May 2022 - Comfort in the Storm

10 Ways to Enjoy Grand Prix Weekend

17th Annual City Restaurant Week

Tattoo Industry Making a Statement

Comfort

in the Storm

How a family of restaurant staffers work to surpass the struggles of the past two years

MAY 2022 COMPLIMENTARY

The Candlelight Theatre is proud to present the hilarious who-dunnit...

Who is the Murderer?

Six guests are invited to a dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu.

Can you solve the mystery?

Was it Colonel Mustard with the dagger? Was it Mrs. White with the rope? Or Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. Green, or Mrs. Peacock?

Or did the butler do it?

May 14 - June 26 Call Our Box Office

302-475-2313

Enjoy an amazing meal and our incredible bar!

www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org

4 APRIL 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

”AN ENTIRELY FRESH, FUNNY & GORGEOUS NEW PRODUCTION. A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!” –NEW YORK MAGAZINE

JUNE 9-12, 2022

THE PLAYHOUSE ON RODNEY SQUARE 302.888.0200 | BroadwayInWilmington.org

–– A not-for-profit arts organization ––

Stephen Lynch SUN | MAY 15 | 7PM | $36 Popular American comedian and musician known for songs mocking popular culture

Jim Witter’s Time In A Bottle SAT | JUNE 4 | 8PM | $31-$37 Celebrating the music of Croce, Stevens, Taylor, Chapin and Dylan

The Mavericks WED | JUN 15 | 8PM | $46-$75 Eclectic rock and country group known for crisscrossing musical boundaries with abandon

TheGrandWilmington.org | 302.652.5577 | 302.888.0200 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

All tickets subject to box office service charges. Artists, dates, times and programs are subject to change.

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

5

BBM Out and About.pdf

1

4/20/22

9:44 AM

ETS TICK AS OW AS L

$29

DELAWARETHEATRE.ORG 6 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

MAY 11–22

302.594.1100

For DTC’s health and safety policies, please visit our website or call the Box Office.

2 INSIDE 2

Out & About Magazine Vol. 35 | No. 3

START 9 War on Words

21

11 FYI 13 Play The Numbers 17 Travel With Tubman 18 Art Loop Wilmington 20 Ink, Inc. 24 Wilmington Grand Prix

FOCUS 26 Comfort in the Storm 34 City Restaurant Week 2022

Published each month

by TSN Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact@TSNPub.com Wilmington, DE 19801 Publisher Gerald duPhily • jduphily@tsnpub.com Director of Publications Jim Miller • jmiller@tsnpub.com Contributing Editor Bob Yearick • ryearick@comcast.net Creative Director & Production Manager Matthew Loeb, Catalyst Visuals, LLC Digital Services Director Michael O’Brian

Contributing Writers Jill Althouse-Wood, Danielle Bouchat-Friedman, Adriana Camacho-Church, JulieAnne Cross, David Ferguson, Mark Fields, Pam George, Lauren Golt, Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Ken Mammarella, Matt Morrissette, John Murray, Larry Nagengast, Kevin Noonan, Scott Pruden, Leeann Wallett Contributing Photographers Jim Coarse, Justin Heyes and Joe del Tufo/Moonloop Photography, Butch Comegys, Lindsay duPhily, Matthew Loeb, Matt Urban Special Projects John Holton, Cullen Robinson, Bev Zimmermann

24

EAT 37 Embracing Brassica

LISTEN 43 Harmony Therapy 47 Ladybug Music Festival

PLAY

26

49 Fill in the Blanks

WILMINGTON 50 In the City 52 On the Riverfront

On the cover: Bartender Roxanne Robinson serves a beer with a smile at Two Stones Pub in Hockessin.

Photo by Butch Comegys

34

EVENTS CALENDAR

All new inWilmDE.com coming this month.

All new inWilmDE.com coming this month.

Sign Up For Our FREE

Digital Subscription

Printed on recycled paper.

Editorial & advertising info: 302.655.6483 • Fax 302.654.0569 outandaboutnow.com • contact@tsnpub.com MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

7

O&A Ad 22.qxp_FullPageBleed 4/19/22 2:52 PM Page 1

Friday, June 3: 5:30 PM –8:30 PM

FAMILY FRIENDLY

all ages welcome!

With great food and more!

A lively, after hours fundraiser at the zoo.

Enjoy a variety of beer, wine and spirits from numerous vendors, light fare provided by local restaurants, and topped off by Hy-Point ice cream.

Food and beverages are included in admission ticket.

Live music by SpookySpeaky. Brew at the Zoo is a fundraiser for the Delaware Zoological Society. Your ticket purchase helps further the Zoo’s mission of conservation and education. Advanced tickets will be available online or at the Zootique Gift Shop.

An online Silent Auction will begin on June 2 at 6 AM. YourCharityAuction.com/BrandywineZoo, Thank you to our venders: Bellefonte Brewing Company, Wilmington Brew Works, LAB Liquid Alchemy Beverages, Crooked Hammock Brewery, Magnolia Lounge, Peco’s Liquors, Dogfish Head Brewery, Del Pez Mexican Gastropub, Santa Fe Mexican Grill, Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen, Hy-Point Farms and All Places Traveled, LLC.

Adult Tickets: (Must be 21-years-old to be served alcohol): Member: $45 • Non-Member: $50 Member Alcohol-free ticket: $25 • Non-Member Alcohol-free ticket: $30 Youth Tickets: Member (Ages 5-17): $15 • Non-Member (Ages 5-17): $20 • Under 5: Free

p Sign Uow! brandywinezoo.org • 302.571.7747 Ext. N Brandywine Park, Wilmington, DE • FREE PARKING

8 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

228

The Brandywine Zoo is managed by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society

START

A writer/editor’s slightly snarky and relentless crusade to eliminate grammatical gaffes from our everyday communications

Compiled from the popular column in Out & About Magazine

THE WAR ON WORDS A monthly column in which we attempt, however futilely, to defend the English language against misuse and abuse

MEDIA WATCH USA Today and The Philadelphia Inquirer lead the gaffe gang this month with three each.

From USA TODAY: •Duane Rankin, referring to LeBron James drinking from the fountain of youth — “He must have took an even bigger gulp before Saturday’s matchup against Golden State.” C’mon, Duane, how can a professional writer not know it’s have taken?

•Scott Gleeson — “There are photos of him (basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale) with every celebrity from Jennifer Lopez to Pope Benedict XVI.” Sorry, but to me the “from _____ to ______” construction is imprecise and lazy writing. How many celebrities are in this group? Better to make it something like “. . . celebrities as disparate as Jennifer Lopez and Pope Benedict XVI.” •Then there was this quote from Dan Monson, former Gonzaga men’s basketball coach (which almost landed in the Department of Redundancies Dept.) — “When you establish a winning culture at a program, the easiest and best way to keep it going is to promote an assistant up.” It’s not always wrong to end a sentence in a preposition, but in this case it is.

From The Inquirer: •Alex Coffey chose the incorrect pronoun after a preposition — “Jeurys Familia told reporters he believes he ‘paid for what happened’ after the incident between he and his wife.” That should be “between him and his wife,” of course.

Object of preposition, Alex.

•Gina Mizell abused the language thusly — “The next step, Byington said, is to squash the impulse for outsiders to peg women in the industry against each other.” This sentence presents several problems, and I’m not sure it says what Gina meant, but it would be improved by substituting quash and pit for the italicized words.

•Matt Breen also went squashing (crushing, squeezing) when he should have gone quashing (suppressing, quelling) — “Chamberlain ultimately declined Katz’s proposal, squashing any dreams of The Big Dipper playing alongside Dr. J.” We round out Media Watch with a couple of local items: •A reader spotted this in The News Journal’s story about the untimely death of Dr. Terrance Newton, beloved principal of Warner Elementary: “Terrance Newton experienced violence and poverty that resulted in him working on keeping students

Word of the Month

Hegemony Pronounced heh-JEM-muhnee, it’s a noun meaning leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.

By Bob Yearick

away from it.” The possessive ­— in this case, his ­ should be used with a gerund (working). This — is something many writers never learn, so they incorrectly use the objective case.

•Another reader points out this error in “Taking It to the Streets” in the March Out & About: “As an artist, we bare witness.” Nope, we bear witness.

