Long & Foster Real Estate recently welcomed Mike Holoka as a sales associate in its Bethany office at 33298 S. Coastal Highway.

“We are excited to announce Mike Holoka has joined our team of highly trained professionals,” said Gary Scott, president of Long & Foster Real Estate. “As the No. 1 brokerage in the Mid-Atlantic region, we operate with an agent-first mentality. We look forward to the energetic partnership Mike has created by deciding to join the industry-leading Bethany office and our company.”

Holoka, a professional in the real estate industry for the past 19 years, was a top lister/seller with another local firm, where he earned the Chairman’s Circle Award for nine consecutive years.

“Long & Foster continues to lead the way with cutting-edge tools and technology, which attracts top real estate professionals such as Mike,” explained Dottie Wells, manager of Long & Foster’s Bethany office. “With the best-trained, best-equipped agents, Long & Foster continues to help coastal area buyers and sellers reach their homeownership goals.”

For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.

The Dayna Feher Real Estate Team of ResortQuest Real Estate recently received recognition as the company’s overall Top Producing Team for 2015 and was ranked No. 1 in sales for the year, with more than $20 million in sales.

The team also received the top award for the volume of listings sold in 2015. The members of the team are Dayna Feher, Jeff Wolfenbarger, Kae Quillen, Tammy Hitchens and Tammy Mushrush.

Feher was also given the top award for individual volume of listings sold, as well as being named an individual top producer for ResortQuest for 2015, and Quillen and Mushrush received individual top producer awards.

These awards are a direct reflection of the team’s commitment to an exceptional level of service as testimonials from their clients show. “Many of our clients are repeat clients – they are our clients for life.”

“We are honored to be recognized as the Top Real Estate Team for ResortQuest,” said Feher. “We would like to thank our many loyal clients. We pride ourselves in providing world-class customer service for our clients and are always striving to improve their experience.”

“With extensive local knowledge and strong marketing and negotiation skills, the members of the Dayna Feher Team are top agents who have won numerous awards for performance in sales and listings and their customer service feedback is exemplary,” representatives noted.

The members of the Dayna Feher Team can be reached at (302) 539-8600 or at info@BeachHomesDE.com. The ResortQuest office is located at 33012 Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach.

“I would like to congratulate the Dayna Feher Team on their accomplishment for being named the Top Team in 2015 for ResortQuest. Every member of the Dayna Feher team exudes professionalism. It is an honor to work with each of them,” said Brigit Taylor, Broker for ResortQuest’s Bethany Beach office.

Small-to-medium sized businesses face a challenge: how to generate more revenue while still keeping costs as low as possible. But, according to Postmaster Mike Behringer of the Ocean View post office, with Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) from the Postal Service, small businesses can send direct mail advertising pieces to specific neighborhoods without the costs of renting mailing lists or printing specific addresses on each mail piece.

Local area businesses can learn more about Every Door Direct Mail and how to save on mailing costs, at a special free Grow Your Business Day, to be held on Tuesday, May 3, at the post office 35764 Atlantic Avenue, Ocean View, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to information on services from the post office and a local printer on hand to assist with designing mail pieces, Hocker’s BBQ truck will be serving in the parking lot and the Millville Volunteer Fire Company will have their antique fire truck and ambulance on display.

Behringer said Every Door Direct Mail with Simplified Address Format allows mailers to create saturation mail without the need to apply specific names and addresses to mail pieces. (Saturation mail is mail that is delivered to every address within a geographic area.)

Examples of Simplified Addressing are: “Postal Customer,” “Residential Customer” or “P.O. Boxholder,” in lieu of a customer name and street address. Use of Simplified Addressing gives businesses the opportunity to use the mail in a simple, but effective, way to promote their business, he said.

Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: Atlantic Shoals Surf Shop owner Fletcher Birch, right-center, stands out front of the shop’s Bethany Beach location with Fenwick manager Erin Rickards, left-center, manager Jon Harrell, right, and Will Ashmore, left.The story of Atlantic Shoals Surf Shop is much like that of its owner, Fletcher Birch.

Like Birch, the shop was born on Chincoteague Island, Va., soon after that making the trek north to the Ocean City, Md., and Delaware beach area, on the search for contests and sustainable surf culture.

After a storied competitive career, that search settled down in 2010, when Birch launched Atlantic Shoals in Fenwick Island with business partner Mark Keisewetter, just one year after the doors to the Chincoteague shop opened in 2009.

Now, in 2016, he’s bringing his signature blend of style, surf community and friendly service north once again — this time setting up shop in Bethany Beach.

“The vibe’s gonna be the same. I’m still gonna be doing all the A-to-Z stuff so, it’s really gonna have the same feel,” Birch said. “We’re just looking to bring that shop and that vibe to a new town.”

The new shop carries the usual crowd-pleasers, including Dark Seas and Captain Fin Co. apparel, Sanuk and Olukai footwear, Electric and Von Zipper eyewear, and all of the latest swimwear and women’s fashions. But with the added space, they’ve also added one of the largest local skate selections, as well as a few products off the beaten surf-shop path.

“I don’t want it to be exclusive to anybody,” Birch explained. “I want it to be open to everyone.”

Also featured is plenty of Atlantic Shoals gear, from tees and tanks to hats and hoodies, all with original artwork by Kurt McBride and branded with “Bethany Beach, DE.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a surf shop without the boards. Shapes from Bing, Pyzel, Sharp Eye, and Lost, bodyboards from Toobs, BZ and Congo, and skimboards from Exile and Zap are just a few of the labels the Bethany shop has to offer.

And whether a customer is looking to ride their first wave, or on the WCT, the crew at Atlantic Shoals has got them covered. Not only does Birch himself have more than 30 years of experience surfing local breaks, getting his start in contests at the age of 10 and eventually riding for the Malibu’s team in Ocean City, but now, with his own shop, his own crew is full of experienced watermen and -women, too.

“We’re surf-driven,” Birch said, noting lifelong surfers including manager Jon Harrell. “My dad started surfing Assateague in the late ’50s. It’s just been a family thing forever. You could be the best surfer in town or the guy who’s bringing his 10-year-old son in for his first surfboard and I could tell you exactly what you’re gonna need to ride.”

According to Birch, more important than crew’s knowledge is their commitment to bring back an old-school surf-shop atmosphere.

“I think a lot of that’s been lost,” he explained. “The whole other thing is customer loyalty. The customer service in our shops is amazing. I don’t think it’s rivaled — I really don’t. And I think people do know that. They feel like they’re part of a surf shop.”

“We call it our Atlantic Shoals family,” added Fenwick manager Erin Rickards. “We want everyone to feel like they’re home here. We actually talk to people, we want to know about them and their families — that’s different. It’s unique from other experiences that I’ve personally had from other shops.”

That Atlantic Shoals family doesn’t only want to get know the community — like they’ve been able to do in Fenwick, they want to become a part of it, too.

Events such as surf-movie night, local art night and “Brooks Fest,” along with fundraising and donating to local charities have long been staples at the Fenwick shop.

Along with Dave and Tom Bracht of RELYance Skim Camp, Atlantic Shoals also hosts a weekly summer skim session at the state line, where local kids can hang with pros.

“We both share that same passion for helping people and giving back,” said pro-skimmer Dave Bracht of the partnership. “One of the best things that ever happened to us was meeting everyone involved with the shop and partnering with them.”

Bracht recalled a day where he was in the shop and a customer was asking about a pair of Atlantic Shoals sweatpants she wanted to purchase for her mother, who was going through chemotherapy. She thought that the soft material might make her feel better.

“While still talking to her, Fletcher walked over to the rack and picked out a matching sweatshirt and T-shirt and said, ‘I want you to take this and give this to your mom and tell her to feel better.’ She kept wanting to pay him, but he refused to take anything.

“After she left, I started talking to Fletcher about that, and he said, ‘There’s more to life than making money.’ That’s how Atlantic Shoals operates and that’s how we run RELYance.”

The Bracht brothers will join Atlantic Shoals shop employees and team riders for both the Fenwick and Bethany skim sessions this summer, along with plenty of other Atlantic Shoals-sponsored events.

