It was 1974, and President Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal. Sports lovers watched Muhammed Ali beat George Foreman at” The Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match, and horror enthusiasts picked up Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie.” In tiny Rehoboth Beach, The Back Porch Café opened in the old Hotel Marvel on Rehoboth Avenue to give diners an alternative to boardwalk food and fried seafood platters. “Rehoboth needed something different besides junk food,” co-founder Victor Pisapia told the Sunday News Journal [Wilmington] in 1976.
The restaurant evolved into a fine-dining destination that blazed a path for such cutting-edge eateries as Chez La Mer, La La Land, Fusion, and Yum Yum. In the process, it became a touchstone for generations of locals and visitors. Heather Cox of Newark, for instance, remembers going to the Rehoboth Avenue restaurant with her grandmother, mother and sisters. “My grandmom has passed, and now I take my kid—the fourth generation,” she says. “Such a great place.” Consistency, quality and community are the keys to The Back Porch’s success. “Our clients stood by us and encouraged us to take it to the next level,” says Marilyn Spitz, who owned the restaurant from 1984 to 2020, when she and partner Keith Fitzgerald sold it to employees Dimitri Shubich and his wife, Aksana Varanova. “It was a lot of hard work, but we had the community’s support.”
In the Beginning
The Back Porch was the brainchild of Pisapia, a schoolteacher, and Libby Fisher—now Libby York—both servers at The Dinner Bell Inn in Rehoboth. The well-traveled Pisapia wanted to offer fresh, local ingredients. This approach was standard in Europe and catching on in California, home to farm-to-table chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. When York received an inheritance, the dream became a reality. “My grandfather, Chicago florist Otto Amling, left me $5,000 when he died,” she says. “I was turning 30 and remember wanting to make a statement.” Pisapia, York and her then-husband, Ted Fisher, found a spot in the Hotel Marvel, built in the 1890s on Rehoboth Avenue. They renovated using repurposed materials and crafted a Key West vibe, complete with a courtyard patio that perplexed 1970s-era diners who preferred air conditioning.
Friends Gayle and Keith Fitzgerald helped get the restaurant on its feet. They quickly hooked on the beach lifestyle and the seasonal business. When York left to pursue a performing career, Fitzgerald became a partner. There were other changes. The Fishers divorced, and, by 1981, Fisher was dating Spitz, who became a partner in 1984. Meanwhile, in 1980, Pisapia left The Back Porch, and customer Mike Davitt remembers his farewell party, complete with complimentary appetizers and dancing. “He had just sold his share and opened the Blue Moon the following year,” Davitt says. Pisapia later moved to Australia.
Bucking the Norm
Like the managers, the menu also evolved. Initial dishes included the “Sunshine Special,” granola with fruit and yogurt, and “The Back Porcher,” a sandwich with cheese and sprouts. “Nothing like a Back Porcher on Sunday afternoon,” recalls Bets Riding, who visited in the 1970s with her friends. Davitt recalls the “dirty happy hours.” Customers popped in for a drink straight from the beach before heading home to take “disco naps,”
he says.
The restaurant also featured French café fare, including omelets and croissants. Unsurprisingly, it became a hot brunch spot—and that’s still the case. However, in 1976, the dinner menu had three entrees. Leo Medisch, who joined the team as a line cook, changed that. In the off-season, he took culinary classes in New York and worked in Bloomingdale’s French-influenced restaurant. His suggestions for new dishes were met with skepticism. “We thought no one would order shad roe,” Spitz recalls. “But it flew out the door. We would have people call us to reserve orders.” Rabbit and sweetbreads are still on the menu. “Leo led the charge, and Keith and I were out there selling it—although the people were ready,” Spitz says. “We had a reputation for doing new things, and it’s an important part of why we lasted so long.”
Mom Luang Sirichalerm “Siri” Svasti also influenced the menu, which one food writer said had an “Asian” flavor. He started as a lunchtime cook and became a co-owner and co-executive chef alongside Medisch. Siri, part of the Thai royal family, returned to Thailand in 1993 and became the celebrity chef McDang. Fitzgerald recently visited him.
Facing Challenges
By the late 1980s, The Back Porch was “the most consistent of the Delaware seashore’s bevy of good restaurants,” The Morning News reported in 1987. Credit Medisch’s cooking and the tightly knit crew. “I found a second family,” says John Barczewksi, a server in the 1980s. “We worked hard and laughed harder. I learned how to cook by watching Leo and Siri in the kitchen. Bee [Neild] showed me how to make a proper cocktail, and life lessons were taught by Keith and Marilyn while working on the floor. It was the best of times in Rehoboth.”