FROM THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT •Bob Odenkirk, star of Better Call Saul, during an interview on NBC’s Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist: “I’m going to feel badly when I watch the final season of the show.” No, Bob, you’ll feel bad. Your tactile abilities hopefully will remain unimpaired.

•Actor Chris Pine, quoted in USA TODAY: “It was dead winter in Romania, so it was absolutely blisteringly cold.”

Unless this was some oblique reference to cold sores, Chris should have found another adjective. Blisteringly almost always describes extreme heat, not cold conditions.

•And O&A film critic Mark Fields contributes this from the website Outsider: “Is there a new ‘1883’ episode this Sunday?’ Sadly, my fellow Taylor Sheridan fans, there is not.

Last week, we saw the 10th and penultimate episode of ‘1883.’”

Quoting Merriam-Webster: “People confuse penultimate and ultimate believing the prefix ‘pen-‘ simply adds more emphasis to the word ‘ultimate.’ This is not the case. The ‘pen-‘ prefix means ‘almost’ and thus ‘penultimate’ means ‘next to last.’”

DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCIES DEPT. •Subhead in USA TODAY: “Tar Heels are unexpected surprise in Final Four that has something for all.”

•Similarly, Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of Today on NBC: “There’s been a surprise twist in the retirement of Tom Brady.”

•And over at ABC News, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent, spoke of “the onus of responsibility.” Onus: burden, responsibility, obligation.

LITERALLY OF THE MONTH Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez: “We literally breathed baseball growing up.” Obviously, Julio also got an adequate amount of oxygen; dude is 6-3, 228 pounds.

Follow me on Twitter: @thewaronwords

NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION? Contact me for a fun presentation on grammar: ryearick@comcast.net.

Buy The War on Words book at the Hockessin Book Shelf (hockessinbookshelf.com) or on Amazon, or email me.

THE KITCHEN is OPEN! Join us in celebrating the Grand Opening of The Wilmington Kitchen Collective and it's seven inaugural entrepreneurs

Grand Opening Party May 19, 2022 900 N Washington Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 4:00pm-5:00pm - Ribbon Cutting 5:00pm – 8:00pm - Celebration with food & music

PLEASE JOIN US! YOU ARE OUR KEY INGREDIENT

FEATURING DNA Food Services | Ma Ada's Water Ice | Ma Nana's Homemade The Stand DE | STR Chef For Hire | Velvet Cakes by Gwen WIPS Cakery | Plus live music by the Sharon Sable Quartette

WILMINGTONKITCHENCOLLECTIVE.COM 10 APRIL 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

START Things worth knowing

DELAWARE MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE OPENS THIS MONTH LaFATE GALLERY HOSTS CAREGIVING ART WORKSHOP

O

n Friday, May 6, LaFate Gallery and DelCare Health Solutions will partner on an event called “Caregiving… A Work of Heart.”

Opening remarks will be made

by DelCare Health Solutions founder and CEO, Dr. Nadine Lindsay. Awardwinning folk artists will then lead attendees in creating art revolving around the theme of caregiving.

Proceeds from an art sale that night will be donated to DelCare Health Solutions. For more information, call LaFate Gallery at (302) 656-6786.

A

fter an extensive $10.8 million, 17-month renovation project, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science opens to the public on Monday, May 23.

The museum, formerly the Delaware Museum of Natural History, closed at the end of 2020 for the project. All the exhibits — ­ many in place since 1972 — were removed and the walls were taken down to the studs. Installation of the new exhibits has been ongoing since the end of 2021.

“We’ve completely shed that dusty, old museum perception,” said Executive Director Halsey Spruance. “The Delaware Museum of Nature and Science is dynamic, engaging, interactive, relevant, and modern. Our focus is on what we know about nature and science, why it matters to us, and what we can do to protect the environment.”

Three new galleries will feature a giant floor map of the state that gives visitors the chance to explore everything from the Bald Cypress Swamp to the Delaware Bay; a giant floor map of the world showcasing three different ecosystems; an exhibit that gives visitors an up-close look at the creatures that lived in the Mid-Atlantic during the Cretaceous Period — from dinosaurs to flying bat lizards.

Other features include a Tree of Life, hands-on exhibits and a relax-andrecharge café. Visit Delmns.org.

WILMINGTON GRAND PRIX MAY 13-15

O

ne of Downtown Wilmington’s biggest spring traditions returns after a two-year break due to COVID restrictions as the three-day Wilmington Grand Prix cycling event and festival is set for May 13-15. For the 13th year, the event is part of USA Cycling’s National Race Calendar and is considered one of the premier criterium-format races in the U.S. In 2019, the last year the event was held, cyclists from 21 states and seven countries participated.

Grand Prix Weekend opens with the Monkey Hill Time Trial and Kick-off Party in Brandywine Park on May 13. The event features the nationally known cobblestone climb up Monkey Hill while the crowd enjoys live music

by What The Funk, food trucks and a tailgate atmosphere. The competition kicks off with a lighthearted Commuter Challenge benefit for Urban Bike Project, in which contestants riding weighted-down commuter bikes traverse the course — including climbing Monkey Hill.

The Major Taylor Community Ride will kick off activities on Sat., May 14. The public is invited to join regional Major Taylor cycling clubs and pro racers for a recreational ride of the Grand Prix race course. The amateur and pro races will follow with free activities and course-side cafes lining Market Street.

Sunday sees the return of the nationally acclaimed Governor’s Ride and Delaware Gran Fondo, where local riders join out-of-towners and pro racers for a scenic ride of the Brandywine Valley that starts at the Delaware Art Museum and takes cyclists past a dozen cultural attractions — including oncea-year opportunities to ride through the grounds of Hagley and Winterthur museums.

Visit WilmGrandPrix.com.

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 11

Things worth knowing

NEW FITNESS TRAIL IN BRANDYWINE PARK

T

he Friends of Wilmington Parks, supported by funding from Highmark Delaware and Incyte, has expanded the exercise options in Wilmington’s Brandywine Park. The Friends have created a fitness trail by adding four One of the Park's new fitness stations. stationary exercise stations along the park’s riverfront jogging trail. The stations allow users to add a strength and flexibility workout to their daily walk or run.

“I thank Friends of Wilmington Parks and their community partners for this latest initiative that adds important health-related amenities to an already fantastic open space in the heart of Wilmington,” said Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki.

The Friends of Wilmington Parks is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, dedicated to the preservation and beautification of Wilmington's green spaces. They work with Delaware State Parks to support Brandywine Park, Alapocas Run State Park, Rockford Park, Kentmere Parkway, and the H. Fletcher Brown Park.

A map of the trail is available at FriendsofWilmingtonParks.org.

DRONE SOCCER COMING TO DELAWARE

I

n collaboration with U.S. Drone Soccer, Droneversity and DWS Drone School are bringing drone soccer to Delaware with Wilmington as the state headquarters.

It’s an effort by the two drone training schools to use eSports to stimulate the interest of teens and youth in math and science, provide careers in STEM fields as well as increase Delaware’s economic competitiveness as a global technology education and employment hub for aspiring drone operators.

U.S. Drone Soccer is played with flying quadcopters in protective plastic exoskeletons designed for full-contact gameplay and collisions. It is the only internationally sanctioned eSport recognized by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), and provides classroom lessons, and after-school leagues for ages 12 and up to immerse students in drone technology and aviation. Before competing, students must first learn to build, program, and repair their drones as a team.

Currently, one million students are competing in robotics worldwide.

“The joy of flight is real. When a student flies, but then crashes and makes their first repairs — they’ve become an engineer for life,” says David Roberts, President of U.S. Drone Soccer, who previously took the U.S. Drone Racing Team to two FAI World Championships.

“This is a transformational opportunity to expand DWS Drone School’s National Teen Drone and Virtual Reality Technology Initiative to educate and employ teens,” said attorney Theophilus Nix, Jr., CEO of DWS Drone School.

Academic enrollment is now open for schools and summer camp providers. Equipment and training are available. More information about this emerging eSport can be Drone soccer can help students earn the skills that transform found at USDroneSoccer.de. them into "engineers for life."

12 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

| InWilmDE.com

BELLEFONTE ARTS FESTIVAL RETURNS

A

cornerstone event for the artist collective Bellefonte Arts, the Bellefonte Arts Festival is back on Saturday, May 21, with a sense of enthusiasm as well as some fond reminiscence.