The details and dates and times have yet to be ironed out, but the events will continue to be free and open to the public.

After growing up on Chincoteague and not having anything like that as a kid himself, let alone a surf shop, Birch said he is just happy to be able to offer free events for the community now, and to make the people of Fenwick and Bethany feel like they’re part of a surf shop again.

“I didn’t grow up with any of that, so we wanna do as much of that stuff as we can for kids,” he said, noting that now his own son, Braxton, can grow up on events like skim night. “I would have been pumped to have something like that.

“That’s what surf shops are all about — surf shops are a family-driven business, just like anything else on Delmarva.”

The Bethany shop is open seven days a week and located at 113 Garfield Parkway in downtown Bethany Beach. For more information, check out www.surfatlanticshoals.com.

Meghan Kelly has joined the Law Office of McDonnell & Associates P.A. and recently celebrated with a ribbon-cutting with the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce. Located in the Bennett Realty building, she will focus her practice on real estate settlements, as managing attorney for the Delaware office.

Kelly is the daughter of Pat Kelly, former Indian River High School civics teacher, life guard and basketball coach, and Mary Batten Kelly, a pharmacist. She grew up in Sussex County and is a graduate of Indian River High School and the University of Delaware, and received her juris doctorate from Duquesne School of Law.

While in law school, Kelly interned with the Hon. Thomas M. Hardiman at the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. After finishing law school and passing the Pennsylvania and Delaware bar exams, she gained expertise working for several firms in Delaware.

Kelly has experience representing clients in hearings and mediations, as well as in corporate law, bankruptcy, personal injury, wills and estates and general litigation. Kelly’s McDonnell & Associates office is located at 34026 Coastal Highway in Bethany Beach. For more information, visit the website at www.mcdonnelllawfirm.com or call (302) 362-6551.

Coastal Point • Kerin Magill: Tyler Hundley poses with his new powerwashing setup in front of DQ in Millsboro. Hundley is the president of Looks New Powerwashing.It might seem like a long way from pursuing a music career in Nashville, but Tyler Hundley hopes his Millsboro power-washing business will be music to his customers’ ears.

Hundley, 26, is the president of Looks New Powerwashing and the proud owner of a new rig for the business, which he says is state-of-the-art and “the Ferrari of power-washers.”

A 2008 graduate of Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown, Hundley headed to Nashville, a young man with a dream of making it in the music business. While that didn’t pan out the way he had planned, a friendship with a fellow musician led to a business relationship with that same friend, in power-washing. He spent about four years learning the trade alongside his friend, soaking up the tricks of the trade and realizing that it was something he enjoyed — and that he was good at it.

Hundley said he sees power-washing as a “renovation business,” because it can bring a home or business “back to what it looked like when it was new.” Through a proprietary cleaning mixture and the use of very hot water, Hundley said, he can give property owners new leverage in marketing their home or their business.

“It puts the power back in the owner’s hands,” he explained, by giving the property its best face, which can turn the tables for the owner, from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market. Hundley referred to a freshly power-washed property as having “that visual diamond look,” because it sparkles like it did when it was new.

With the equipment Hundley uses, that brand-new look doesn’t disappear after a few weeks. In fact, he guarantees his work for a full year.

Looks New Powerwashing serves both homeowners and businesses. Hundley said a clean business makes a much better impression on a customer, no matter the product or service offered by that business.

“When you’re a customer, it makes a difference in how you enjoy your service there and how you spend your money,” when the business is obviously well-maintained, he said.

While in Tennessee, Hundley learned the business by cleaning some large venues, including a college stadium that seats 40,000 people and has about 4 million feet of concrete. Because businesses need to be cleaned when there are no customers or workers, he became accustomed to working whenever the business wasn’t occupied — even if that was in the middle of the night.

“We work around the customer’s schedule,” he said.

Though he is young, Hundley has a mature outlook on what it takes to be successful.

“You have to do the best job possible,” he said, adding that it’s his goal with Looks New Powerwashing to run “a healthy business, a vibrant business. There’s a right way to do everything,” he said.

Although he has only been in business in Millsboro for four months, Hundley has already begun to clean up his hometown, one patch of concrete and one brick at a time. He recently signed contracts with the Millsboro Dairy Queen and the Millsboro Post Office for cleaning services.

One of the unique challenges at the DQ: Gum — decade-old gum. According to Hundley, the petrified, blackened gunk was no match for his equipment.

One of his most effective tools, he said, is the cleaning solution itself — which he called a “proprietary mix” of chemicals that is eco-friendly and “safe enough that you could wash your hands with it.” The “elixir,” as he called it, is “great for cleaning, killing mold and lifting algae.”

Both Tyler Hundley and his mother and business consultant, Diana Hundley, see a definite link between Tyler’s artistic pursuits as a drummer and his newest venture.

“This is an art,” Diana Hundley said. “He creates a whole different finished product. … He’s passionate. He puts his whole heart into what he does.”

As for Tyler Hundley, he said he hopes to “give back” to his hometown. Sprucing up the outside of a place, he said, “makes people have a pride about where they live.”

“I hope and pray our efforts will be well received,” he said.

For more information on services offered by Looks New Powerwashing, call Tyler Hundley at (302) 569-0172 or (302) 430-6516.

Beebe Healthcare recently congratulated its Nursing Excellence Award recipients and recognized May 6-12 as National Nurses Week.

“Beebe Healthcare is proud to celebrate the role our nurses play in delivering the highest level of quality and patient experience for patients,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, president and CEO, Beebe Healthcare.

“All of us at Beebe recognize the essential role our nurses play in our care delivery system. They are at the bedside 24 hours a day, caring for patients in their homes, working in the physician offices and other ambulatory settings, and engaging individuals through our population health efforts to help them eliminate obstacles that prevent them from becoming more involved and responsible for their own health.

“We couldn’t do what we do each day, caring for our community, without our nurses,” he added. “Our nurses take great pride in what they do to make Beebe Healthcare the outstanding healthcare system it is today.”

The Nurses Celebrating Nurses Committee presented the Nursing Excellence Awards on Tuesday, May 10, at Sussex Pines Country Club in Georgetown. The guest speaker was Dr. Joseph DeRanieri, executive director of orthopaedic services at Beebe Healthcare.

DeRanieri has more than 17 years of experience as a university professor and more than 25 years of experience in healthcare finance and administration, in addition to extensive clinical experience. He is considered an industry expert in nursing, health care administration, finance and quality management. During his presentation, he shared images of nurses he met while in Egypt, India and Cambodia.

“Nurses have a profound impact on not only their patients, but also those around them. No matter the conditions, nurses are ready to help,” said DeRanieri.

Award recipients were chosen from 31 nominations submitted earlier this year. Each application went through a blind scoring process, with the final recipient being chosen based on the scoring.

The 2016 Beebe Nursing Excellence Award recipients were: Tara Cooper, BSN, recipient of the Bonnie Austin Nursing Leadership Award; Pam Woods, RN, ACNS-BC, CEN, recipient of the Constance Bushey Nursing Scholarship Award; Lara Kwetkauskie, RN, BSN, CEN, TCRN, recipient of the Eleanor Cordrey Nursing Excellence Award; Charlene Madanat, CRNP, FNP- BC, MSN, recipient of the Holly Rader Advanced Practice Nursing Excellence Award; Dareth Penuel, RN, GRN, CNIV, recipient of the Professional Mentor Nursing Award; and Brooke Talbot, RN, recipient of the Graduate Nurse Award.

• The Bonnie Austin Nursing Leadership Award recognizes nurses who serve as a resource for peers, clinical team members, students and family members, who foster collaboration and encourage others to learn and develop professionally.

According to Beebe, this year’s recipient, Tara Cooper, engages team members to work together by sharing new ideas and ways to improve processes. She was nominated by four nurses, who said her work ethic not only increases productivity, but also improves patient and employee satisfaction.

