You have such a varied musical background. What is the itch you get to scratch touring in an improvisation-based band?
Gabrels: It’s a freewheeling, no-holds-barred, conversation when I play music with Jonathan Kane and Jair-Rohm Parker Wells in Doom Dogs. We’re a trio of three equal instrumental voices: guitar, bass, and drums. Nothing is o limits musically and anything can happen at any point. e subject matter can turn on a dime and, like a great conversation or brain-storming session, it can be digressive or tangential in the best way.
Because we listen to each other intently, and read the room at the same time, no two shows are ever alike. Sometimes the mood gets heavy, sound-wise or expressively or emotionally. Other times we nd ourselves oating in a lighter atmosphere. Jair-Rohm and I started playing together over 30 years ago, yet we don’t recycle conversations. Jonathan became our drummer in 2023, and he has plenty to say too. We’re all devoted to improvising fully and freely, and it’s a real pleasure to be able to do that together.
Here’s how someone who came to a gig last year described what she heard: “[Doom Dogs created] an improv soundscape that took us to ve di erent sound eras and ten countries… One moment there was melody, and the next we were teleported into a David Lynch lm only to drop back down into a jazz club and step outside to a funk band. It was RAD.”
O&A: I’d be remiss not to ask about Tin Machine and your long relationship with Bowie. What was it like to play in a band with David Bowie at such an interesting point in his career, and what did you learn?
Gabrels on stage with The Cure in London (Nov. 2024). Photo by Chris Carti
Gabrels: At the point I met David he was “a bit lost at sea”(his words) and was no longer sure who his audience was. He was worried his next stop was Las Vegas. And Las Vegas most definitely wasn’t what he wanted. We struck up a friendship and started staying at his house or mine and writing songs together with no album nor home in mind for them. Music for music’s sake.
We tracked these songs with just him, me, a drum machine, and a couple of guitars. We each had a firstgeneration Tascam “Porta One” four-track cassette recorder. We had a blast. In retrospect, we realized we made that period of time interesting in his career by our disregard for the marketplace and by making the music we wanted to hear.
What I learned first and foremost from David Bowie was never to judge a musical idea until it is near fruition. Treat it like you are trying to build a campfire out of kindling and flint. Crowd around it and protect it until it catches flame.
Tin Machine came into being after David by chance ran into the Sales brothers (Tony and Hunt) and invited them to Switzerland where we started recording in Montreux at a studio that belonged to the band Queen.
Other things I learned: Never watch the clock; the idea shows up when it’s ready. And keep record company people out of the recording studio until the recording is complete and mixed.
O&A: I know you were educated at The Berklee College of Music in Boston. As someone who has made music in disciplines ranging from rock to soundtracks to improvisational music, how do you feel musical education has benefited you?
Gabrels: Before music school, I went to Parsons School of Design, then the School of Visual Arts (SVA), both in New York City. All the while, though, I played music — in NYC bars (such as CBGBs) during the school year, and roadhouses in the Catskills during the summer. Also in New York, I took some lessons from guitarist John Scofield. He suggested I should apply to Berklee in Boston. So, after three years in college, I really went to college.
I was at Berklee for six consecutive semesters, trying to get as much knowledge as possible and get my ears to catch up with my hands. At one point, I had a fusion quartet and was doing arrangements for an 11-piece horn band. I have always felt that the real education was meeting and learning from other students, many of whom were from other countries, and played different instruments. And we jammed all the time.
Beyond Berklee, on nights and weekends I played in a postpunk band, assorted rock bands, on the local Boston country music circuit (yes there was one) and lots of weddings. All of this enabled me to put into use the things we were being taught at Berklee and helped me see the difference between the “book” and the practical use of new ideas.
O&A: Being from Staten Island, N.Y., describe your early trajectory in local bands before you moved to Boston for music school or London? How did those early days a ect your later choices and projects?
Gabrels: Before computers and digital tools, you’d make friends at school, someone has a garage, you put a band together, you get better, and you end up playing high school dances, then college beer blasts, then bars. Staten Island had all of the above. Every gig informs the next one in everything you do. Along the way you learn what your fellow band members need from you and what the music wants. You learn when to lead, when to support, when to speak and when to listen. Like life.