This will be first event in the series without Damon Betz, who Bellefonte Arts owner Valerie White says was “a huge part of the festival since its inception in 2009.”

“I’m thrilled that the festival will continue in his memory,” White says.

“We want to make sure that May 21 is filled with his spirit, spunk and passion.”

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can stroll along Brandywine Boulevard for a day of fun, food and festivities in celebration of area arts and artists. More than 50 local art vendors, food court, performances and a Kids Korner will all be featured. Tickets are $2 per person or $5 for a family of three or more. Learn more at BellefonteArts.com.

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MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

13

THURSDAYS 3-7 PM

FRIDAYS 3-7 PM

2275 Pulaski Highway, Bear

510 Duncan Road, North Wilmington

Bellevue Farmers Market

Glasgow Park Farmers Market

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

Behind the Bellevue Community Center THIRD FRIDAYS featuring live music, kids activities, food trucks, craft beer and more!

SHOW TIMES: 630-8PM, RAIN OR SHINE GLASGOW PARK | 2275 PULASKI HWY | BEAR

JUNE 23: X BAND EXPERIENCE JULY 7: BICKEL BROTHERS JULY 21: STACIA LACHOLE & BLACSOUL BAND Presented by

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JUNE 17: WELCOME SUMMER JULY 15: BELLEVUE 'BEE'FEST

FRIDAYS 2-6 PM

Carousel Park Farmers Market 3700 Limestone Road, Pike Creek

PROVIDING FRESH, LOCAL, AND SEASONAL PRODUCE PLUS ARTISAN FOODS, HONEY, AND HANDCRAFTS ACROSS NEW CASTLE COUNTY

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NEWCASTLEDE.GOV/ HAPPENINGS 14 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

MANGO COCONUT corriander

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16 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

START

In the National Spotlight Travel with Tubman Tour includes Riverfront Park

T

his year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Harriet Tubman, a freedom fighter and “conductor” on the historic Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery advocates and safe houses.

To mark the anniversary, the National Park Service (NPS) has launched a trip-planning app, Travel with Tubman: Let Harriet Tubman Guide You on the Journey of a Lifetime.

Among the 13 sites highlighted by the travel tool is Tubman-Garrett Park on the Wilmington Riverfront.

The 2.4-acre greenspace memorializes Tubman and Thomas Garrett, a Quaker who collaborated with her from 1855 to 1860 to bring slaves through Delaware and into free territory.

After liberating herself, Tubman returned to Maryland 13 times to rescue friends and family from slavery. In her lifetime she traveled up and down the East Coast, raising money to assist freedom seekers, serving as a nurse and scout during the Civil War, and fighting for universal suffrage.

Tubman-Garrett Park features a sculpture, titled

“Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom,” which commemorates the friendship of the two freedom fighters. There are also interpretive panels and state markers on the theme of freedom throughout the site.

Debra Martin, Historic Preservation planner for the City of Wilmington, says the statue “is spruced and ready for heritage tourists as they journey to reflect on Tubman’s life in the places she walked.”

“Delaware residents and institutions were pivotal in the Underground Railroad story,” Martin says. “To have even one of the stories, that of the friendship between Thomas Garrett and Harriet Tubman, be made available to the public now at the touch of a button is very energizing to me as a public historian and as an advocate for all things Wilmington.”

For more information on Underground Railroad sites in Delaware, go to: deldot.gov/Programs/byways Travel with Tubman is available online and best viewed through the free NPS App, downloadable in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

—Bob Yearick

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

17

Friday, May 6 5pm Start Gallery at Grace Church 900 N. Washington Street 331-0719 • gracechurchwilmington.org Artist: The Stories We Share featuring Nanci Hersh, Jen Hintz Eggers & Rebecca Howell

WEST SIDE

Howard Pyle Studio 1305 N. Franklin Street 656-7304 • howardpylestudio.org Artist: Art show and sale by the members of the Studio Group, Inc.

DOWNTOWN

The Grand Opera House 818 N. Market Street 658-7897 thegrandwilmington.org Grand Gallery: Sarah Baptist “Wilmington: An Artist’s View” baby grand Gallery: Tisa Della-Volpe “Flexible Water: Above and Below”

ArtzScape 205 N. Market Street 433-6622 Artist: S.H.E. (Sharing Her Energy) ArtzScape 6th Anniversary Celebration.

Mezzanine Gallery at the Carvel State Building 820 N. French Street 577-8278 arts.delaware.gov Artist: Gail Husch

Christina Cultural Arts Center 705 N. Market Street 652-0101 • ccacde.org Artist: Man Cave featuring multiple artists

Music School of Delaware 4101 N. Washington Street 762-1132 musicschoolofdelaware.org Artist: SOULS - Photography Exhibition by Flavia Loreto

A program of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

RIVERFRONT The Delaware Contemporary 200 South Madison Street 656-6466 • decontemporary.org Artists: Karyn Oliver, UD MFA Students and Alumni, Lynn Herrick Sharp award winner and honorable mentions.

Art Loop reception from 5-9pm

City of Wilmington’s Redding Gallery 800 N. French Street 576-2100 • cityfestwilm. com/redding-gallery Artist: Artwork by Donna Usher Delaware College of Art & Design 600 N. Market Street 622-8000 • dcad.edu Artist: DCAD 2022 Graduating Student Exhibition

Old Swedes Historic Site 606 Church Street 354-0855 • oldswedes.org Artists: Early American Artistry and Craftsmanship of Old Swedes.

The Sold Firm 800-B N. Tatnall Street 689-3237 • thesoldfirm.com Artists: Skin Deep by E.lizé

The Church of the Holy City 1118 N. Broom Street 215-840-1757 Artist: Still Life and Floral Paintings by Riva Brown

The Delaware Center for Horticulture 1810 N. Dupont Street 658-6262 • thedch.org Artist: Natural Treasure: The Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators Blue Streak Gallery 1721 Delaware Avenue 429-0506 Artist: Petal and Metal

by Lele Galer WEST END Go Vegan Philly 607 N. Lincoln Street 543-4431 • goveganphilly.org Artists: Geraldo Gonzalez & Lynee Robison Union Street Pub 729 N. Union Street 543-5317 Artist: Adira Riben

presented by

cityfest

ArtLoopWilmington.org

rg

Next Art Loop:

Friday, June 3, 2022 Complimentary Shuttle Cool World Vintage 1840 W. 5th Street 543-4594 Artists: Nathan Smith, Camilo Yepes, Smashed Label, Kristin McCourtney KAVI Wellness Healing Arts Yoga Studio 835 N. Union Street facebook.com/WellnessKAVI Artists: Katherine LeCocq & Anthony Stanziale Comegy’s Pub 210 N. Union Street 429-8699 Artist: Fred Comegys & Akomapa Candle Co. Thorough Threads 505 N. Lincoln Street thoroughthreadsonline.com Artist: Madeline Porter Books & Bagels 1139 W. 7th Street 317-2941 Artists: KYMA & Lotus Renaissance

by Darin Kellam BEYOND THE CITY Arden Buzz Ware Village Center 2119 The Highway, Arden 981-4811 • ardenbuzz.com Artists: SNAP: SOMETIMES FAST SOMETIMES LOUD - A Photographic Essay About Transformation by Jeffrey Steen COCA Pop-Up Gallery 3829 Kennett Pike, Greenville 218-4411 Artists: Group show of local artists The Station Gallery 3922 Kennett Pike 654-8638 • stationgallery.net Artist: May Group Show- New Springtime Paintings Talleyville Frame Shoppe 3625 Silverside Road 478-1163 Artist: Cab Calloway School of the Arts National Art Honor Society Exhibition MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

19

START

Tattoo artist Eric Hendrickson works his magic at Poppcock Tattoo in Wilmington. Photo by Tina Marabito

ues n i t n o try c pite the s u d s n too i h — de created t a t uris lenges The o l f emic l d o t a n h a c ep by th

at

By M

sette

rris t Mo

uch as you don’t meet many feline enthusiasts who have just one cat, one doesn’t encounter many tattooed folks who have been inked only once. It’s more of a lifestyle choice by which one identifies their tribe.