• The Eleanor Cordrey Nursing Excellence Award recognizes nurses who exhibit excellent clinical and critical thinking skills, who show a strong commitment to the nursing profession and applies patient-family-centered care while utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach.

Beebe representatives said this year’s recipient, Lara Kwetkauskie, shows proficiency with nursing skills and is dedicated to being in the right place at the right time. She was nominated by Julia Bayne, MSN, RN, who said Kwetkauskie is a trusted mentor and unsung hero of her department.

• The Constance Bushey Nursing Scholarship Award recognizes nurses who demonstrate a commitment to the nursing profession and lifelong learning, who promote a nurturing and supportive learning environment for other nurses, team members and students.

This year’s recipient, Pam Woods, clinical educator in Beebe’s Emergency Department, helped create a new review course for a trauma nurse certification. Nominator Jen Hargreaves, RN, said she also encouraged several of Beebe’s nurses to complete the certification, which they did successfully earlier this year.

• The Holly Rader Advanced Practice Nursing Excellence Award recognizes nurses or nurse practitioners who exhibit excellent clinical skills in the holistic, patient-centered care of patients, who encourage others to strive for excellent outcomes and serves as a constant patient advocate.

According to Beebe, this year’s recipient, Charlene Madanat, possesses the ability to think critically in a time-sensitive environment, exercise professional and clinical judgment in every situation, and keeps the patient and family at the center of each decision. Her nominator, Casey Walsh, NP, said Madanat recognizes the importance of professional collaboration, and provides continuous encouragement to other nursing professionals to pursue higher education to provide the best care to patients and families.

• The Professional Mentor Nursing Award recognizes a nurse that serves as a role model for the nursing profession, who participates in the community, embraces the Beebe Healthcare values, and demonstrates dedication to the profession and organization.

Beebe representatives said this year’s recipient, Dareth Penuel, sets the example of what a professional nurse should be by exhibiting not only excellent clinical skills and critical thinking, but by setting a positive tone for the clinical setting. Nominator Margaret Porter, RN, nurse manager, said Dareth is a wonderful team member who is always approachable, positive, kind, friendly, caring and helpful to others, and that Dareth is respected by all: patients, peers, work team and medical colleagues.

• New this year, the Graduate Nurse Award recognizes a nurse who has recently passed the NCLEX exam and is employed in the nursing field, who exhibits exceptional clinical skills and leadership qualities, and is an advocate for patients and the nursing profession.

This year’s recipient, Brooke Talbot, came to Beebe after completing her degree and is following in the footsteps of her grandmother, who also worked at Beebe. Nominator Nicole Santarelli said that, during Talbot’s residency program, she presented an evidence-based project on improving medication education for patients.

“Her project was such an inspiration, that she was asked by the Hospital Board to make the project happen, and come back to present. For a new graduate to suggest this project, and follow through with it is quite an accomplishment, and the program is currently being used at Beebe.”

Mystery solved!

Speculation has run rampant over what would happen with the Harris Teeter building near Salt Pond since that company announced they were closing their doors there in February 2015.

Hocker’s has reached an agreement to purchase the property. Gerry Hocker told the Coastal Point the family is most focused on getting their existing stores through the summer season right now, and that nothing is imminent for the new property. He did suggest that expanding the hardware store into the G&E Supermarket near Ocean View could be one possible result of the acquisition.

Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: Pictured, from left: Peter, Rebecca and Richard Mais are ready for the 30th year of serving South Bethany at McCabe’s Gourmet Market.The year is 1985. A young Rebecca Mais has just found out that she didn’t get the job after interviewing for a position at the University of Maryland. The next day, she’ll find out that she’s pregnant.

Mais and her husband, Richard, had already left their posts at the University of South Carolina and were set to relocate in Washington D.C. They were ready for something new. But little did they know then that they’d get more than they’d bargained for when things turned 1986.

Not only was that the year that their first-son, Brandt, was born, in January, but that spring, so was McCabe’s Gourmet Market.

“Rebecca and I laugh — Brandt was born in January, we built an ocean front townhouse that we moved into April 1st, we both left our jobs and then we started the business,” said Richard Mais. “Ten years later, we read a list of the Top 10 reasons people get a divorce, and we had done like seven of them in one year.”

Three decades, another son and a whole lot of chicken salad later, not only are the Maises still going strong, but so is their business.

In fact, on Friday, June 3, McCabe’s will celebrate its 30th anniversary, featuring 30-cent coffee and cookies, 30 percent off 1986 favorites including Turkey Tarragon and Honeycup Mustard, free gifts for every 30th customer, giveaways, gift cards and more.

But while the day is meant to honor customers, former employees and the community that’s made McCabe’s a Bethany-area tradition for so many years, starting out wasn’t exactly a day at the beach for the young couple when they risked their steady paychecks to move back to what was Rebecca’s childhood summer hometown of Fenwick Island.

Rebecca Mais was certainly familiar with Fenwick, with her family tree tracing all the way back to John McCabe — one of the area’s original settlers. Hailing from Kansas City, Mo., however, her husband was used to life in a bigger city.

“I was worried about Richard when we moved here,” admitted Rebecca Mais with a laugh. “I grew up summers in Fenwick — come Labor Day, you locked the doors and you left. Even my grandparents would move back to Roxana.”

Despite his wife’s worries, Richard Mais embraced life in a small town and getting to know what seemed like everyone in it. But getting specialty products delivered to South Bethany back in those days was a different story.

It ain’t easy bein’ cheesey

Modeling McCabe’s after their favorite shop in Columbia, S.C., the Maises set out to fill a much-needed niche and offer some off-the-wall epicurean items, such as pâté, imported cheeses, gourmet coffee and fresh baked goods — eventually going on to include their now-famous sandwiches.

But in order to get the goods, they’d have to get creative.

“It was a struggle, really, to get minor things here,” Rebecca Mais recalled. “We had cheese flown into Salisbury from New York.

“Then we had my dad’s old Toyota truck that was still running — it had a cab on the back and it was burgundy, so we painted ‘McCabe’s’ on it, and my stepdad would ride over there and pick it up.”

“Lower Slower Delaware is still Lower Slower, but in ’86 it was really, really Lower Slower,” added Richard Mais, recalling that most distributors’ closest delivery point at the time had been Wilmington. “A lot of the time, we didn’t have any way to get products.”

While there were, of course, plenty of misadventures on the way to becoming the gourmand guru’s that they are today — including the time that their cheese order accidentally landed in Indianapolis and left the store party platter-less one summer weekend — the newly incorporated newlyweds continued to more or less “MacGyver” ways of making things work.

Much of their early success they attribute to Kurt and Rolph Sexauer of Roger Sexauer & Sons — a pair of brothers in the food distribution business who had recently set up shop in Selbyville.

“We were fortunate, because they had just built their warehouse in Selbyville about the time we opened,” said Richard Mais. “Prior to that, they would drive a tractor-trailer to New York or New Jersey, and then they’d bring food back and sell it right off the truck.”

“We couldn’t have started the store without them,” Rebecca Mais said. “Kurt was always working with us — they’d pull right up and I’d say, ‘OK, I need 10 turkeys!’”

At the time, the only grocery stores around were Hocker’s and a Food Lion in Ocean City, Md., which, in hindsight, didn’t much matter anyway, considering that the alcove operation was building its business model on offering the products not typically offered by the average grocer.

Things did get easier, as the area developed and the store moved from its original York Beach Mall location to the end unit next door in 1996. But even as more vendors entered the area, the Mais’ stayed loyal to Sexhauer & Sons and still are to this day.

Growing up gourmet

While the Sexhauer brothers certainly played a role in the early beginnings, so did the family members, friends and employees who helped watch over the Mais brothers while their mom and dad were at work.

Brandt was, of course, born the same year as the shop, and his younger brother, Peter, some five years later.

They’d eventually go on to learn top-secret chicken salad recipes and develop a justifiable dread for dishwashing, but, back then, it took a team to juggle running both a budding business and hectic young household.

“In the summer, we took them up to my mom and stepdad’s, and they’d stay there,” Rebecca Mais recalled. “They did lots of babysitting for us.”

