Step back in time at The Local Bootlegging Co., Rehoboth Beach’s speakeasy-style restaurant. Located on Coastal Highway behind Iron Hill Brewery, it is hard to miss with its classic car out front, whiskey barrels by the door, and a secret password needed to enter. Inside, the 1920s décor, award-winning burgers, and family-friendly atmosphere make it a local favorite.
Owner Chris Desch says family is at the heart of the restaurant. “We are closed on Mondays to do team building, and that connection comes through in our food, service and drinks,” he said. His grandmothers inspired the name “Francis and Mary’s Stitchworx,” the faux storefront guests pass through on the way in. Drinks named after his parents, Robert and Gary, add another personal touch. His parents often come in on weekends dressed in period costumes, and one of his daughters waitresses during the summer.
Chris has called Southern Delaware home for nearly a decade and designed the restaurant himself with authentic Delaware pieces. Vintage license plates, a phonograph found on Facebook Marketplace, and other nostalgic items fill the space. Twinkle lights and bourbon-bottle lamps set the mood, while the instruments hanging on the walls are used for impromptu jams at the end of the night. “We pull them off the wall and just play,” Chris said, noting that he also plays guitar, harmonica and piano.
The menu is just as carefully considered. “We are very big on fresh,” he said. “We only have one small freezer and it is mostly for desserts.” The menu changes seasonally but keeps top sellers like the PB&J Burger. Each table also has a card with Chris’s cell phone number. “If a customer is happy, I want to hear it, and if they are unhappy I want to fix it. This is an extension of me, so I make myself accessible.”
Learn more at 302thelocal.com.
CRUSH QUESTIONS:
Q: What is your favorite part about living in coastal Delaware?
Chris: “The People- professionally in both the music and culinary scenes, but especially through our guests – meaningful conversations and plenty of laughter.”
Q: Tell us something about yourself we wouldn’t otherwise know?
Chris: “My earliest influence in cooking came from a Pima Indian man named Imkah, who sold newspapers on the roadside in Tempe. We became friends, he taught me his guitar picking style and Native American cooking techniques
and dishes.”
Q: By definition, a crush is a brief infatuation with something … what are you currently crushing on?
Chris: “I have a deep desire to travel more – immersing myself in new traditions, cuisines, music, and art.”