Over the past two decades, the belief that tattoos could damage one’s chances in the “straight world” has diminished radically, with celebrity chefs, tech CEOs, the obvious rock & rollers, and the guy working in the next cubicle all displaying a plethora of visible tattoos.

But like any customer service-oriented business necessitating personal contact, the tattoo industry was thrown into upheaval by the pandemic and the mandatory periods of closure and personal space restrictions that came with it. But unlike similar industries, the tattoo business has rebounded quickly.

In fact, it’s booming.

20 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

agic at

Marabito

According to IBIS World (a trusted world-wide industry research organization), the $1.4 billion per year tattoo industry exceeded its 2021 projection of 23% growth in market size. The causes are numerous: stimulus checks burning holes in pockets; pandemic boredom; the general feeling of “why not” that came with world-wide cataclysm; the simple fact of having to wait on previously scheduled tattoo plans.

According to lifelong tattoo artist Pat McCutcheon (former owner of Oddity Bar, current proprietor of Hereditary Tattoo in Wilmington), things have been surprisingly steady since his new shop opened in the heart of the pandemic in July 2020.

“We opened when shops were able to reopen at limited capacity after the mandatory closures,” he said. “Luckily, our shop is a large, two-story building with multiple private studios so we were able to accommodate clients safely by appointment only and a strict mask policy.

Hereditary Tattoo owner and lifelong tattoo artist Pat McCutcheon. Photo by Butch Comegys

“Over the past two years, demand for tattoos remained constant, with our artists continuously booked about a month in advance. Maybe people were seeking a sense of permanence by getting tattooed during a time of uncertainty, or perhaps it was just a good distraction from the daily stress of the pandemic.”

Tina Marabito, owner of well-established Poppycock Tattoo in downtown Wilmington, echoes the theme of industry rebound. ”Things are definitely on the uptick since the pandemic,” she said. “We are strictly appointment-only due to the overwhelming amount of people booking with us. Our appointments are currently booked five to six months out.

“We have a lot more clients coming back for multiple tattoos within the year, plus a bunch of tattoo virgins. I think maybe people are just feeling that they should do the things that they had held off on. Life is short and there’s no time to procrastinate.”

Another part of the industry equation is the tattoo artists themselves. Since most artists are independent ► MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

21

INK, INC.

“ Ta t t o o s contractors, many were not eligible for continued from previous page are becoming standard unemployment. So, they made much more ends meet by selling prints and other widely accepted and there are definitely merchandise featuring their artwork — some new trends that are happening,” she among other hustles — while waiting for said. “Infinity symbols, quotes, Roman programs like Pandemic Unemployment numerals and small finger tattoos have Assistance to kick in. always been popular among clients, but Rachel Truskolawski, a six-year a least favorite among artists. However, veteran of the regional tattoo scene now you have a lot of people that want known for her fine line and blackwork their hands and faces tattooed before tattoos specializing in nature and they even get their arms or legs covered.” fantasy-oriented themes, is happy to Tattoo enthusiasts are also among the be back in the game and busy. But she most rabid and loyal customers. It’s not remains cautious as the pandemic unusual to find an individual covered seemingly winds down. from head to toe in the work of a single “I am currently an appointmentshop or artist. For the more ink-addicted only artist at Hereditary Tattoo, and since being able to return to work, I’m Tina Marabito, owner of Poppycock Tattoo in and financially secure among the faithful, Wilmington, says business has been having multi-sitting tattoos worked only taking one client a day to limit Downtown brisk since the pandemic. Photo by Ric Frane on simultaneously at different shops is my contact with people since tattooing commonplace. is such an intimate process,” she said.

In the case of local photographer David Heitur (whose “Luckily enough, it seems Covid cases have been on the ­ a tribal chameleon he got at age 18 ­has gone decline and a lot of shops in the area are taking walk-ins first tattoo — the way of the coverup), the pandemic was simply a forced again.”

Truskowlaski has also noticed some new trends among break in his tattoo life.

“Fortunately, I didn’t have anything scheduled when the both her repeat customers (75% of her clientele) and shutdown began, and I didn’t stop working, so when things newbies alike.

LOUIS COMFORT

TIFFANY Treasures from the Driehaus Collection

March 12 – June 5, 2022 BRUNCH AT TIFFANY’S Saturday, May 14 Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection was organized by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Sewell C. Biggs and foundations including the Choptank Foundation. This exhibition is sponsored by M&T Bank and made possible in Delaware by the Hallie Tybout Exhibition Fund for American Art and the Johannes R. and Betty P. Krahmer American Art Exhibition Fund. This exhibition is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com. | Image: Tiffany Studios, Jack-in-the-Pulpit Vase, 1907–1910.

Blown glass. Photograph by John Faier. © 2013 The Richard H. Driehaus Museum.

2301 Kentmere Parkway | Wilmington, DE 19806 | 302.571.9590 | delart.org

22 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

| InWilmDE.com

opened back up, I definitely made up for it,” he said.

“Before Christmas of 2021 and into this year, I was getting my back worked on every two weeks at one shop while popping into another for three other pieces.”

Rachel Sauer, a veteran Wilmington bartender, was first tattooed at 17 and, like most in the culture, she has no intention of stopping. Citing a tattoo of her dog as her favorite (Heitur also cites his tattoo of his dog, Louie, as his), she finds meaning in all her tattoos, even the not-so-good one.

“All of my tattoos are dedications to either people or pets I have loved, or movies and books that have impacted me in such a way that I wanted to proudly display them,” she said. “I do have one dud. It’s an octopus that somehow ended up with only one eye and six legs. I’ve never been motivated to change it because it makes me laugh.”

We are strictly appointment-only due to the overwhelming amount of people booking with us. Our appointments are currently booked five to six months out.

o p e n s m ay 2 7

— Tina Marabito, Poppcock Tattoo

In the late 1980s, Delaware guitarist and songwriter Mark Thousands discovered his musical heroes, The Cro-Mags, were heavily tattooed when he saw a poster of the New York punk/hardcore band. His lifelong journey of getting tattooed began soon after, both to emulate his musical influences and to mark himself as an artist and outsider.

“My motivations for getting tattooed were definitely rooted in art and music,” he said. “The band looked otherworldly to me because they were pretty covered in tattoos, but it had an aesthetic to it that seemed different than say a biker aesthetic; it was definitely more of a street vibe.”

With legions of the already-tattooed planning their next piece, and hordes of young folks coming of age in an era in which tattoos and piercings no longer illicit widespread shock and disgust, the tattoo industry has not just rebounded from the uncertainty of the last two years, it has grown. And in this new era of daily cultural shifts and seeming impermanence, what could be more grounding than committing to a piece of living art on one’s body?

ES CA P E

to th e

m ov i es

S H O W T I M E S + T I C K E T S AT

PENNCINEMA.COM MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

23

1.

2.

STROLL & SHOP FOOD TRUCKS CRAFT BEER & LIVE MUSIC

Market Street merchants will be open and offering special discounts to attendees.

Since there is no admission charge to Grand Prix festivities, you’ll have a little extra cash in your pocket to spend.

(5/14, noon start)

10 WAYS TO

Kick-off Party at Brandywine Park A world-class party in the park featuring live music by What The Funk.

(5/13, 5-8pm)

MAJOR 3.

TAYLOR COMMUNITY RIDE Celebrate Wilmington and the spirit of cycling with this FREE ride on the Grand Prix course.

All abilities welcome.

(5/14, 11:15am)

4.

KIDS STUFF Giant Slide, Games, Bubble Show, Music, Face Painting and more.

All Free!

(5/14, noon-5pm)

5.

COURSE CAFES

Enjoy lunch and watch the races with a table right on the course at Bardea Food & Drink, Chelsea Tavern, DiMeo’s, Merchant Bar, Stitch House, Wilma’ & more!

(5/14, noon-5pm)

6.

WATCH WORLD-CLASS CYCLING Ever see 100 bikes sprint thru a Downtown at 35mph?

Pros racers from 12 countries and 31 states will be on hand for this nationally-ranked event.

(5/14, noon start)

nd

7.

JOIN THE GOVERNOR’S RIDE

S TO ENJOY

Join Governor John Carney on a 15-mile ride that offers a once-a-year opportunity to ride your bike through Hagley Museum and Winterthur Museum & Garden.