“When they would go Boogie Boarding, she would freak when they went out past the wave break, so it wasn’t much fun going to Grandma’s,” Richard Mais added with a laugh. “It was nice for me personally, because we’d split the day. Rebecca was home with the kids in the morning, and I had them home in the afternoon, so I spent a lot more time with my kids than I think a lot of dads get to.”

Even some of the McCabe’s employees would ditch their aprons to sign up for a babysitting shift every now and again, so that Brandt and Peter could swim out past the breakers without getting scolded, and give Grandma the day off.

Since the shop stays open for the majority of the off-season, during the school year, the bus would simply drop them off at the store, where they’d have a snack and start their homework before Brandt sorted the recycling and Peter tried to duck doing the dishes.

“Peter was helping me one day and he goes, ‘I like helping you, Dad — you do all the easy work,’” Richard Mais joked. “He lucked out. He had a buddy that lived across the street, so he often was able to go over there and hang out.”

When they were old enough, they started helping keep shop themselves, and the Maises would hire the boys’ friends from school and River Soccer Club — which Rebecca also runs, as the club’s president.

“Matt Poly in high school — he was one of Brandt’s friends — he would give out his number to cute girls while he was working the cash register,” Richard Mais recalled. “I’d count the register at the end of the day, and it’d be over because of a phone number.”

Both brothers are now grown, with Brandt teaching and coaching soccer at Indian River High School and River Soccer Club, and Peter at Salisbury University.

But just because they were direct descendants of the owners doesn’t mean that they were the only McCabe’s employees who got treated like family.

‘The Bagel Bunch’

One of those now-former employees, is Shari Burke — who, after making the move from Philadelphia, found a job right away when she stopped at McCabe’s back in 1992.

After meeting Richard and Rebecca and hitting it off, Burke joined the McCabe’s crew at the old shop and even managed the new location back in 1996.

“It was just like a big family — it was so fun to go to work,” Burke said. “We had a blast — we hung out, after work we would all go out — I still keep in touch with the people that I worked with there.”

From local kids looking for a summer job to former corporate kingpins and government officials not quite ready to retire, the extended McCabe’s family is a tough demographic to slap a label on. But as Burke described, they all do have one thing in common.

“We close for two months in the winter, and the staff hates it. They’d rather be here. It’s always been that way,” Richard Mais said. “Some of our best customers are now former employees. Initially, a lot of our summer workers were kids whose families had houses in the area. As they’ve grown older, they had families of their own, so they’re still coming back.”

In 2011, McCabe’s’ hired its first international employee, which they’ve continued to do ever since — offering up one of their rental properties in Fenwick to travelers from around the globe and even lending them out a car so that they can get to work.

Just like any of their other employees, the Maises, of course, grew close with their new foreign friends, even taking some off-season trips to Croatia and beyond for weddings, special events, or simply just to visit.

“They bring so much to the store — not only for our staff, but for our customers,” Rebecca Mais said, noting that they recently hired their now-50th foreign student for the summer. “More than anything is the relationship. We love to travel and travel a lot, but it’s always fun when it’s about people.”

Let the Gouda times roll

While there’ll be plenty of stories about the good ol’ days when the store hosts its 30th anniversary celebration next Friday, McCabe’s is, at the same time, ready for the next 30 years in business, catering to the customers who have made it all possible.

“Being a part of the community is very motivating to us,” said Rebecca Mais. “We really have loyal, wonderful customers. They’ve grown up with us.

“They’ve listened to us yak about our boys and what they’re doing, and we talk about their grandchildren and children. This is such a great place to raise a family.”

The community, feels the same way.

“Richard and Rebecca are just the best people in the world to work for,” said Burke. “They’re just so personable. They make friends with everyone. I think that’s a big reason why everyone comes back — everybody just loves them.”

McCabe’s 30th anniversary celebration is an all-day event being held on Friday, June 3, starting at 7 a.m. Past employees, longtime customers and new customers are all being encouraged to attend. The store is located at 34444 Coastal Highway, in York Beach Mall in South Bethany. For more on McCabe’s, visit www.mccabesgourmet.com or call (302) 539-8550.

Delmarva Power is aiming to make it easier for customers to install solar panels on their rooftops and connect them to the electric distribution system. One recent change will allow customers who are interested in installing solar panels to bypass the paper process and instead complete an online application. The other change allows an authorized contractor who is selling, leasing or installing the solar panels to quickly get customer information they need to enable installation.
“This quicker and easier access to solar power is another benefit of our company’s recent merger with Exelon,” said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power region president. “We’re responding to customer feedback and helping support the growth of solar power in Delaware and Maryland.”
As part of the merger, Exelon agreed to a number of commitments to foster the development of solar power in Delaware and Maryland.
Any customer who wants to generate power using solar panels needs a new “smart meter” so that the excess electricity generated by solar power systems can be transferred back to the electric grid, allowing the customer to receive credits on their Delmarva Power bills. With the creation of the new online application portal for solar customers, the process is expected to become even easier, according to Stockbridge. Contractors and self-install customers can access the portal online at www.delmarva.com/gpc.
Under current law, every solar contractor is required to know how much electricity a customer has used in the past before they can install solar panels, to ensure the panels can be correctly sized to match those customers’ needs.
In the past, gathering and providing the customer’s historical usage information to the contractor was a manual process, but the new online system has a secure, automated form that is designed to be quick and easy to use.
As of March 30, more than 9,000 customers in the Delmarva Power region use net meters on their homes. That compares to approximately 6,700 a year ago. Delaware and Maryland are among the fastest growing states for solar generation, Stockbridge noted.

Several “Culinary Coast” restaurants received nods in National Geographic’s recently released, “Great American Eating Experiences: Local Specialties, Favorite Restaurants, Food Festivals, Diners, Roadside Stands and More.”

The 288-page culinary travel planner highlights the best regional eating experiences — both tried-and-true and unexpected — and invites readers to “follow the locals to their favorite foods throughout the United States, state by state” to discover the country’s most authentic food experiences.

The book’s Delaware entry pays tribute to iconic Southern Delaware dishes and restaurants, including many favorite local places and tastes, including boardwalk fries, pretzel salad, oysters, chicken-and-dumplings (along with a brief history of the poultry industry in Sussex County) and others.

Restaurants featured in its pages include Henlopen City Oyster House, Jimmy’s Grille, Po’ Boys Creole & Fresh Catch, Northeast Seafood Kitchen, Thrashers French Fries, DB’s Fries, Georgia House, Kohr Brothers and Dickey’s Frozen Custard.

Scott Thomas, executive director of Southern Delaware Tourism, said, “Even as Southern Delaware’s Culinary Coast continues to expand in offerings and renown, rivaling big-city culinary scenes, it’s great to see the area’s culinary traditions being honored not only by local restauranteurs but by esteemed national publications as well.”

Special to the Coastal Point • Christina Weaver: Kim and Justin Cavagnaro recently announced the opening of Ocean Vayu Yoga at 29P Atlantic Avenue in Ocean View.Kim and Justin Cavagnaro recently announced the opening of Ocean Vayu Yoga at 29P Atlantic Avenue in Ocean View, opposite the UPS Store and Northeast Seafood Kitchen. The community is being invited to the opening party and ribbon-cutting on Friday, June 17, at 4 p.m. Classes start Saturday, June 18.

The Cavagnaro name might be familiar to Coastal Point readers, because they have both been active members of the local art community since moving to the area in 2002. And, from 2006 until last year, Kim Cavagnaro was the owner of The Artful Bean, located near the post office in Bethany Beach.

“I was working at Japanesque when the space became available, and I thought it would be an incredible place for Justin and me to display and sell artwork, while we sold a few cups of coffee on the side. But, as time progressed, the coffee and food section of the business really took on a life of its own,” said Cavagnaro.

The couple met at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where Kim focused on ceramics and Justin on glass-blowing. Without attending regular classes, they both practiced yoga informally at home. After graduating, a friend invited them to this area, and they fell in love with the scenery and people they met.

