May 15th, 2013
Meeting the appetite of all things local. That’s what you will find up and down the Delmarva Peninsula as Farmers’ Markets gain popularity. I decided to visit late in the afternoon the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market. It opens at Noon until 4 p.m. every Tuesday; rain or shine. This was the second Tuesday and it was sunny!!
The Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market is located at Grove Park, behind the Visitor’s Center and the Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce, by the round-about. Website? http://www.rbfarmersmarket.com.
A little music and very interesting vendors. These are some of the ones that caught my attention!!
ROOT GOURMET – Only about a year old and located at 19724 Coastal Highway. Gourmet on the Go. A sister establishment of Nage. Don’t want to cook or have unexpected guests? Give them a call or go on their website at http://www.rootgourmet.com. You can either order for take out or just sit down and enjoy it in-house. At the market, they offer a special menu…plenty of tastings, as well.
JIMMY LYNN’S – A Seafood company…fish, lobsters. The best crabs! Steamed to order. They are located at 18226 Coastal Highway, Lewes. Tel. 302-644-9329.
 
GREENBRANCH ORGANIC FARM – Located at 5075 Nutters Cross Rd., Salisbury, Maryland, they specialized in a wide variety of vegetables and pastured livestock; grass-fed/grass-finished beef cattle, free range pigs, and pastured poultry. Website? http://www.greenbranchfarm.com.
HABANERA FARM – They are a guest of the Rehoboth Farmers’ Market, which means that they are not there every single Tuesday. This is Maryland’s first herbal tea grower and certified processor. It is a medicinal herb and plant farm and retreat center on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, just outside Whitehaven near the Wicomico River. More than 30 medicinal herbs offer a possibility for a relaxed stroll. It sits on 21 acres. It also has a 7 Path Labyrinth!
Habanera Farm is open for groups and will work with your group or organization to create that special program. They are also experienced, entertaining speakers, available to visit your location. On June 1st from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Habanera Farm will be hosting their 3rd Annual Open House and Herb Day Celebration. They are inviting the public to go out and wander through their herb gardens, see their working medicinal plant farm and antioxidant orchard, enjoy a sampling of delicious, locally blended herbal teas, and have a great day. Please check out their website http://www.habanerafarm.com. Like them on Facebook.
CLINGER’S NATURALS – A Division of Nuts to You! It is located at 2020 Windors Drive in Salisbury, Maryland. Tel. 410-726-1603. Their artisan nut butters are sooo good. Like them on Facebook .
GELATO GAL – I spotted Amanda Randall, the person behind the best gelato in town. Amanda has a new location on Coastal Highway. It is at 20385 Rt. 1 in Rehoboth Beach. Tel. 302-227-1001. Website? http://www.gelatogal.com. Besides her glorious gelato, Italy’s version of ice cream, Amanda also offer desserts, homemade chocolates….and she is also having wonderful offerings from her smoker. Pulled Pork, Smoked Turkey, Smoked Fish, Smoked St. Louis Style Ribs….I’ll be stopping by to check out her new location. They have done a lot of work.
SKIPPER’S BISCUIT COMPANY – For your pooches. This company makes its products right here in the first state and in the town of Lewes. They are all natural; made by the sea. Tel. 302-841-7003. Website? http://www.skipperscompany.com. Their Coco Lu’s Pet Shampoo is named after their own Lucy Brown. Again, all natural with 2 scents available; Lemon Fresh and Coco Colada. Like them on Facebook. To order, please visit the website or the local farmers’ markets.
OLD WORLD BREADS – Their commercial baking company does not have retail…they are located in Milton, Delaware. They have a presence in the local farmers’ markets. To order online, please visit http://www.oldworldbreads.com. Then select your breads and pay online. Select your pick-up location and it is that easy!!
 
 
FIFER ORCHARDS – The farm is located at 1919 Allabands Mill Rd. in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware. Tel. 302-697-2141. Their market store at the beach is located at 200 Cullen St. in Dewey Beach. 302-227-8680. Visit http://www.fiferorchards.com.
On Saturday, May 18th Fifer is hosting their Strawberry Festival at their farm in Camden-Wyoming. There will be free live music, hayrides, face painting, pony rides, gourmet sandwiches by Nage & Abbott’s Grill restaurants. There will be strawberry BBQ, strawberry smoothies, ice cream, pies, shortcakes, chocolate covered strawberries and more.