(5/15, 8am)

8.

COBBLESTONE CLIMB Cheer cyclists up challenging Monkey Hill.

Bring your cowbell!

And your costume!

(5/13, 5-8pm)

DO THE FONDO

10.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

You don’t have to be a race fan to enjoy six blocks of free family fun.

Watch the races, have a beer, and let your kids enjoy the festival.

(5/14, noon start)

Last Fondo, riders from 19 states and six countries came to Wilmington to experience this bucket list ride through the Brandywine Valley.

Sign up and you’ll see why.

(5/15, 8am start)

9.

At Two Stones Pub's Hockessin location, Logan Hollenbaugh has honed industry skills serving in the dining area and, more recently, behind the bar.

26- MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

FOCUS

Comfort

in the Storm One of our writers finds enlightenment behind the scenes, working with a family of restaurant staffers who have survived the struggles of the past two years

By Jim Miller Photos by Butch Comegys

Y

ou think you know, but you don’t.

Sure, you’ve followed the news, seen the stories online and on TV, and last weekend you waited, like, a really long time to get seated at your favorite restaurant.

So, yeah, you may think you know the whole story about what the hospitality industry has been dealing with for the past two years.

I’m here to say you probably don’t.

And that’s okay. I used to think I knew it all, too. The difference is I’ve worked at Out & About for 27 years — you know, Out & About, where we’ve devoted countless pages to restaurants, taverns and pubs. So, believe me, my sin is much worse than yours.

And even that might be okay.

Because now I have a much better idea about what people like you and I thought we knew about this industry — but didn’t.

Intrigued? Confused?

Perhaps this story will help illuminate the matter. It’s not your typical restaurant story. It contains a heroic rescue attempt, a near-death experience, and a confession from someone who didn’t pay his taxes in 2020. And that’s just in the first 10 paragraphs.

In fact, what follows might be the most important piece I’ve ever written for this magazine. Why? Keep reading.► MAY 2022

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

27

THE COOK WHO ALMOST DROWNED

COMFORT IN THE STORM was in a fix. Uncle Sam had recently continued from previous page sent a Christmas card letting me know how much he missed me and, much more important, my back taxes from 2020.

In short, I needed some extra cash. Fast.

After a few phone calls and emails, I got hired at Two Stones Pub, which had been running “Now Hiring” ads in this very magazine toward the end of last year.

I was scheduled to start my first week of training right after Christmas at the Newark location, then complete my training at the Two Stones in Hockessin, where I would be working as an assistant manager for roughly three months — enough time to get the IRS off my back.

And little did I know, enough time to find some enlightenment.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, I hope this is not the way I really die. This sounds horrible: I don’t want to die outside of a restaurant on a Tuesday.’”

Those are the words of Jake Brown. And as funny as those lines might sound now, the story he tells isn’t really humorous. In fact, it was nearly a tragedy.

On Aug. 4, 2020, Hurricane Isaias dropped massive amounts of rain on the East Coast, causing flooding everywhere, including parts of the parking lot in Hockessin’s Lantana Square. There, around 11:30 a.m., an elderly man accidently drove his car off the asphalt and into a deep ditch swollen with rushing waters. The automobile began to sink with the driver trapped inside.

Just a few dozen yards away at Two Stones Pub, a regional manager and cook ran out of the restaurant, waded into the growing rapids, and tried to save the man.

The cook was Brown. And in that heroic rescue attempt, he was sucked underwater, pulled through a culvert that runs more than 250 feet underneath the shopping center, and dumped into a fast-flowing stream in the woods behind the complex.

Three other Good Samaritans, like Jake, tried to save the driver and took the same wild, life-threatening water ride he did.

The good news is that the Hockessin Fire Department arrived shortly afterward and saved everyone, including the driver. But it could have been much worse: Two years earlier to the month, two young men in their 20s got caught in the same culvert Kylee Hollenbaugh (above) and her sisters, Logan and Jailyn, have helped the pub recruit young people who want to work. during another hurricane-related flood. They did not survive.

“Okay, okay,” you say. “You’ve got my attention. But what exactly does this all have to do with the state of the restaurant industry?”

Patience, dear reader. This isn’t a fast-food delivery. This is a sit-down meal. Truth requires context. So, allow me to get back to it . . .

The only reason I know this story is because I hadn’t paid my 2020 taxes. It’s also the reason I met Jake Brown.

Indeed, as great as it would be to pretend that I’d gone to work at Two Stones Pub last December out of some noble calling from the Higher Order of Gonzo Investigative Journalism, the fact of the matter is, I

Yahoos like you and me have been fed the myth that the younger generation is lazy and entitled, and we have been stupid enough to believe it.

28 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

TRIAL BY FIRE

When I first arrive at the Hockessin Two Stones, I am greeted by its cheerful general manager, Alyssa Oliver. I soon find out she loves her job.

Alyssa started out with Two Stones as a server six years ago and has since worked her way up to general manager. I later discover that her first day as general manager was during the reopening in June 2020. In other words, she’d never been a GM before COVID. “It’s been a weird, fast-learning type of thing,” she says about the experience.

Alyssa’s fast learning meant dealing with previously known problems that were happening much more often — like supplies being out of stock — all while tackling new challenges such as keeping up with and enforcing everchanging health regulations.

“It was insane,” she says. “We still somehow made it through, one way or another.”

She recalls a day when eight servers called out because all had gotten sick.

They figured out the solution to that surprise, as they did a lot of things during that time.

“I remember a period of time when we didn’t have any assistant managers, and [the owners] came in and were working right alongside me, running the shift,” Alyssa says.

That support from the top also helped her deal with “people not following the rules, not wearing their masks, and touching all the chairs.”

Then there was the guest who yelled at their then-16-yearold hostess.

“It pissed me off,” Alyssa admits. “People are so upset about not being able to go to restaurants, and when they can, they treat someone like that just because there’s a wait? Or because we can’t fit your [party of 25] that you walked in with?”

Later that week, while sweeping the entry floormat, I meet the 16-year-old hostess who got berated. Her name is Emily Bonavita. She is now 18 and about to graduate from Odyssey Charter High School.

Emily recalls the incident well. It was her first day on the job.

“I felt very relieved that my trainer, who I’d never met before, stood up for me,” she says. “No one outside of my family has ever had to do that in front of me. It just made me feel very welcome — like I’d been part of the Two Stones family for years.”

THE YOUNG ONES & THE REGULARS

As the days go by, I find that, when it comes to doing the job, Emily is confident and capable. As are many of the young staff members. This comes as a surprise to me. Why? Maybe because yahoos like you and me have been fed the myth that the younger generation is lazy and entitled, and we have been stupid enough to believe it.

Instead, through the long hours, the young employees at Two Stones Hockessin prove themselves to be hard-working, efficient, and driven.

Many of them are working here while also attending school, or while holding down a second job, or both.

I’m inspired by their resilience.

Many of these kids didn’t have a proper prom, or haven’t had a real college experience yet, or don’t know the difference between Animal House and Animal Farm. Yet they smile and venture on.

Many of them also want to learn about the business. Hosts want to become servers, servers want to become bartenders, cooks want to become chefs.

Some of that learning will come from training, some from experience, and some from the industry veterans on the job.

With more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, Roxanne Robinson is one of those mentors, particularly for anyone looking to work behind the bar.

Most of her customers call her “Roxy,” and she finds the pub’s regular clients to be the best part of the job.

“I look forward to my Monday shifts with all the regulars,” she says. “I like going in and talking to them, knowing what’s going on.

Set regulars on set days make it more comfortable.”

She adds that, post-COVID, she’s found people tipping more generously. That said, she also admits that even the regulars don’t know how hard the job can be.

“I don’t think anybody understands it unless they’ve been in the industry, have been a part of the changes, and can see how we’re trying to make guests happy,” Roxy says. “[They’re] not understanding that their frustrations have been our frustrations too, with the restrictions and all.”

Shaena Orr, the assistant general manager, agrees, and takes the sentiment beyond the context of the pandemic.

“The biggest misconception has to be that people who work in [this] industry are uneducated, and anyone can do it,” she says.

“This industry is demanding, not only physically, but mentally. I will say it takes a special type of crazy person to love this industry, and I’m definitely one of them.”