As work life at the Artful Bean became more intense, and the business became more successful, they were drawn back to yoga.

“The more we got into it, our lives turned 180 degrees, and we realized that we wanted yoga and our art to be central in our lives. We started by watching DVDs and then going to classes at Involution Yoga in Lewes,” said Cavagnaro.

While, initially, it was the physicality of yoga that attracted Justin Cavagnaro — especially a type of yoga called Ashtanga — shortly after beginning to practice regularly, yoga’s true benefits became clear.

“When I’m working with glass, I tend to go through the same movements over and over for long periods of time. It’s easy to get stiff and, as a result, I’ve always enjoyed stretching,” he said. “Ashtanga yoga has allowed me to slowly strengthen my body and make it more flexible, through various postures that are healing from the inside out. I’ve learned to concentrate on my breathing, clear my mind, stay focused and can enjoy longer days in the studio without feeling fatigued.”

As friends observed the positive changes that the couple experienced through yoga, they asked them to share what they were doing. At that point, Kim and Justin decided to become trained themselves as yoga teachers, and transition their business venture from a welcoming, art-filled, bustling coffee shop to a welcoming studio of calm, mindfulness, strength, healing and art.

“We are fortunate to have found amazing teachers,” said Kim Cavagnaro. “They are amongst the first generation of Americans who studied directly under Indian masters. They are true to the essence of the practice and follow what has been taught for millennia.”

Both are now certified in many aspects of yoga and Reiki, which will appeal to students of all ages and all levels of experience and wellness. Other instructors will also teach at Ocean Vayu, and they plan to have classes in meditation, tai chi and prenatal yoga as well.

Karen and David Jayne were among Kim and Justin’s first formal students. They are owners of Jayne’s Reliable in Dagsboro, a business that requires the strenuous work of lifting, painting, moving and hauling heavy antique furniture and quirky objets d’art.

“We had never thought about yoga before we had to evacuate during Hurricane Sandy. Kim and Justin let us stay with them, and we watched them practice,” recalled Karen Jayne. “When David lay down on a mat on the floor the first time, we all realized that his body was so tight and stiff, he couldn’t lie flat with the back of his head touching the floor.

“He was strong, but he was musclebound. Being taught exactly what to do with ever-so-gentle stretches and positioning, he is now amazingly flexible and can even do backbends!”

“Even more than feeling so much better, physically, the real benefit to me is that I can lose myself in the moment,” said David Jayne. “I can let go of the stress of the whole day. By focusing on each single breath, I feel grounded in a spiritual kind of way. I would never have thought of trying yoga before, and now it’s part of my daily life.”

David Jayne’s parents are in their 80s and live in South Bethany. Gary Jayne is already participating in a “stiff-man’s yoga” class at the Tunnell Cancer Center in Rehoboth. And Barbara Jayne can’t wait for Ocean Vayu Yoga to open so she can take Kim’s chair yoga class for beginners.

“When people think of yoga, they generally think of crazy looking poses, when actually it’s a very internal practice” said Kim Cavagnaro. “Yoga has taught me to be more accepting and less judgmental. We are all just trying to find our way, to find joy and beauty in life. I’ve learned to avoid negativity and criticism.

“My yoga practice has given me the tools to get through sticky situations by always coming back to conscious breathing. This helps lower the heart rate and gets us out of being stuck in the worries of the mind and back into the strength of our body. I used to almost make myself sick with stress, and now I’m calmer, happier and more self-confident.”

The Cavagnaro’s believe passionately in the power of yoga. They are looking forward to sharing their experience, knowledge and skills with the community. As David Jayne advised, “Step out of your comfort zone, and try something new… you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

To learn more about Ocean Vayu Yoga, a description of its classes, schedule, instructors and pricing go to www.oceanvayuyoga.com or call (302) 616-2604.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter Mike and Meagan Sekscinski, with baby Addison, pick strawberries at Magee Farms on Saturday, June 4.In 1865, the Civil War was coming to an end. Motorized cars wouldn’t be common in Sussex County for nearly a century. And the Magee family legacy was just beginning, with the purchase of 38 acres in Williamsville.

Today, the family-owned Magee Farms covers 1,300 tillable acres across Selbyville, Lewes and Ocean Pines, Md.

Standing at the June 4 celebration with his wife, Ellen, two sisters, and his sons and their wives, Danny Magee thanked the community in which he’s farmed his whole life. He learned to drive a tractor the day his feet could reach the pedals, he said.

Some things haven’t changed. (“My grandfather grew strawberries. My father grew strawberries,” he said.) But technology has made a huge impact on this fifth-generation farm.

Decades ago, Danny Magee’s father was excited when the farm bought a riding cultivator, until he realized his own aging father would be the one who got to ride it. Danny’s dad still had to walk with the mules.

Today, driving equipment can cost a quarter of a million dollars, as Danny Magee had previously told Coastal Point, and his air-conditioned tractor doubles as his office. Onboard, computers can print statistics about hydration and soil quality.

“Arthur, Vernon and Fred — I don’t think they’d be able to believe how things have changed,” Ellen Magee said of the farm family’s forebears.

They still maintain their local U-pick farm stands and farmers’ market booths but have a large wholesale operation behind the scenes, even supplying local grocery stores. Besides sweet corn, zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers and watermelons, they’re the largest continuous strawberry producer in the state (at least 25 years).

The Magees even helped make the strawberry the state fruit of Delaware in 2010, invoking Selbyville’s rich history as the onetime “Strawberry Capital of the World,” starting in the 1880s.

“There’s not a much more noble business than to produce food,” said Secretary Ed Kee of the Delaware Department of Agriculture, on behalf of Gov. Jack Markell, at the June 4 anniversary event.

Since the 1800s, the Magees have preserved open space, which prevents untidy developmental sprawl, Kee noted.

“You need to think about agriculture” with every policy decision made, said Ellen Magee, who actively petitions local lawmakers to balance industry, farming and development.

State Sens. Gerald Hocker Sr. (Ocean View) and Bryan Townsend (Newark) also brought congratulations and a Senate proclamation of congratulations.

State Rep. Ron Gray joked that he remembers Chris Magee driving tractors as a boy, and doing so better than some adults drive cars.

County Councilman George Cole recalled the old watermelon stand he frequented. He called the family good farmers and county servants.

Lasting 150 years in any business is exceptional, County Councilman Rob Arlett said. “I commend your family for sticking together through it all.”

The celebration was open to the public. For the whole sunny afternoon, guests were able to shop the farm stand, pick berries, eat free strawberry shortcake and buy lunch. In the animal paddock, Charlotte Magee’s own friendly miniature horse and mini-steer charmed the visitors. Especially entranced were the young children, who will be the sixth generation of Sussex Countians nourished by Magee Farms.

Coastal Point • Tyler Valliant: Todd Hays, left center, and Pat McArdle, right center, pose with some happy customers after taking over the Fenwick Crab House.The secret Fenwick Crab House crabcake recipe is locked away in a safe at an undisclosed location.

The dish has been named “The Perfect Crab Cake” by the New York Times, voted Delaware Today’s Reader’s Choice “Best Crab Cakes” three years running and “Best Crab Cake in Delaware” by state-wide publications, among other awards.

But while that recipe hasn’t changed since 1988, only two people know just exactly how it reads.

With owners Scott and Cathy Fornwalt now ready to pass the torch, new owners Pat McArdle and Todd Hays are ready to take on protecting that secret recipe and the Fornwalt legacy at the state’s most historic crab house (est. 1962).

“The traditions of this place were incredible,” said McArdle. “We’re going to continue Scott and Cathy’s, but we also want to add to ours. We want to look out for their reputation and create our own. Our big thing is satisfy the customer, no matter what it takes.”

Even though he’s recently retired, Fornwalt will stay on to continue making his famous crabcakes, with McArdle now serving as the new face of the business.

A long-time local, McArdle got his start in hospitality working at Embers in Ocean City, Md., during college. It’s there, he said, that he realized his dream was to one day own his own restaurant, while developing an appreciation for the industry.