O&A: Obviously, I have to ask about the excellent new album by e Cure, Songs of a Lost World. Being in such an iconic band for more than a decade, how did it feel to nally have new music (that you played on) released to the world? And to have the record and tour be so universally well-received?
Gabrels: We’re all delighted that our album has had such a wonderful response. Especially as it’s been a long road, what with starting studio work in 2019 and laboring away through several tours as well as during a couple of years of Covid-19. What’s truly meaningful to me is to realize that so many long-time fans as well as new listeners worldwide are moved by the music we made together.
By the way, though Songs Of A Lost World is indeed the rst studio album recorded and released by e Cure since I joined the band in 2012, it’s not the rst release on which I’m heard. In 1997, I played lead guitar on ‘Wrong Number,’ a song by e Cure that came out as a single and featured as the sole new track on Galore, a compilation of hit singles. at happened during the year I rst met Robert Smith, while I was still playing, writing and producing with David Bowie. And I’m on our 2019 live release, which is titled 40 Live – Curætion-25 + Anniversary. It was lmed and recorded at shows we did in 2018 at the Meltdown Festival that Robert Smith curated, and in Hyde Park in London.
All these recordings are part of my story with e Cure. I’ve always felt like what you do creatively is the trail you leave — the story of your life and your time on this planet. Music is what I do, and it feels like what I’ve always done.
Reeves Gabrels (l) and the Doom Dogs in 2024. Photo by Chris Carti
L IVE MUSIC
OH HE DEAD AND SERAFIN ENSEMBLE COME TO ARDEN
This February, Arden Gild Hall furthers its reputation for featuring an eclectic variety of artists and bands.
In addition to bringing in Mdou Moctar, the “Hendrix of the Sahara,” for an acoustic performance on Monday, Feb. 10, the intimate North Wilmington venue will feature some soul for Valentine’s Day and classical winter music in the round.
D.C. soul band Oh He Dead will light up the stage for a special Valentine’s Day performance on Friday, Feb. 14, with Sug Daniels opening with her trio. Since performing at the Elkton Music Hall’s venue-opening in 2023, Oh He Dead has garnered the attention of regional tastemakers such as the Washington Post and Philly’s WXPN, where the band performed a Free at Noon show in November.
Then on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Serafin Ensemble will perform with the Arden Gild Hall audience encircling them. The band performs works for flute, oboe, strings and harpsichord and will feature the Delaware premiere by Arden’s own Peter Compo.
— Visit ArdenConcerts.com
THE ROCK ORCHESTRA PERFORMS PHIL COLLINS
Last year, The Rock Orchestra brought the music of Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, and Chicago to The Grand. On Saturday, Feb. 15, they’ll be celebrating the catalog of one of rock’s most notable multi-instrumentalists and chart-toppers: Phil Collins.
From his first solo album, Face Value, to his penultimate release, 2002’s Testify, the show will feature Collins’ rollicking, horn-driven hits, his romantic ballads, and several deep cuts.
The Rock Orchestra was formed in 2017 by Joe Trainor and Matt Urban. For each of the 16 notable artists and band they have covered — from Jethro Tull to Talking Heads — Trainor and Urban have recruited a different line-up of area musicians to help bring those songs to life. — Visit TheGrandWilmington.org
JEFF DANIELS HEADLINES AT ELKTON MUSIC HALL
Actor-and-musician Jeff Daniels visits Elkton Music Hall on Friday, April 4, bringing with him a friend he’s known since 1976 — a Guild D-40 acoustic guitar he bought in Herb David’s Guitar Shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before moving to New York City to chase a dream.
The Daniels show underscores an ambitious season for the venue, which sees Southern-rock legends The Outlaws bring their triple-guitar goodness on Tuesday, March 4.
On Thursday, March 20, WXPN welcomes Low Cut Connie, whose performances the Los Angeles Weekly has described as “unmatched in all of rock right now.”
Then, on Saturday, April 12, Richard Thompson brings his Ship to Shore tour to town. The folk-rock hero will be joined by local hero Michael “Kid” Davis, who opens the show with an acoustic set.