In the second week of January, the post-holidays surge of Omicron brings back the mask mandate. Inevitably, some guests take out their frustrations on the staff. Which is kind of like yelling at your car radio because you have to wear a seatbelt. So much shrugging takes place during this time, shoulders begin to ache.

Weeks later, when the mask mandate is lifted, it’s like a collective breath of fresh air. I fully understand the necessity of the mandates. But I can’t imagine how anyone went through almost a year of this.

From front to back: executive chef Will Coleman, Artie Troyan and Wayne Woods prepare dinner orders in the kitchen.

It’s not easy and sometimes it’s not fun.

But there is gratification, there is satisfaction.

— Will Coleman, executive chef

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

Unseen to even the most faithful regulars, the kitchen is a place all its own. Physically, it’s adjacent to both the bar and the dining room, but figuratively speaking, it’s a world apart. During a dinner rush, the pace can match that of an airport terminal the day before Thanksgiving. The chef shouts directions to his cooks like a quarterback calling audibles on a touchdown drive, all while the expeditor — or “expo” as they say in the biz — matches the printed orders to the plated food items ready to go.

Alyssa and Shaena play the expo role so well it makes my head spin.

Servers zip in and out with multiple plates, and whoever is on expo dishes out the orders with almost telepathic precision. ► MAY 2022

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

29

COMFORT IN THE STORM continued from previous page

Meanwhile, the guests on “the other side” chat among themselves, casually taking bites of their fish tacos and swigs of their IPAs, having little or no idea of the controlled chaos taking place in the back.

The kitchen offers equal amounts of deliciousness and danger. Burgers sizzle on a blazing iron grill; the wings in the fryer bubble and spatter; the piping-hot short ribs are removed from the oven.

Without proper training, there are many places where you could be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, if you are in the kitchen standing still, there’s a good chance you’re in the way.

Even when it’s not time for dinner, lunch or brunch, the kitchen is busy.

Neither time nor resources are wasted.

Cooks are constantly prepping for the next meals: chopping, dicing, slicing, stirring, stewing, mincing or marinating.

Picture Ryan Reynolds playing the role of a salty 18th century sea captain, and you have a napkin sketch of Hockessin’s executive chef, Will Coleman. He is as quick with witty banter as he is with a curt command. When things get fast and furious, he’s at the wheel, his crew in lockstep at his side.

“It’s constantly evolving,” Will says of the business, “especially in the way that we are dealing with labor shortages, increased cost of food, supply chain issues, etc. You have to be able to think quickly and change direction on your feet to adapt to an everchanging landscape.

“It’s not easy and sometimes it’s not fun. But there is gratification, there is satisfaction. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you get something done that, from the outside looking in, looks insurmountable, too challenging, too hard.”

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THE REAL

to the GM position at the Two Stones in Jennersville, Pa., in order to be closer to her family. So Shaena takes the role of 12 in Hockessin, where she is grateful ► 12 12 GM TTHHEERREAEALL

THE REAL

COMFORT IN THE STORM continued from page 30

Two guests enjoy dinner and drinks on a Thursday night.

for a staff that has “gone to hell and back so far” with her.

Meanwhile, Roxy, in between her Two Stones bar shifts, takes a GM role as well at the newly opened Townsend Tavern. Emily Bonavita is learning the ropes as a server, which she loves. And Jake Brown has been promoted to sous chef.

And me? After 12 weeks of working as assistant manager — each totaling 70-plus hours when combined with my other job — I’m worn down and done. My debts are paid, and I have gained intimate knowledge and immense respect for what workers in the restaurant industry have been through the past two years — and still endure every day.

But there’s something else.

For almost everyone, the last two years have been a long and grueling test. Today, I see that collective experience layered upon Jake’s rescue attempt on that awful August day: all of us there in the storm, victims of a vicious rage of nature beyond our control.

Then swept away through a dark tunnel, emerging some two years later.

Alive, but changed.

“I definitely do have a new newfound appreciation for life,” Jake says about his brush with death. “I really do. I don’t think I feel sadness the same way. I realized no matter how bad it is, I most certainly want to live. This life is beautiful, and it’s worth living. It really is, no matter how bad it is.”

No matter how bad.

While putting our pandemic experience in perspective, I hope we ask ourselves what kind of world we truly want to live in moving forward. For eons, pubs, taverns, and restaurants have been the places where people like us have sought to escape the pressures and mundanities of our lives — all the bad stuff. These venues are places of comfort, places we dreamed about going to again while holed up in our houses like frightened rabbits during those first uncertain months of COVID. Let’s not forget that time. Let’s not forget the value of those places in our lives.

Because now we have a choice. We can choose to be the “fun regulars” at the pub, bringing comfort to those who bring comfort to us. We can tip better. We can choose to see that “this life is beautiful, and it’s worth living” — and worth being a little more patient the next time we’re waiting for, say, that plate of delicious, steaming, cheese-covered nachos.

We made it to the other side.

It’s up to us to make it the better side.

32 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

Race Day? Mother’s Day? Sunday Funday?

We’ve got your drink.

MAY 2022

| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

33

A Week of Prix-Fixe Dining at Wilmington’s Premier Restaurants

Presented by

May 23-28

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Wilmington’s fine dining scene is marked by a distinguishing characteristic: It is dominated by owner-operators.

In other words, there is not a chain restaurant in the bunch.

So each spring, when those restaurateurs team up to present City Restaurant Week, they view it as a personal invitation.

It’s the equivalent of your neighbor inviting you for dinner.

With Wilmington’s finest restaurants to select from, offering everything from Asian to French to Italian, you get to sample the creative cuisine of these fine dining spots with $15 for lunch and $35 for dinner (plus gratuity).

LUNCH: $15 | DINNER: $35

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EAT

Embracing Brassica Kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower have caught on.

Can cabbage be far behind?

By Pam George

A

t the innovative Eclipse Bistro in Wilmington, menu changes are expected. But when chefs removed the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower dish, customers pushed back.

"It's been a staple on Eclipse Bistro's menu for 15 years," says owner Carl Georigi. "We tried taking it off once — momentarily — and it was an all-out riot, so we immediately put it back on."

It's hard to believe that sprouts could cause such a stir. But these emerald-green orbs come with prosciutto, Marcona almonds and a smoked paprika-honey vinaigrette. The Little Italy eatery is in good company. These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fullservice restaurant without a Brussels sprouts dish.

But as kids, most baby boomers viewed these sprouts and their kin with distaste.

“My dad always grew kale in his garden and talked about how healthy it was," says Carole Dandolos of Wilmington. "Of course, as a kid I hated it and said it was just a garnish. Clearly, he was ahead of his time.”

The story of how these veggies went from humble to haute cuisine is rooted in health studies, cooking techniques and new varietals. ►

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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21ST-CENTURY SUPER FOODS

EMBRACING BRASSICA continued from previous page

Brussels sprouts and kale are part of the brassica family, a genus of plants descended from wild mustard. Over time, people began selectively taking seeds from the plants that produced desirable characteristics, such as large leaves (kale) or large stems (Chinese broccoli).

These farmers and home gardeners cultivated the plants for taste and appearance. But in more modern times, researchers have found that the brassica family promotes gut health and reduces inflammation. They're full of minerals, fiber and vitamins, including vitamins A, C and K. And there's more. "There are compounds like diindolylmethane that protect against reproductive cancers, or sulforaphane, which can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other health concerns," says Amber Pawula-Macin, a licensed nutritionist with Nutrition Hive in Wilmington. "There are few foods that benefit the body in so many different areas of our overall health."

Health-conscious consumers are showing their appreciation at checkout. Sales of fresh brassica products have steadily increased over the years, says Paula Janssen of Janssen's Market in Greenville.

ON THE SCENT

Regardless of the benefits, people rarely eat foods that smell bad, and the Brassica family has a stinky reputation.

The culprits are sulfur compounds that can emit the stench of rotting flower stalks. Overcooking intensifies the odor, and boiling broccoli, cabbage and sprouts was the standard cooking method for generations.

"I still remember that boiled smell from my childhood," maintains Rob Pfeiffer of Wilmington.

Lisa Scolaro, a chef with HoneyBee Seasonal Kitchen & Market in Trolley Square, maintains that the freshest produce is less likely to smell.