“When I worked at Embers, I had the most fun I ever had. Everybody that works in a restaurant becomes family,” he said. “I like people. I’m a people-person — always have been.”

When it came time to raise his six kids, however, he wanted a business where he could keep an eye on them while making a living at the same time, so he launched Golf Down Under in Fenwick Island.

Hays has been involved with projects including the Lazy Lizard in downtown Ocean City, Md., as well as brewing private-label beer for local restaurants.

With the restauranteurs’ different experience and background, they decided to team up after they were approached by the Fornwalts when the business went up for sale.

“Now this is the dream,” McArdle said. “I used to eat here all the time. I used to come over from Golf Down Under when I needed a break, and I’ve known Scott for quite a while. It was something that we had been talking about.”

“Pat’s got a great personality. He loves his business. He’s a people-person, and he’s not shy,” Hays said of the partnership. “That’s what people like at restaurants.”

While staples such as the crabcakes, award-winning baby-back ribs, fried chicken and other fan favorites aren’t going anywhere, McArdle and Hays are putting their own unique spin on the menu and the atmosphere.

They’ve already added four new steamers and a new carryout area around the back of the building for crabs to-go, amped up the Happy Hour menu and the wine selection, are now offering pitchers of beer for table-service and even brought in head chef Ted O’Donnell from Washington, D.C.

“We are very fortunate to have Chef Ted. He’s putting out just incredible dishes,” said McArdle, noting O’Donnell’s extensive seafood background from running kitchens in the D.C. area, including The Dancing Crab and Steamers in Bethesda, Md.

In addition to $2 drafts, some of the new Happy Hour choices include crabcake sliders, “Black & Bleu” filet sandwich sliders, shrimp cocktail, crab cocktail and more.

Other O’Donnell offerings on the menu include cream-of-crab soup, seafood chowder (full of scallops, shrimp, lobster and crab), crab imperial, steamed lobster (always 1.5-pounders, but call ahead for larger sizes), softshells, an array of new sandwiches and tacos, and, of course, steamers.

“Our crabs are different than the rest,” McArdle said. “Ours are bigger than the rest. You’ve got to be fair to people. We’re all about giving people the value.”

Right now, their hauls are coming in largely from local spots in Maryland, with the jumbos being delivered from Louisiana.

The word of the wide selection and commitment to customer is already starting to spread, as made evident by a pre-Memorial Day El Niño-avoiding trip to the shore by some new customers looking to find out what all the hype was about.

“We had people drive down last weekend just to have dinner, from Washington D.C.,” McArdle described of the incident that he had been particularly taken by.

“They were craving crabs, with the weather and not getting outside, and had heard that our crabs were better than any other place on the shore. So they came down and ate crabs, then drove back to D.C. That was pretty cool.”

And it’s not just the newcomers flocking to Fenwick. Even long-time customers have been impressed with the place’s new vibe, including Dr. Mark “Doc” Brown of Bethany Dental Associates.

“The staff is wonderful. They always have been. Right from Scott, the previous owner, to Pat, the new owner, I feel like home when I’m here,” said Brown.

Those with firmly instituted Fenwick Crab House traditions will be glad to know that, while there are certainly some new faces as well, that same friendly staff is still around, and, yes, the train still runs.

As for the future, the restauranteurs have big plans.

Not only will renovations get under way at the end of the season, to expand into the next building and add another 80 to 100 seats; not only have they added the separate carryout wing around back for customer convenience; they’re even opening up another carryout location in the Bayville Shopping Center on Route 54 across from Mallard Lakes, set to be ready to go in the next few weeks.

Other future plans include private label beer, rooftop and outdoor seating, and even a possible distillery in the works.

“We’re gonna put booths all down the side, and then this bar is gonna be a horseshoe. It’ll be an island bar,” Hays said of the interior renovations set to take place this winter. “We’re gonna keep mixing it up. We’re gonna have some fun here.”

No matter what the future holds, however, for McArdle, Hays and the rest of the Crab House crew, it’s still all about the people.

“It’s teamwork. It takes the Fenwick Crab House family to take care of a family coming in. That’s the way we look at it,” McArdle said. “People can eat anywhere. We want them to come here and have not just a dining experience, but a fantastic time, too.”

The Fenwick Crab House is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and is located at 100 Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island, on the bayside, just south of the Village of Fenwick and north of Viking Golf.

The restaurant does not take reservations, but large parties can call ahead to be accommodated. For carryout, call (302) 539-2500. To have crabcakes or other menu items shipped nationwide, visit www.crabcakeexpress.com.

After a winter storm wrecked a local chicken shack, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7234 members didn’t imagine they’d be able to reopen for summer, without paying a dime. But, the fundraising barbecue shack reopened on May 21, in time for the summer season.

Storms had blown down the heavy pavilion on Delaware National Guard property, just north of Bethany Beach on Coastal Highway, ruining the fire pit. But Aaron Rogers united the building industry to renovate the simple, but essential, barbecue shack.

As president of Empire Construction Group in Milton, Rogers said he felt that he had the ability — and therefore, the responsibility — to help.

“[Rogers] was driving by, and he saw that it had fallen down,” said Ken Weber, a VFW volunteer who oversees the chicken shack. “He said, ‘Look, I would like to offer our company’s services to rebuild that for you, and we’ll bear all the costs and materials and labor for doing it.’”

Originally, members had planned to just rebuild the brick barbecue pit, but realized the sales shack needed an overhaul, too. So Rogers offered the VFW a chance to expand. The pavilion now has a comfortable amount of space to move, with proper roofing ventilation, and the new shack is sturdy and modern. But it’s still simplistic enough to get the job done: cook good food, and feed the people.

“He basically said, ‘Well, you guys have done so much for the country, this is the least we can do.’ It really warms your heart when people are generous like that,” said VFW member Jerry Hardiman.

Major donors included Wyoming Millwork, Parker Block Inc. and ABC Supply Co. Rogers also thanked the Luckow Family Foundation, Coastal Container, GAF, Sussex County Councilman George Cole (R-4th), The Gutter Guys and Cummings Electric/Sean Cummings. Empire’s subcontractors also donated time or quoted discounted prices. Coastal Maytag also gave a new refrigerator. Another cash donation made the entire project come together.

“I think it turned out really well,” Rogers said. “I know the feedback that we got from them was very, very positive. All those guys are tickled because they’re not used to having somebody on their side” to volunteer so much help.

“He’s a young man who doesn’t have a background in the military, and he stepped up to rebuild it for them,” said Kathy McQuowan, who is both Rogers’ mother and vice president/jack-of-all-trades at Empire Construction.

“The thing that really shocked me was the younger veterans and the younger armed services guys don’t get involved in the veterans associations. … Those associations are all there to support [each other],” Rogers said.

Rogers marveled at the stories he heard from the older VFW veterans.

“They love to see these young men come in there and talk with them to find out what their experiences are,” McQuowan said. “They can learn a lot from these veterans of World War II and Korea…”

Rogers estimated it would have cost $30,000 to rebuild the chicken shack if he had contracted the job out regularly.

“We are truly grateful to Empire Construction and the coalition of contractors involved, because without their generosity, we may have very well may not been able to open the chicken shack this season … to be able to generate the kind of monies we previously generated,” said Weber, who wants to install a plaque of thanks.

“Last year, our chicken shack concession netted to the post $24,000,” Weber said. “Everything that’s made goes right back out to donations to worthwhile programs and services.”

For 70 years, local VFW volunteers have helped veterans and civilians near and far, as well as medical research, fire companies, school programs, social work and more.

“They do a lot of tremendous stuff,” Rogers said.

“We’re pretty proud that we’re able to give that much back. We’re grateful to the community for all the support we get from them,” Weber said, especially when people could choose so many other restaurants on a Saturday afternoon.

Time to eat!

The VFW chicken shack is open on Saturdays until Labor Day, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., or until they’re sold out.

Every single week each summer, Weber leads a cadre of about 20 other men and women who stand over the coals, flip the birds and sell lunch to hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

The oldest volunteer, every week, is a World War II veteran in his 90s.