And, remember that it is asparagus season!! Did you know that they are a member of the Lily family? And, that under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10″ in a 24-hour period? They have no fat, no cholesterol, and are low in sodium.
Talk to you later….you know I will.
April 26th, 2012
Going to Rehoboth this week-end? So am I. After been away for over a week, it is time to leave The Village by the Sea, or Delray Beach, and start enjoying the beginnings of what is expected to be a fantastic summer season at the Delaware Beaches.
So, let’s see……
Gelato Gal is open again for the season. The weather has been so warm that she will open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. Gelato Gal has the most amazing gelato. You are going to be hooked….don’t be mad, we all have had to do a few laps around the neighborhoods to work out those extra calories. Gelato Gal is located at 20200 Coastal Highway, or Rt. 1, in Rehoboth Beach. Tel. 302-227-1001. Website? http://www.gelatogal.com.
Amanda Randall is the owner. She will even give you a few tastes to make sure that’s the flavor you like. I received an e-mail from her and she has signed up for an artisan chocolate class at the French Culinary Institute in May . Hopefully, she will be able to introduce another amazing dessert to our area!! Her words, not mine. I have written about this wonderful place several times. Just put Gelato Gal on the search, on the right hand corner of the website.
Friday, 4/27 – Film Event brought to all of us by the Rehoboth Beach Film Society. Monthly Screenings feature films and discussions about the various cultures in the world, including the diversity in our own country. Margin Call at 7 p.m., upstairs Screening Room, at Movies at Midway, located on Coastal Highway. $4 for member of the Society and $6 for future members. Purchase tickets at the door.
Margin Call, a thriller drama follows the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period, during the early stages of the financial crisis. If you would like to see the trailer, please visit http://www.rehobothfilm.com/film_events_monthly_screenings.html.
Janet Redman, Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch will lead a post-screening discussion.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 4/27 – 4/29 – Designer Show House, located at 10 Fourth St. in Rehoboth Beach. Vintage 1920s Rehoboth Beach Home decorated by Preeminent Interior and Landscape Designers. Sponsored by The Village Improvement Association. For tickets and information, please call 302-227-2598 or 302-227-1466. Or, better yet, check the website www.rehobothbeachvia.org.
Please note that the Designer Show House will also be open on May 4th through May 6th.
Friday, 4/27 – Sunday, 4/29 – Jerry’s Girls is a celebration of the music of Jerry Herman. Under the direction of Fay Jacobs, and starring the Annapolis Divas! Friday and Saturday performances at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, at 3 p.m. Tickets? $20 For more info., please call 302-227-5620 or visit http://www.camprehoboth.com.
Friday, 4/27 and Saturday, 4/28 – Sydney’s Music Revival at Bethany Blues, Lewes, located at 18385 Coastal Highway. (Between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach). 8:00 p.m.
Friday, The Crawstickers
Saturday, Galaxy Collective
Saturday, 4/28 – Join members and friends of the Rehoboth Beach Museum on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Museum located at 511 Rehoboth Ave., for a discussion about colorful quilt squares painted on barns around the country. Free with admission to the Museum. Please call 302-227-7310, or visit www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org.
See you in Rehoboth….have a good one. Remember, you are at the beach…kick back and relax!!
August 11th, 2011
Italy’s version of ice cream is gelato. It has less than 55% air, resulting in a denser product. Its history dates to the 16th century. Gelato heightenes the rich mouthful without tipping the scales. Comforting, isn’t it?
I have found that on hot summer days, the gelato is more refreshing than ice cream. I never used to think that way, but I do remember needing some iced water after ice cream. Not so with gelato.
Today I am writing about Gelato Gal. I wrote a post about it exactly a year ago. At that time I remember that I had gone to check out this new place a friend from Ocean City, Maryland, was talking about. She said, it was around the corner from my house. It really was there; dangerous for someone that loves ice cream.
I remember going in and meeting Amanda Randall. She is the owner. She had a new business to attend to and was so gracious in setting time aside to talk to me. At that time she probably was not sure how well received her gelato was going to be. She new she had a good product, though.
Fast forward a year. Gelato is still located at 20200 Coastal Highway (Rt. 1), Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. 302-227-1001. Website? http://www.gelatogal.com.