But even kids with access to the freshest brassica can turn up their noses. These supertasters have sensitive palates and a heightened sensitivity to smell. When enzymes from brassica meet the saliva in some people's mouths, the marriage produces an At HoneyBee in Trolley Square, chef Lisa Scolaro uses kale in smoothies, grain bowls, unpleasant odor that kids salads and chips. Photo courtesy HoneyBee don't tolerate as well as adults.

Shawn Marshall, Janssen's executive chef, suggests roasting and adding parmesan or other shredded cheese toward the end. It will change the aroma and soften the flavor, he says.

HOLD THE WATER

Roasting is now a preferred cooking method for sprouts

302.571.1492 and cauliflower. "It's easy, and it brings out the sweeter flavors," (302) 571-1492 www.ColumbusInn.netsays Marshall.

ColumbusInn.net 2216 Pennsylvania Ave. Pawula-Macin, a former chef, agrees. While the vegetables

Wilmington, DE 19806roast, water evaporates, allowing the natural sugars to concentrate,

38 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM | InWilmDE.com

she explains. Caramelized sugars reduce any bitterness and intensify the sweetness.

If you're feeling confident, you can fry your sprouts. For instance, at Le Cavalier in Wilmington, cleaned and scored sprouts are deep-fried until crispy yet still firm on the inside.

"We drain the oil on paper towels, then quickly toss and coat them with a sweet-and-sour dressing made with honey, white wine vinegar and salt," says Tyler Akin, the executive chef and an owner.

At home, he coats a room temperature pan with vegetable oil and covers the bottom of the pan with halved Brussels sprouts, cut-side down. "Turn the pan heat to the highest setting and cook until very dark — until they almost appear burned," Akin says.

"Salt the Brussels liberally and toss to ensure they are seasoned evenly. You can use them in this state as a side, in salads or even in a sandwich with the Brussels taking the place of what might ordinarily be meat."

Sprouts can take some heat in more ways than one. Two Stones Pub in Wilmington bathes fried sprouts with sesame-soy dressing and sriracha aioli.

But you don't need to cook your Brussels sprouts. For example, Harry's Savoy Grill offers a Brussels sprouts salad with toasted almonds, tomato, sieved egg and lemon vinaigrette. Cauliflower and broccoli are also good raw.

It's not unusual to find smoked pork in the mix. "The saltiness and umami of bacon add depth of flavor," Marshall says. And the smoky fat is a counterpoint to any mustardy bite, Scolaro adds.

Brussels sprouts with pine nut tarator and fingerling potatoes. Photo courtesy Le Cavalier

For example, at Torbert Street Social in downtown Wilmington, flash-fried sprouts are dressed with garlic, bacon, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.

THE NEXT BIG BRASSICA

While Brussels sprouts are the star, broccoli was among the first of the brassica to get healthy kudos. That is still the case. "If I am trying to sell tofu, a peanut noodle bowl or sausage — if I put broccoli in it, it draws people in," Scolaro says. ►

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EMBRACING BRASSICA continued from previous page

Kale is a newer addition to the culinary party. Credit Goop guru Gwyneth Paltrow, who made kale chips on the Ellen show in 2011. By mid-2014, kale overtook spinach as America's favorite cooked green, according to Google data.

At HoneyBee, Scolaro uses kale in smoothies, grain bowls, salads and chips.

Raw, juiced or steamed — kale still offers health benefits. That said, the Google search numbers have dipped. Perhaps that's because kale is naturally tough and chewy — it takes work to make it palatable. Or, maybe it's because people are more accustomed to serving it at home.

Cauliflower, meanwhile, has become the darling of the Whole 30, paleo, gluten-free and vegan crowd. Its mild taste makes it a versatile substitute. "It brings texture — a mouthfeel," Scolaro says.

You can slice it into steak-like portions and rice it for a mashed potato substitute.

Plus, shoppers are no longer limited to snowy heads. Cauliflower is available in hues of green, purple and orange.

To be sure, supermarkets are now full of brassica variations, such as curly-leaf kale and Lacinato varieties, often called Tuscan kale. Scolaro favors Romanesco broccoli or Roman cauliflower, the edible flower bud of Brassica oleracea. The vegetable, which looks like a chartreuse "alien Christmas tree," is a conversation starter on a vegetable tray, she notes.

Many cultivars have a milder flavor but can cost more than the traditional, Marshall says. That's likely why some of the more colorful options have yet to make it onto restaurant menus.

Admittedly, some brassica members are a hard sell. For instance, many consumers still limit radishes to salads or use them as garnishes. However, you can roast them with garlic. Cabbage rarely gets praise after St. Patrick's Day, and turnips are turnoffs for many people.

Fans hope that more people embrace uncommon varieties and eat even more of the familiar. "With all the benefits that brassicas offer, it would be great for more people to find that they truly love them," Pawula-Macin says.

Akin agrees. The benefits go beyond vitamins and minerals. "Eating more vegetables is better for our environment and health — meats are super-expensive right now — and there's been a proliferation of platforms giving folks access to interesting recipes," he says.

It's never been easier to become a brassica buff.

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Sound

Approach Liana Thompson uses singing bowls to ‘quiet mind and body’

By Ken Mammarella

Simply Sound Vibrations owner Liana Thompson says her sessions reduce stress and increase spiritual well-being.

T

he good vibrations of the sound massage dominated over all my other senses.

The room was toasty, with a blanket swaddling me. The lights were dim, with the face rest of the massage table covering my eyes. The only sounds were the comforting tones from the therapeutic-grade singing bowls that Simply Sound Vibrations owner Liana Thompson was activating on my body.

The vibrations coursing through my body continued to command my attention even when my cell phone rang. And they pleasingly lingered long after the bowls were removed.

“I’m the facilitator of your health,” she said after my sampling of her sound massage. “You need to quiet your mind and body and let go.”

Thompson opened her sound vibration therapy business last fall in Independence Mall, on Concord Pike in Brandywine Hundred. “I started this journey of

healing with herbs and slowly transitioned to sound healing,” she writes on SimplySoundVibrations. com. Her work email ends with this tagline: “where massage meets meditation.”

The Delaware native returned to the First State in 1997 and for many years was a receptionist for Friess Associates in Greenville. She is now working part time at FranksWine in Wilmington while she establishes her therapeutic business.

Her passion for herbs led her into certification in flower therapy, and she has essential oils if clients ask for aromatherapy. And she is a level II Reiki practitioner. “I study lots of modalities,” she said.

“Tibetan singing bowl meditation may be a feasible low-cost, low-technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being,” according to a 2017 observational study posted on the National Center for Biotechnology Information. ► MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 43

2022 IS THE YEAR TO IMPROVE YOUR GOLF GAME!

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Saturday, May 14, 3-4:30pm

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SOUND APPROACH continued from page 43

Liana Thompson is one of just three certified practioners of sound therapy in Delaware, according to the Vibrational Sound Association.

Multiple elements combine for a calming effect in Thompson’s office, including the Pandora meditation channel soundtrack, large photos of singing bowls in scenic settings and the tools of her trade, including seven hand-hammered singing bowls, a crystal singing bowl, a large gong, a bell, a set of chimes, two fairy chimes and an ocean wave drum.

Her services include a sound massage for $50; a bio-well reading of energy flow and stress levels with a sound massage for $120; and a group sound bath for $35 per person. People sharing the bath are fully clothed on yoga mats as Thompson activates her various instruments. The name of technique evokes forest bathing, in which people let the sylvan setting shrink their stress.

Clients take off only shoes for the sound massage. She places different bowls on different areas, activating vibrations by striking bowls with a felt-covered mallet or circling their rims with the mallet. She also activates vibrations by striking bowls in the air (or a huge one sitting under the massage table). The vibrations of the ones placed on my body were the most intense. “It’s a way of massaging the liquid in your body,” she explained. “We are 70% water, if we’re hydrating enough.”

Hers is a rare skill: The Vibrational Sound Association lists just three certified practitioners in Delaware. So sometimes Thompson lays down on her massage table, places a bowl on her chest and activates the vibrations herself.

“Relax. Let go. Heal,” she said.

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 45

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LISTEN

More than 40 female-dominated acts will perform at this year's Ladybug Music Festival.