Believed to have begun in the 1960s, the chicken shack first delighted diners in downtown Bethany, at the corner of Garfield Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue. And the recipe hasn’t changed in 50 years, although the shack moved to Delaware National Guard land around the 1980s.

“[Longtime member] Irv Hudson’s mother, Flora, gave them her recipe for her secret barbecue sauce,” Hardiman said. “It’s not a red sauce. It’s a Carolina sauce. It’s really, really delicious.”

“We have a dedicated group of ladies who make up our barbecue sauce for us. I call ’em ‘The Sauce Girls.’ They’ve been mixing the secret sauce for longer than I’ve been involved in the chicken shack,” Weber said.

“The food is outstanding,” Hardiman said. “I’m not doing this as a sales pitch. It’s delicious. It sells out [often]. People come from all over.”

Meals cost $7 for half a chicken, chips and a roll, plus $1 for a soda.

“It’s amazing the iconic status that that chicken shack holds here in Bethany,” Weber said.

People eat immediately at the picnic tables, carry their lunch to the beach or reheat the meat for dinner. Some come every weekend, and some out-of-towners time their vacation arrivals with Saturday lunchtime.

Coastal Point photo • Tyler Valliant: Bill and Linda Guckin are the proud new owners of Fin Alley in Fenwick Island, taking over the former Charlie's Bayside with a new menu and new look. There was much to do when Bill and Linda Guckin took over the restaurant space formally known as Charlie’s Bayside in Fenwick Island. There were renovations to get under way, color schemes to choose, a brand new menu to create and literal walls to come down, to optimize the space’s scenic waterfront views.

Oh, yeah — and they also had to move their collective allotment of worldly possessions and basically their entire lives from the next state over, from Philadelphia, Pa.

But after a complete redesign of both the restaurant’s atmosphere and its offerings, as well as an eagerly-endorsed one-way U-Haul rental receipt, Fin Alley finally made its debut, just in time for Memorial Day weekend of 2016.

“The one word that I kept on hearing was: ‘Excellent,’” said Linda Guckin of the opening weekend reception. “Not ‘good,’ ‘very good’ or ‘OK,’ but ‘excellent.’ There’s people that have returned three times already. That’s what we want.”

As husband-and-wife entrepreneurs, the Guckins had already embarked on no small number of successful entrepreneurial endeavors in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. But despite that success, city life had begun to take its toll.

That’s when the long-time visitors to the area’s beaches, with a vacation home in Bishopville, Md., began to find it more and more difficult to leave the beach and head back home.

“We were looking around for a business for quite a while, and then this opportunity came about,” explained Bill Guckin. “It’s a good location and great view. We thought, with a good remodel and fixing the place up — maybe improve the menu a bit — we thought people would really enjoy coming here. So we decided to jump on it.”

That was last September.

Now, after spending the winter setting up shop and making some permanent moves, the Guckins have looked back not once since settling down on the shore.

“We fell in love with the area and the people, and started saying, ‘Wow — why are we going back?’” Linda Guckin said, with a laugh. “The quality of life it just so much better here. People are more friendly — they wave. It’s just a better way of life.”

The new digs

With personal logistics out of the way, the Guckins turned their attention to the restaurant and its inevitable serious facelift.

With one of Fenwick Island proper’s only direct water-adjacent establishments — located in the Village of Fenwick just off Route 1, on the bayside — they, of course, wanted to show off their unique and sought-after views.

With a quick remodel of the old bar — opening up the entire restaurant and, subsequently, the exponential odds for possible post-meal sunset shows reflecting off the canal — they were able to pull off just that: showcasing the view.

Then, windows were replaced. Walls were painted in bright new maritime-appropriate shades. New floors were put in. Nautical knickknacks displayed. And pretty much every other conceivable thing concerning feng shui upgraded or replaced, too, to go along with the space’s existing outdoor seating.

“It’s just a fresh, new look,” Linda Guckin explained, “So you know you’re actually at the shore — you can feel it.”

The new menu

While the Guckins were putting their own spin on the space, they brought in head chef Alex Ljuba to do the same with the menu.

Charlie’s Bayside had long offered customers some of the typically expected, and in some cases, demanded, dishes in the world of coastal fare. But in teaming up with sous-chef D.J. Betz, and with an extensive culinary background ranging from mahi mahi to maki-zushi, Ljuba wanted to get creative in regards to what he’s judiciously deemed “culinary classics with a modern twist.”

“That’s kind of what I was going for. I didn’t want to be the same as everybody else. I wanted to do something a little bit different, so that people could try new things around here,” he explained. “I just tried to kind of have fun with it. I tried to take inspiration from all over the world and apply it to the Eastern Shore.”

For example: the Fin Alley Rockfish with Key lime butter sauce, fresh local tomato, fresh local cilantro and a side of house-made hit coconut coleslaw. The Lobster Mac with three-cheese blend and cavatappi noodles. The Seared Jerk Scallops with house jerk sauce, avocado puree, micro greens, roasted corn and black beans. The Chimichurri Churrasco flank steak that can only really be described by the chef who envisioned the dish.

Noteworthy appetizer offerings include the Scallops Florentine with jalapeño bacon, sautéed spinach and garlic confit; fresh daily jumbo-lump crab salsa served with house tortillas; half shell oysters by the half-dozen; Sweet & Spicy Siracha Lime Wings; and an array of fresh salads and soups, such as the Grilled Caesar salad with char-grilled romaine heart and aged parmesan, and Maryland crab soup and lobster bisque.

For the slightly less fearless foodie, there are, of course, some more usual offerings as well, ranging from burgers and crabcakes, to seared tuna and Parm-Encrusted Chicken with Blackened Shrimp.

For dessert, the Char-Grilled Rum Cake has so far stolen the show, and the menu also features options including popcorn shrimp and chicken tenders for kids and some à la carte happy-hour specials during the week, in addition to the restaurant’s newly remodeled bar.

“People come here for the food,” Linda Guckin said. “They brainstormed all winter together and redesigned the whole menu. While we were doing the construction here, they were doing the behind-the-scenes construction.”

Less than a month into the new venture, the Fin Alley team said that seeing people try new things and enjoy them — in addition to their collective vision for both friendly service and modern fare coming to fruition — was a reward in itself.

They’ve also got plans for the future, for when the summer season hits full stride, to utilize the carry-out window on the opposite side of the building for quick and easy access for beachgoers.

Whatever the future holds, however, one thing is for sure. Despite their Philadelphian roots, the Guckins have found a new place to call “home.”

“It was time for a change,” Bill Guckin summed up. “We decided to move down here for the quality of life. We love it here.”

Fin Alley is open seven days a week for dinner, starting at 4 p.m., and for lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday, starting at noon, although extended summer hours are subject to change. The restaurant is located at 300 Coastal Highway in the Village of Fenwick, just off Route 1, and north of the state line. For more information, call (302) 539-3526 or check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/finalleyfenwick.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Su Casa staff, Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce representatives and local community members at the ribbon-cutting event held at Su Casa in Bethany Beach on Saturday, June 4.Su Casa holds ribbon-cutting for new Bethany furnishings store

Su Casa held its grand opening weekend, complete with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday, June 4. The new store offers home furnishings, décor and small accessories, featuring modern and classic furniture.

Su Casa is focused on providing a source for locally made pieces with stories. Each piece of furniture Su Casa sells is available in a variety of different fabric options or finishes, allowing the buyer to create a unique piece that is exactly what they want. As well as its furniture selections, Su casa also offers a selection of rugs in many sizes.

Their store in Bethany is their fourth location. Su Casa also has three locations in Maryland — at Fells Point, Ellicott City and Kenilworth. After closing a store located in Dewey Beach, owner Nick Johnson said he was anxious to get into Bethany and is “very excited to offer the town a new upscale shop for the main strip.”

Su Casa offers a “white-glove” delivery service for larger items, which includes setup, inspection and removal of all shipping and packaging debris and materials. For purchases of more than $1,000, Su Casa will deliver to specified areas free of charge. Complete details can be found on the website at http://sucasa-furniture.com/.