And, boy, has she been discovered!! Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Gelato Gal was the Grand Prize and First Place Winner of the 2011 Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival.
I asked her the other day, what made her gelato so special? She thought about it and her answer was: it is fresh. Using local produce she is making some interesting gelatos, icluding a corn gelato, and a melon one, as well. In talking about her gelato she says that it is not a recipe she uses, it is a formula; her own.
She is inventive and makes gelato every day; not a lot, enough to keep it fresh. The gelato taste just as it should; the lemon taste like lemon, the cinnamon like cinnamon, etc. etc.
The inside of Gelato Gal has also gone through some renovation; colors are new this season. Chairs and tables are available for customers in case you also want to sit down, sip a nice cup of coffee or just take a break.
Besides gelato, coffee is available, as well as Smith Island Cakes, and special old fashioned cookies from Vermont.
The majority of people, I think, order gelato in a cup. At Gelato Gal they are also making their own cones. Available for purchase are gift certificates too.
I noticed frozen desserts were also available. Amanda told me the company is Bindi and the individual ready made desserts are excellent. The Coppola Limoncello was beautiful. It had lemon gelato swirled together with limoncello, presented in a champagne glass. So were the ripienos, which was sorbetto served in natural fruit shells…If you want to more about them visit www.bindi.usa.com/home.asp.
Hanna and her mural….Hanna came to work this summer for Gelato Gal. She is a student from Belarus. She has volunteered to enhance the surroundings by painting a 20 foot mural of the Rehoboth dining experience. This is her contribution and we really thank her so much; hopefully she will come back. Customers enjoy watching her paint as they eat some delicious gelato outside. She will be finishing soon; stop by and say hello.
How could I finish this post without my own private tasting?
Chocolate Zen – You know why it was a winner. Dense and smooth
Coconut – I bought it for my husband; he loved it and you know how “particular” he can be.
Melon Chai – Melons from Tomato Sunshine. This was a sorbetto; light and perfect on a hot summer day.
Cinnamon – Was truly delicious. I recommend it.
Note: Gelato Gal does not accept credit cards; cash only
Also worthy of mentioning is that the majority of the gelato is gluten free.
That’s all for today….I hope you have a great week ahead….lots going on in the area. Talk to you later..
July 16th, 2011
It started when Lorenzo was visiting. Out in the back we were, eating crabs, and there he came in, bearing a beautiful Mini Smith Island Cake. Thank God it was a Mini; enough for everyone to have a slice. I could have eaten it all myself.
It had also been a few days since a friend mentioned Hamel’s in passing. At first I did not know what she was talking about. Let me refresh your memory; you will recognize it immediately.
Years ago, before Farmers’ Markets made a comeback into the lives of all of us, there was McQuay’s in Rehoboth Beach. It was one of the first places you saw as you came into downtown Rehoboth. Fresh tomatoes, corn, blueberries and general produce, beautifully displayed. I even think that you could have an account. It really was the place to go.
Fast forward, the building is still there, even the name has been left on the building; honoring what it used to be and trying to fill its old shoes. But, Hamel’s Gourmet Market is making this old market proud.
Hamel’s is located at 510 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. 302-227-3386, It will be on your right hand side as you are coming into Rehoboth, past the bridge, across from the Chamber of Commerce, and just before the roundabout.
I decided to stop by and check it out. Immediately, I saw Chad. I have know him for a long time; him being one of my sons’ friends. He is the Executive Chef for Hammel’s Gourmet Market. He has been in the food business for years. Always loved to cook.
You can call Chad Travis for catering and anything you need from Hamel’s at the above mentioned telephone number, or you can e-mail him at ctravis_fl@yahoo.com.
Hamel’s is a full service gourmet market, with a wide selection of fresh baked specialties, including turkey, ham, and roast beef.
The pastries and breads are made locally, as well.
Prepared salads can be bought by the pound; lobster, shrimp, spicy tuna, tuna, egg, chicken, curry chicken with dried cherries, shrimp ceviche, cole slaw, among others.