Photo by Moonloop Photography

Ladybug

to Light Up Downtown Popular music showcase returns after a two-year break

F

emale musicians will once again take over Wilmington as the Ladybug Music Festival, presented by Chase, returns to downtown on Friday, May 20.

The event began in 2012 as an inexpensive local alternative to the massive Firefly Festival that takes place annually in Dover. Today, Ladybug enjoys national acclaim as one of the preeminent showcases of female musicians.

More than 40 female (or female-identifying) acts will be featured, including all female bands, femalefronted bands, duos, and singer-songwriters of different genres. Sweet Lizzy Project, a Cuban-born, Nashville-based quintet that plays “electrifying bigstage pop-rock,” is this year’s headliner. Other top regional draws include The Upstarters, Laura Cheadle, The Black Coast and Sug Daniels.

"We are so excited to be able to produce The Ladybug Music Festival, the largest celebration of women in music, again after a two-year break,” says

Gayle Dillman, event founder and owner of Gable Music Ventures. “Being able to offer this platform to over 40 female led bands from across the country, to perform and share their music, is extremely gratifying. To be able to hold this event in Wilmington and showcase LOMA demonstrates how the creative economy can work as an economic driver for so many of the small businesses we know and love."

Performances will take place simultaneously from 5-10 p.m. in 10 venues — eight small businesses in the city’s LOMA District and two outdoor stages (300 block of Market St.; Humble Park on 4th & Shipley streets). Admission is free.

Other festival features include food trucks, retail shop sales and sidewalk vendors. Visit LadybugFestival.com — Out & About MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM 47

48 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RIORDAN FAMILY — LAST MONTH’S WINNER!

WIN A $50 GIFT CARD TO PIZZA BY ELIZABETHS!

Fill in the You know the drill: (1) Ask your friends to help “fill in the blanks” for the missing words needed below.

(2) Once completed, read aloud and watch hilarity ensue.

(3) Got a funny one? Take a photo and send it to us at Contact@OutAndAboutNow.com. Best one wins a $50 Gift Card to Pizza By Elizabeths (One entry per person; must be 21 or older to enter). Have fun!

MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH We had Mother’s Day Brunch last weekend at The ( was really (

)(

) Café and it

type of animal

). I just had to tell you about it!

adjective

First of all, (

verb ending in -ing

first name of person in room

) picked us up in the family (

) with plenty

type of transportation

of time to make our reservation. Mom was so excited to hear where we were going; she was grinning from (

) to (

body part

).

body part

When we got to the café, the host sat us on their patio where we got to enjoy the ( weather and hear the ( Then (

) suggested that we order a round of (

second name of person in room

but Mom had heard of a new drink called “A ( verb

)(

adjective

fruit, plural

and (

)” that she read

body part

) Magazine.

). So we ordered those along with two plates of ( )(

foreign language

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liquid

We also decided to get some appetizers. Everyone know how much Mom loves ( (

)

) singing in the nearby trees. It was lovely!

animal, plural

about in Lifestyles section in (

adjective

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vegetable, plural

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food plural

“Wow!” Mom shouted out. “These are truly (

color

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The day was complete when Dad pulled out a small gift box. Mom opened it to reveal a pair of expensive (

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“Happy Mother’s Day!” we shouted.

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

49

THE CITY WILMINGTON BALLET ACADEMY

M

ayor Purzycki visited the Wilmington Ballet Academy studios last month to congratulate Lamar “LJ” Marshall (front row, 2nd from right) – the self-taught dancer whose online dance videos earned him a one-year scholarship, a role in last year’s production of “The Nutcracker,” and national media attention in addition to being named one Delaware’s Most Influentual People of 2022

by Delaware Online. The Mayor also praised WBA’s Dance Executive and Artistic Director Benjamin Sterling Cannon (back row, far right) who in 2020 became the first African American leader of the organization in its 64-year history, for his efforts to make the ballet company more inclusive.

WILMINGTON COLLECTING CITY-ISSUED TRASH BINS ONLY

I

njury concerns for sanitation employees prompted a change in City trash collection policy in April. Now the City is only collecting trash placed in a Cityissued, industrial-strength trash container (pictured right). The City will NOT collect privately purchased trash bins with lift bars (sometimes called Toters or Toter Carts). The non-regulation carts aren’t as sturdy and can be dangerous, having caused more than a dozen injuries to Sanitation Dept. workers so far.

Public Works Dir. Kelly Williams urges any resident who still needs a Cityissued trash cart to call 311 or visit www.WilmingtonDE.gov/311 to get a free cart delivered ASAP. The City has carts as large as 95-gallons.

The Public Works Dept. distributed the gray-colored “SMART” trash bins to 21,000 residential properties throughout the City in early 2020 as part of Mayor Purzycki’ s Beautiful City Campaign. The new bins have helped produce a cleaner City by reminding residents to follow the law and place trash in the bins — not on City streets.

Free City-issued trash container

50 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

PLANTING FRIENDSHIPS

I Kids enjoying the new Cool Spring Playground at North Van Buren and West 10th streets.

WILMINGTON & WEST SIDE GROWS OPEN NEW PLAYGROUND

n April, Mayor Purzycki led a Wilmington delegation to Doha, Qatar, to discuss issues of common interest and explore potential avenues of cooperation between the two cities.

During the visit a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Doha and Wilmington aimed at exchanging experiences in various fields was signed. Mayor Purzycki also helped plant a “friendship tree” while celebrating the opening of Rawdat Al Khail Park.

M

ayor Mike Purzycki and Dir. of Parks & Recreation Ian Smith in April joined West Side Grows Together, Friends of Cool Spring Group, City and State officials, students and staff from Lewis Elementary School, and local residents for a ceremony to mark the completion of Mayor Purzycki meets with PM and Minister of the Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani in Doha in April. Photo courtesy of Gulf Times improvements to Cool Spring Park Playground. Located at N. Van Buren and W. 10th Sts., this state-of-the-art playground is the latest in a series of park renovations on the City’s West Side.

“I continue to be impressed and encouraged by the outpouring of support and participation by the community for projects like this one,” said the Mayor. “The need for upgrades to this park’s stormwater management system and playground equipment goes back decades, but through a lot of hard work, persistence, and cooperation among numerous partners and stakeholders, the end result is a spectacular new open space that will further strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods and improve the lives of residents — especially those of the hundreds of elementary school students who use this playground for outdoor recess throughout Mayor Purzycki congratulates President Jean the school year. This new playground is just one more example of what can be achieved when Dahlgren on the 25th anniversary of the communities and government work together to address a pressing need.”

Delaware College of Art and Design during DCAD’s celebration last month.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO OUT & ABOUT MAGAZINE

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

51

SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY! SPRING ON THE RIVERFRONT!

Get out, enjoy nature, and dine from some of your favorite restaurants!

The Riverfront is a perfect venue to enjoy the outdoors and walk our 1.75 mile Riverwalk along the beautiful Christina River! Additionally, the DuPont Environmental Education Center is now open to the public. DEEC’s nature trails, including the eight-mile Jack A. Markell Trail continues to be fully operational! Get out and enjoy some quality time in nature!

DCM is open on the Riverfront Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm Admission: $12

Membership for the entire family is just $119 for the year

More Info:

DelawareChildrensMuseum.org

(302) 654-2340 52 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

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Opening May 21st!

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MON-FRI: 9AM-6PM SAT: 9AM-4PM Stop in and enjoy fresh produce, salads, sandwiches, coffee, pizza, sushi, Mexican,Thai cuisine and much more!

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RIVERFRONT RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN

for in-house indoor and outdoor dining

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Starbucks

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Taco Grande

at the Riverfront Market!

Docklands

The Juice Joint

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Drop Squad Kitchen

Timothy’s on the Riverfront

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

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Dine-in or carry out NOW OPEN

MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

53

Now Open!

Visit our website for New Hours, pricing, and safety protocols!

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PURCHASE A ONE-YEAR $119 MEMBERSHIP FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY, YOU WILL RECEIVE 4 FREE PASSES TO THE BRANDYWINE ZOO. 54 MAY 2022 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM

PTP_April30_May2022_Out & About.qxp_2022 4/20/22 1:33 PM Page 1

Photo by Suchat Pederson

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