Wave your hand if you are a Wine, Food or Music lover! You will LOVE the Annual Southern Delaware (SoDel) Wine, Food and Music Festival taking place on May 3 at Schellville, located behind the Seaside Outlet off of Holland Glade Road in Rehoboth. The Schellville Express Train will be operating to transport festival goers around the complex.
The Wine, Food and Music Festival is a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity Sussex County and the Harry K Foundation, founded to combat childhood hunger in Delaware.. The timeframe is limited – from noon to 3:30 pm. Probably because the focus is raising a significant amount of money in a relatively short period of time to support the local community. And the formula seemingly works! Past fund recipients include Meals on Wheels Rehoboth, the Developing Artists Collaboration, Delaware Food Bank and the Rehoboth Beach Boys and Girls Club.
The organization that organizes the event, Creative Coastal Creations Corp, has raised more than $250,000 million dollars over the years for local charities.
So, what happens at the Southern Delaware Wine Food and Music Festival? LOTS! Top local restaurants offer tastings and there will be 100 tastings of wines, cocktails, mocktails and craft beers. There is even a bourbon tasting fir those who wish to imbibe. Experts from the Wilmington Whisky Club will be on hand to enlighten festival goers about the history of bourbon and will guide participants on the various flavors of the beverage.
Numerous popular restaurants, including Dogfish Head, 302 The Local, Cultured Pearl and Sirocco, will be offering food tastings.
The McFadden-Garcia Band will be performing. The band is known for its three-part harmonies
Proceeds from the festival’s silent auction also will benefit the charities. More than 20 high-end, high value packages are designed to appeal to sports fan, food and wine lovers, travel enthusiasts, cocktail or craft beer connoisseurs, according to the festival organizers. The bidding begins at noon but will close at 3 pm, 30 minutes prior to the ending time of 3:30.
There literally is something for everyone including a “Wine Wall”. Wine bottles, some valued at $100 a bottle, are wrapped so participants don’t know what they are choosing but that is part of the fun. You know when you open the package.
Ever heard of a “Chef Throwdown”? It’s a popular event at the festival. Festival goers will have the opportunity to watch chefs “go knife to knife” in a high-energy, interactive, “Iron Chef” style cooking competition. Here is how it works, according to festival organizers…… Chefs get a mystery basket of ingredients they must use, competitors
will showcase their skills, craftsmanship, and creativity as they prepare a complete dish for the judges in only 30 minutes.
The festival has been organized by Creative Coastal Connections Corp sine 2015.
By Mary Jo Tarallo, Resident Journalist
Mary Jo Tarallo spent much of her career in public relations with various non-profits and spent 40 years involved with the ski industry as a journalist, public relations director for a national trade association and as executive director of the Learn to Ski and Snowboard initiative. Prior to her ski industry involvement she worked for the Maryland International Center in Baltimore and United Way of Central Maryland. She won a Gold Award for TV programming for a United Way simulcast that starred Oprah Winfrey. She has been cited for her work by numerous organizations. Mary Jo grew up in Baltimore, attended the University of Maryland and Towson University, lived in Washington, DC for 21 years and has been a full time resident of Rehoboth Beach and Milton since May 2019.