Su Casa is located in Bethany Beach, at 101 Garfield Parkway. Doors open at 10 a.m. daily. For more information, contact the store at (302) 829-8398.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Fenwick Wine Cellars recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new location near Frankford. Pictured, from left, are: David Smith, Delaware Department of Agriculture; Katie Duke, tasting room manager; Len Salva, SCORE Delaware; Jessica Vanek-Mobilia; Adrian Mobilia; Kristi Maravalli of the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce; and state Rep. Ron Gray.Fenwick Wine Cellars held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, June 2, in celebration of the winery’s expanded facility construction and its new 26-acre property in Frankford, just north of its former location on Route 54 near Selbyville.

The homegrown winery business, owned by fourth-generation farmer Adrian Mobilia, first opened in 2010, with a goal to provide the community with the relaxing experience of an actual vineyard while learning about the wine and the importance of agriculture.

“We leased a building as a test, with the long-term plan always being our own land and building,” explained Mobilia. The hard part was finding the right piece of property. “We had been looking for land for three years,” he said. “Last year, we finally found the right space and purchased it.”

The Fenwick Wine Cellars team has already planted two acres of both cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes, with plans for several more varietals. Mobilia said he feels there is still room in the Delaware market for a winery and event space.

“We definitely still see a void and are hoping we can fill it with our new tasting room and larger facility. ... Finally, a venue for events located in lower Delaware!”

Coastal Point • Tyler Valliant: The Drosdzal family is celebrating 15 years of serving the Bethany Beach area at Armand's Pizzeria & Grille.The Drosdzal family at Armand’s Pizzeria & Grille is in the service industry. That much is obvious. Celebrating a major anniversary this summer, they’ve been in the service industry now for going on 15 years.

Much of that service has been in the form of delivering the goods — specialty pizzas in their signature deep-dish style, signature pastas, such as Riley’s homemade ravioli stuffed with Valentino’s ricotta cheese, or an array of fresh salads, subs, seafood entrees and other traditional Italian fare. But not-so-obviously, the Drosdzals have also been doing their best to deliver on serving those who serve the country as well.

“We’ve been blessed here, and we wanted to give back, to all of the community,” said Ron Drosdzal, owner, operator and family patriarch.

It was 2013 when Operation SEAs the Day — an organization dedicated to helping wounded veterans their families — launched Warrior Beach Week in Bethany Beach. That was the same year that things became about much more than pizza and pasta for Drosdzal, and his family, too.

“The bottom line is, when Operation SEAs the Day — when that foundation started — it changed Bethany, and it changed me. I got a whole different perspective on all the issues,” Drosdzal said. “I’ve become friends with so many of [the veterans]. We want to make their day.”

“It’s heartfelt, because none of us were in the military — it’s all about them,” said Drosdzal’s son, Brian Drosdzal, a server at Armand’s, of the family’s way of giving back to their country. “What’s amazing is it’s not just us — the whole community really comes together.

“We’ll get customers that didn’t know that we were supporting the cause, and if they overhear us comping the meals, they’ll try to give us money to cover our food cost.”

Obviously, those customers’ generosity is appreciated, but the money is not accepted because, for the Drosdzals, giving back has become not only selfless, but contagious.

Not only does the restaurant support causes including SEAs the Day, but also whatever they can in the community, wherever they can do it.

There are catering functions for the Bethany Beach and Millville volunteer fire companies; laying out an Italian-inspired spread for the annual Sea Colony lifeguard competition, Sea Colony Sharks’ swim team and Bethany Beach First Responders Triathlon; supporting organizations such as St. Ann’s church and Make-A-Wish, or even just events at Lord Baltimore Elementary, where Drosdzal’s grandson, Riley (of Riley’s Ravioli fame), goes to school with his brother Zack (the collective philanthropic future of the business).

While working full-time as a federal consultant, running the family busienss, supporting the community and still trying to find time for a round of golf or a beach day every once in a while hasn’t been easy for Ron Droszdal — or any of the Droszdals, for that matter — they said that, unquestionably, it has been worth it.

Of course, Ron Droszdal has certainly had some help in making it all work, with every aspect of Armand’s being a family affair — just like it has been now for 15 years.

Droszdal’s older son, Matt Droszdal, works as a manager and heads up the shop’s beach delivery service. Brian, and son-in-law Carlos Mandacaru, serve tables, while daughter,Kathleen Droszdal runs the counter on the weekend when not working her full-time job in Silver Spring, Md.

His wife, Karen Droszdal, helps out wherever she can, too — coming in especially handy when 30,000 brand-new menus need to be delivered from over the Bay Bridge. And his nephew, Justin Venasco — a gourmet chef — heads up anything and everything concerning the kitchen, including coming up with the recipes for all the sauces and pastas, from scratch.

Not only does his family share his commitment to serving food but to serving the community as well.

“It made me cry,” said Manducara of his first experience with SEAs the Day. “To see how happy they were in life, and the struggle they had. It made me realize how we complain so much for nothing. And then to see what they have and the struggle they go through, and they don’t complain, they just say ‘Thank you.’ It just made me cry.”

“I follow his footsteps,” said Matt Droszdal of his father. “He’s been my role model since I started doing it at 19 years old. I started out as a carry-out guy and then I climbed the ladder, basically. I have two of my own kids involved now.”

When they’re not making pies for Warrior Beach Week or lifeguard competitions, the crew at Armand’s is just making pies.

House favorite pizzas include the Original Chicago Combo, with pepperoni, sausage, fresh mushrooms, green peppers and white onions; the Carlos Garden Delight, with broccoli spinach, red onions, red bell peppers, minced garlic and cheddar cheese; and the Crabby Abby Pizza, with lump crab meat, artichoke hearts, minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, topped with Old Bay seasoning and served with a garlic butter sauce.

Other out-there specialty pies include the “Hawaii Pie O,” Bacon Cheeseburger, Pesto Chicken, and the “Armand’s Hammer” — which the crew joked that they could “barely get in the oven.”

For non-Chicago-style enthusiasts, traditional-crust pizzas are also available, as well as favorites including a white pizza, triple cheese and Margherita.

According to the Drosdzals, while the pizzas are a hit, the traditional Italian pastas are just as much so, and the restaurant also offers specialty subs, such as “Jack’s Famous Steak & Cheese,” burgers, appetizers including jumbo wings, bruschetta and “Tonilynn’s Mozzarella Sticks,” salads made from fresh local produce, desserts and a kid’s menu as well — all available to dine inside or out, for carry-out, or for delivery right to the beach.

No matter what kind of service, however, Ron Drosfzal said that none of it would be possible without the support they’ve received from the community over the past 15 years.

“We’re very fortunate,” he said. “It’s just gotten to the point where it really has grown past my expectations — it’s from all the local support.”

Armand’s Pizzeria & Grille is located at 33548 Marketplace at Sea Colony (Route 1 and West Way). In the summer, the restaurant is open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner. They close down for a month in the winter (from Thanksgiving to Christmas), to be able to host veterans for Thanksgiving dinner and spend some family time, but open back up Thursday through Sunday in the off-season.

For more information, visit their website at www.armandsbythesea.com. For delivery, call (302) 539-7000.

On June 8, Hooked Up celebrated the restaurant’s one-year anniversary by hosting a ribbon-cutting with the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber Commerce. Hooked Up Ale House & Raw Bar is the fourth restaurant in the Off the Hook Restaurant Group. The restaurant’s menu includes a variety of food, ranging from seafood and oysters to burgers and wings. Open for lunch and dinner, their hours are 11:30 a.m. to midnight daily.

The Off the Hook Restaurant Group catering division, Taste Events, offers full-service catering for guests to enjoy at restaurant events, as well as off-site events. Off the Hook Restaurant Group and catering services are locally run for the local community and seasonal guests.

Hooked Up is located at 39069 Town Center Drive, Millville, with other associated restaurants located in Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island and Ocean City, Md. Call them at (302) 539-4111 or explore their website at http://hookeduprawbar.com.