In 1997, Tim McNitt joined the team as a prep cook, and Medisch became his mentor. “He was a dancer,” McNitt recalled for a 2014 Delaware Beach Life article. “He would glide from one corner to the next with ease and be singing or laughing the whole time.” If anyone asked Medisch how long to cook a dish, he replied: “Until it’s done.” In other words, until it’s “perfect.” When Medisch learned that McNitt and his dog had slept in a car, he told McNitt to put the dog in Medisch’s fenced backyard and sleep at his house until McNitt found new lodging. One night became the season, and he stayed with Medisch for 16 years.
As Medisch struggled with lung cancer, McNitt managed the kitchen. At 11 a.m. on Aug. 21, 2013, the chef called McNitt to remind him to order seafood. He passed away later that evening at age 60. “He was a man of dignity,” McNitt said. “He never let the cancer beat him; he just became too exhausted to fight.”
The Back Porch didn’t miss a beat with McNitt in the kitchen and Fitzgerald and Spitz in the front. Neild—who’d started as a gopher, driving to Dover to fetch desserts made by Pisapia’s mother—was a quiet, stalwart presence behind the bar. Although the recession crushed restaurants in 2008 and 2009, the restaurant soldiered on, and 2019 was its best year. However, Spitz was ready to retire, and Fitzgerald didn’t want to continue without her. “It was
time,” he says.
The Next Generation
The partners prepared the financials for prospective buyers but didn’t list The Back Porch. Too often, customers assume that a restaurant for sale is failing. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald asked server Dimitri Shubich to help him work the door. The personable Shubich, who watched Fitzgerald interact with customers, began asking questions and introducing himself to guests. Shubich was on hand when a longtime customer asked Fitzgerald when he’d retire. “Kidding, I said: “Well, when someone drops a nice, fat check on the podium,’” Fitzgerald replied. During a lull, Shubich said he and his wife wanted to buy The Back Porch and not change a thing, which appealed to Spitz and Fitzgerald. “We wanted to continue the legacy of The Back Porch Cafe and share our passion for creating unforgettable dining experiences,” Shubich explains. The partners convened, after which Fitzgerald told Shubich he had both good and bad news. “The bad news is that we’re not going to accept your offer,” he said. “The good news is we will sell the restaurant to you for less than you offered. We want you to succeed. You can make money for yourselves and pay us over five years.”
Even when COVID closed restaurants in 2020, the couple did not miss a payment. They also survived McNitt’s departure for Harbour in Lewes. (He died suddenly in 2021.) Fortunately, a core kitchen team has been with The Back Porch for up to 35 years. “They’re like machines back there,” Fitzgerald agrees. “The future of Back Porch Cafe is to continue sharing our love for creative global fusion dishes, especially those inspired by French cuisine, with our community,” Shubich says. “We are committed to upholding the legacy of quality and innovation, offering memorable dining experiences and welcoming atmospheres that bring people together.”
Fitzgerald is proud that the new owners have maintained the quality and clientele, some of whom cried when they learned of the sale. Debra Evalds of Lewes, for one, will not let a season pass without visiting The Back Porch, which is still seasonal. “As summer slides into fall, there is something that happens that is very magical on that back deck, with the light and the sky,” she says. “There’s the feeling that the restaurant will go to sleep soon for the winter.” She loves the tuna blini, anything with house-cured Meyer lemon and the omelets and scones at brunch. “Sometimes,” she concludes, “you don’t need to
change perfection.”
The History of Back Porch Café
1974:
The Back Porch Café opens in the old Hotel Marvel on Rehoboth Avenue. It’s founded by Victor Pisapia, Libby Fisher (now Libby York) and Ted Fisher to offer a healthy alternative to traditional beach foods. Keith Fitzgerald, who helps open the restaurant, later becomes a partner.
1980:
Victor Pisapia leaves The Back Porch to open the Blue Moon with Joyce Felton.
1984:
Upon Ted Fisher’s death, Marilyn Spitz, his girlfriend, becomes Fitzgerald’s partner
1993:
Mom Luang Sirichalerm “Siri” Svasti, a partner and co-executive chef, returns to Thailand to pursue a career as celebrity chef McDang. (He worked in Key West after The Back Porch.)
1994:
Pisapia relocates to Australia.
2008-2009:
The Back Porch Café navigates challenges during the recession but remains resilient.
2013:
Leo Medisch, a key figure in the kitchen, passes away, and Tim McNitt takes over management.
2020:
Spitz and Fitzgerald sell The Back Porch Café to employees Dimitri Shubich and Aksana Varanova, who weather Covid restrictions.
2024:
The Back Porch Café celebrates its 50th anniversary, continuing its legacy of quality dining in the community.
