People buy tickets to The Room at Cedar Grove for the live entertainment. The Lewes-area venue, located a few miles west of Coastal Highway, has featured Stanley Jordan, John Ford Coley and Elvin Bishop, along with popular local acts including Libby York and Sweet Leda.
But this is no ordinary concert hall. Customers are greeted by a host who leads them to their chosen seats. The table is set with freshly baked bread and a verdant salad. Servers arrive to take drink orders from the full bar. By the time the performer takes the stage, guests are enjoying an entrée. A made-from-scratch dessert is on the way.
Dinner and a show, or brunch and a show, is a unique offering in coastal Delaware. Many restaurants serve a side of music during happy hour or after dinner. Concert venues have concessions and food trucks.
But the 62-seat Room operates more like a supper club: Dinner is included in the ticket price. Beverages are extra.
First-time guest Val Thayer Brock says she arrived without knowing what to expect. “I was blown away by the food, presentation and taste,” she says.
Credit culinary director Brian Gassert, who has worked at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant and cut his teeth on banquet service at Wilmington Country Club. “Italian is probably my specialty,” he says. His Italian grandmother made much of her food from scratch and inspired his cooking.
“I have never once heard any guest say anything but praise for the food,” says Pattie Cinelli, a frequent hostess, emcee and photographer. The native New Yorker appreciates the pizza when it’s offered.
Gassert’s repertoire also includes braised ribs, chicken Parmesan, bolognese and pizza. Dietary restrictions receive advance attention, and Gassert personally prepares the alternatives. He is assisted by Delaware Tech culinary students. This summer, Marilei Cabezas has made the bread and desserts.
Like interns before her, Cabezas is benefiting from the opportunities provided by Paul Kares, the nonprofit that manages The Room and receives its net proceeds.
Founded by musician and chef Paul Cullen and Jim Rivette, the organization’s president, the charity supports young people pursuing the culinary and performing arts through grants, classes, internships and other opportunities. To date, the organization has awarded more than $88,800 in grants.
The music gets The Room’s full attention. The venue is a listening room, Rivette notes. Audience members often shush people having loud conversations. In that respect, it’s different from a restaurant.
A passion for both food and music attracted Fran Simeone to the venue and then the nonprofit. “I realized that my skills could really benefit Paul Kares,” says Simeone, who helped establish youth and scholarship programs in Wilmington. He is now Paul Kares’ director of development.
Attorney Alan Tilles, whose friends and clients include touring musicians, says he was immediately attracted to the venue’s “unique intimacy, great food and treatment of artists.” Musicians he has brought there have enjoyed the experience and want to return.
Local legend Sydney Arzt has also booked acts, including jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan. Arzt is the former owner of Sydney’s Blues & Jazz Restaurant, a Rehoboth destination for dining and live blues and jazz.
Libby York, who will perform at The Room Sept. 13, is another coastal Dela-brity. A founder of the Back Porch Café, she left the business to pursue a musical career. “For the subtle lyrics and nuanced playing of a jazz group, The Room is perfect,” she says.
Cinelli, who went from attendee to volunteer, says The Room has become “my happy place.”
Judging by the number of familiar faces returning for another dinner and another show, she has plenty of company.