— More at ElktonMusicHall.net
SHINE A LIGHT WILL ROCK A TO Z
If you haven’t seen it for yourself, the Shine A Light concert is unlike most music fundraisers.
Not only does the event showcase local musicians (last year more than 70), but each song performed features an entirely new line-up of singers and backing musicians.
On Saturday, March 1, the Shine A Light organizers decided to add more elevation to the annual highwire act. Whereas in previous years, the show’s theme focused mainly on songs from specific years, organizers have revealed this year’s theme will be “Shine A Light A to Z.”
“Shine A Light 2025 will feature songs from the ‘60s to the 2000s, but with a twist: all the song titles will start with, in order, each letter of the alphabet,” the event’s website states.
For 12 years the Shine A Light concert has raised money for youth music programs. In 2024, the event helped provide grants totaling over $65,000 to seven area organizations that focus largely on Delaware’s underserved youth.
As the organizers write: “When we improve the outcomes for our young people, we uplift entire communities, creating a ripple effect of positive change.”
The Shine A Light concert has sold out every year.
— Tix & info at LightUpTheQueen.org
LADYBUG MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS SPRING
Last month, Gable Music Ventures announced that the Ladybug Music Festival will be returning to Wilmington on Friday, May 30.
Presented by Chase Bank, Ladybug began in 2012 and has since become the largest celebration of women in music. Each year, the multi-genre festival showcases a 100% women-fronted lineup.
— More at TheLadybugFestival.com
The City
As your Mayor over these past eight years, I worked hard to make our beloved City clean and safe, with strong, diverse neighborhoods that are thriving. I’ve worked to create a city government that delivers highquality services while trying hard to be honest, efficient, transparent, and accountable in all that we do. And we have made some remarkable progress towards those goals.
Some of what has been accomplished is easy to see — sparkling new buildings and beautiful parks, new restaurants, hotels, and night life. But much of the real progress has taken place behind the scenes, out of the public’s view but no less important.
Remember a time not so long ago when the City seemed to be stagnating
has finally arrived, showing off its immense potential. New housing is being built throughout our neighborhoods and we are helping our seniors remain in their homes and fix them up.
We can all take some pride and comfort in the fact that, after a year that was difficult and divisive for our nation, we begin 2025 in a City that is cleaner, safer, more prosperous, and more just than it has ever been. Our neighborhoods are healthier and stronger. Our economy is growing. Our finances and infrastructure are in far better shape than they were eight years ago.
I’ve also striven to make ours a City where the conditions that divide us could be overcome, where the worst injustices could be eradicated, where poverty could be reduced, where our children could grow, study, and thrive, and violent crime could be all but eliminated. I’ve worked to make Wilmington a place where all members of our community are cared for and treated with equal respect while being empowered to pursue their individual dreams and aspirations.
Now as I leave office and look ahead, I greet the new year and new administration with hope and optimism. I am pleased to leave behind a vibrant City filled with endless possibilities. Though there is still work to be done for our
Explore the Riverfront
Restaurants & More riverfront market
open
mon-fri: 9AM-6PM sat: 9AM-4PM
Stop in and enjoy fresh produce, salads, sandwiches, Mexican, Thai cuisine, Peruvian rotisserie, and much more!
Bernie’s Espresso is NOW OPEN!
MON-FRI: 7AM-5PM SAT: 8AM-4PM
Banks’ Seafood Kitchen & Raw Bar
Big Fish Grill
Ciro Food & Drink
Constitution Yards Beer Garden
Delaware Duck Café & Catering
Del Pez
01.
Docklands
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Riverfront Bakery
River Rock Kitchen
Starbucks
Taco Grande
The Riverfront Asian Cuisine & Bar
Timothy’s on the Riverfront
outdoor adventures in every season
Feb. 24-Mar. 2
A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL BREW
Participants (as of 12/31/24):
Autumn Arch Beer Project • Bellefonte Brewing
Chelsea Tavern • Dew Point Brewing • Dorcea
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant • Kelly’s Logan House