They call them Something Special Sandwiches. These are the sandwiches that Hamel’s is well known for and at the top of the list is the Lobby. This is a lobster roll sandwich with plenty of lobster salad on a fresh baked Milano roll with lettuce. Hands down, it is the favorite. Others are a shrimp salad sandwich, Anthony’s Favorite which has Citterio Prosciutto on a Milano roll with homemade pesto basic dressing, mozzarella cheese, lettuce and tomato. Then, the South Philly is a roasted pork, provolone cheese, and roasted peppers on a fresh baked Milano roll.
If you do not want to cook or have some of those unexpected guests coming for dinner, please give them a call. Their steaks, seafood, ribs, burgers, hot dogs, and chicken are grill perfect.
A sample of their prepared foods would be lasagna, mac & cheese, sausage and peppers, meatball sausage and peppers and so much more. Stop by and get a take-out menu.
You have to meet Chad. He is passionate about his cooking and has lots of plans for Hamel’s.
Chad is planning to have, on selected Saturdays, a few demonstrations. Hamel’s is not large enough to hold classes but something like a knife skills demo will be doable. Music? Chad is planning that, as well.
Chopping or mincing? Learning the basics? Knife skills are one of the most important parts if you enjoy the culinary arts. There is more to it than just cutting.
I decided to buy some pesto, which by the way tasted delicious.
And, beer cheese which was like a triple threat with three cheeses; a nice kick to get you taste buds going and very spreadable.
Then on my salad I put the cherry balsamic vinaigrette, which Chad also made. My son made the salad of fresh tomatoes from Freemans, mozzarella from Giant and fresh basil from my garden. The drizzle of this vinaigrette was delicious; the sweetness complementing the rest of the flavors in those fresh vegetables.
I notice the potato chips; locally made, as well. They were called Cape Seasonings. Website? www.capeseasonings.com.
The Mini Smith Island Cakes are there to tempt you. Cupcakes, also made by them are available, as well.
And like that wasn’t enough, there is also gelato from Gelato Gal. I wrote a post on Gelato Gal on 8/11/10. If you want to see it just click on the month of August of 2010 and scroll down to the date.
Hamel’s looks so inviting. The produce is perfect. If you want you can linger with some coffee or a soft drink; sit outside because there are a few tables available.
At times the most fabulous dinner can take no time to prepare….check them out…talk to you later…
August 11th, 2010
This is how the word of mouth started. First Cindi called me from West Ocean City to let me know that someone that came to do work at her house had a client who had a daughter. This daughter went to Italy to learn the whole process of gelato making. She opened Gelato Gal in Rehoboth Beach and the other people she had told to had gone 3 times in one week.
Of course I had to check it out. Just like when I was told about Annie’s Banannies also in Rehoboth. I really do love ice cream, but try not to eat it too much. You know how it is.
Anyway, gelato is not ice cream; it is a European style ice cream that has very little air whipped into it. It is made from a lower butterfat cream than almost all super premium ice creams.
Gelato Gal is located on 20200 Costal Highway. Telephone 302-227-1001. Check out the website www.gelatogal.com because you will find out the “gelato’s story”. Also in order to get your “Six-Pack” of free tastings you need to follow directions. Gelato Gal is serving gelato, coffees, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, chai lattes and hot chocolate 7 days a week from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Plenty of parking available.
I met Gelato Gal. Her name is Amanda Randall. After tasting gelatos in different cities she decided to perfect the process. She learned from the best in Italy and just opened in June, here in Rehoboth Beach.
Well, how lucky I was that day. It was so hot that I welcomed the 11 tastings I got. Yes, can you believe? Heaven on a spoon, just like Amanda advertises.
Amanda experiments with different flavors. At this time of the year fresh fruit gelato is fantastic. Of those 11 I really liked the After 5 Gelato. This particular one had whiskey in it. I did not know how I would like it but I certainly did a lot. The Chocolate Hazelnut was delicious, as well. The Smith Island Cake Gelato was excellent and by the way, Smith Island Cakes are sold at Gelato Gal.
If you like chocolate the plain chocolate was very good. The pineapple was perfect on that steamy day.
In her freezer you will find gelato pops, as well as gelato cakes; perfect for those unexpected guests this summer.
I decided to buy 3 of them and just have my own tasting at home. Chocolate, Pineapple and Blueberry were my choices. Of those 3 I liked the pineapple the best, but the chocolate was a good second and then the blueberry.
I am so glad I went because it is great to see new places opening up in our area. I wish Amanda the best and I will definitely be back. Good luck!!
Talk to you later…
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