Meet The Chefs
Chef Joseph Koye
Chef Joseph Koye is the Executive Chef and Owner of Wild Blue Creative Catering. In his cooking Chef Koye believes that only the best and freshest ingredients should be used. Chef Koye and his Culinary Team have catered special events for the Philadelphia Eagles, Nascar, Bloomberg Financial Network among various other clients.
Sean McNeice
Sean McNeice, Executive Chef of the Cherry Tree Hospitality Group, was raised in Wilmington and graduated from Del Tech's Culinary School in 1996. Along with American, Asian and Latin influences, McNeice explores a wide range of cooking styles and techniques focusing on food that appeals to a broad spectrum of pallets . His love of beer is evident in cooking technique and style as well, using suds wherever possible and appropriate.
The Cooks and Bakers of Delcastle Technical High School
The Cooks and Bakers group is the community service arm of the Culinary Arts department. The students in the Cooks and Bakers remain after school to plan, organize and perform community service events including the Great Gingerbread House Construction Tour and the Edible Celebration of Dr. Seuss’ Birthday. Through their efforts, the students have contributed over 2000 hours of service as well as received national recognition from Nickelodeon, the President’s Award for Volunteer Service and numerous national competition medals for community service. In addition to their extracurricular work, the students in the culinary arts department operate a full-service café at Delcastle.
Vincent Alberici, CC, AAC
Vince is a multi-award winning alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America. He is a founding member of the Caterina de Medici Gastronomic Society, the Confrérie de la Chaine des Rôtisseurs and an inductee into the La Societe’ “Les Amis d’Escoffier” de Chicago. Vince celebrates freshly grown ingredients every day with culinary creations incorporating produce grown directly from the garden at Longwood Gardens.
Vince Immediato
Immediato’s Italian Specialities was founded in 2005 by Tony Immediato. It started out as a small sub shop that offered great tasting subs and steaks at great prices. Today, they offer catering and have just added a state of the art bakery continuing over 100 years of family baking history.
Don Scalessa
Chef-Owner, Don Scalessa opened Cafe Scalessa's in November 2002 after being inspired by Marterano's in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Chef Don now turns out some of the most impressive freshly made pasta and seafood dishes. Don strives for excellence with every dish that makes it way from the kitchen to your table.
Amporn Vasquez
Everything at Elizabeths -- our dough, our sauces, our soups, and even our cookies and special desserts -- is made by hand on the premises. The pizzas are then assembled in front of you, and baked in one of our special wood burning ovens.
Denise Reynolds
Denise always dreamed of being a chef, starting at the age of two cooking and learning at her grandmother’s side. She spent her childhood watching TV chefs and cooking shows, creating and cooking imaginary dishes for her family. She began her career at sixteen, working in restaurants determined to earn her way onto the culinary line, succeeding within her first month.
Denise is a graduate of the prestigious Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh. Having always worked in restaurants, Denise started her career in the Green Room and Brandywine Room at the four-diamond Hotel DuPont, before moving to the historic Dilworthtown Inn, where she ran the Innkeepers Kitchen, hosting and teaching her passion to cook. Most recently Denise worked in the restaurant at the Mendenhall Inn and at Chianti in South Philly. Currently Denise works for Sodexo as the Executive Sous Chef at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Denise prepares each meal for groups of 50 to 1500, with the same passion and dedication as if she were cooking for two.
Deep Blue
Deep Blue is a seafood restaurant with a very happening bar and is located in the downtown area of Wilmington. People say this town closes at 5 o'clock, but we have proved them wrong!
Michael DeCenzo
Michael DeCenzo has been at the helm of the University and Whist Club culinary creations for the past nine years. His previous experiences have served him well. During his time at the club, Chef Michael has taken the menu from traditional club fare to new heights by staying on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the restaurant field. By keeping pace with local competition, he is constantly changing the menu to serve only the freshest ingredients prepared to order.
Christina School District
Chef Marc-Antony Williams Executive Chef/Director, Child Nutrition Services of the Christina School District
Chef Williams is the Executive Chef/Director of Child Nutrition Services of hte Christina School District. He has spent much of his life in strong agricultural communities in rural eastern North Carolina, southern Delaware and central Florida, so he is keenly aware of the benefits of using local produce. Before coming to Christina, he was an award-winning fine dining chef in Orlando, Florida and owner of Culinary Safari, an exotic foods distribution and catering company. At CNS, he has revitalized CNS’ significance by providing his customers with healthy, great tasting menu items, using local produce as often as possible. He currently works with the Nemours Foundation and the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation to accomplish this mission.
Chef Williams will be assisted by Chef Paul Schuele, Chef de Cuisine/Manager for Christiana High School, McClary Elementary and Margaret Sterk School for the Deaf; Katherine Anthony, Chef/Manager for the all CSD Wilmington City Schools; Julie Costa, Chef/Manager Newark High, West Park and Downes; and Andrea Solge rd, CNS Nutritionist.
James Lauser
As the chef at the Hilton Estate, Chef Lauser has been passionate about cooking since he was a young man. Growing up in a family of five children, he saw a need to help his two busy parents cooking in their cozy home kitchen. As he grew more comfortable in the craft, his creativity began to flourish. Today, his dishes win awards and recognition for their flavor, originality, and creativity. His menu is designed by developing partnerships and relationships with the local community, charities, farmers and vendors.
Ameritage Bistro
Our chef and his crew create a dining experience for your enjoyment that blends the best traditional recipes with modern cuisine to offer you a flavorful selection of shared, small and full entrees.
Ben Wurst
I grew up outside Philadelphia. My parents owned and operated restaurants my whole childhood so it was only natural for me to end up in a kitchen. I took my first head chef position in February this year just in time for the transition from Conley Ward Steak House to our new identity as C.W. Haborside!
DuPont Hospitality Group
Dave Lattomus began his culinary career at the age of 14 as a busboy and dishwasher. After graduating from Pennsylvania Culinary in Pittsburgh, PA, Dave worked in Pittsburgh's foremost Northern Italian Restaurant, Carmasssi's Tuscany Grille. Upon returning to Delaware, he spent many hours in the kitchens of Harry's Savoy Grille and The Columbus Inn, where he was promoted to Sous Chef. His creativity and passion for culinary excellence led the way to his position of Executive Chef at the Union City Grille. In October 2006, Lattomus left the private restaurant scene and is currently Restaurant Chef at the DuPont Country Club.
Executive Chef Keith J. Miller has been a member of the culinary industry for 19 years. Prior to joining the culinary team as Executive Chef at the Hotel du Pont, Miller worked as Executive Chef at the DuPont Country Club. He joined the country club staff in 1991 as a banquet cook and served in virtuall every kitchen capacity including senior cook, Garde Manager, sous chef at the Brantwyn Estate, and banquet sous chef before becoming the Club's Executive Chef in 2006. Before joining the DuPont Country Club, he worked as the banquet cook at the Wilmington Country Club and during a cross-property development program Miller oversaw the Green Room at the Hotel du Pont in 2000.
Eric Aber and Paul Egnor
Casual dining with a unique hip décor, Home Grown Café is located in the heart of downtown. Owners Eric and Sasha Aber bring you a wonderful experience featuring award winning gourmet salads, home made soups, fresh seafood and steaks, and a variety of vegetarian options. Unique martinis and mouth-watering desserts are worth a special trip.
Brad Dawson
Caffé Gelato serves Northern Italian, Mediterranean inspired cuisine. It has a strong culinary focus of preparing meals with flavors that are not easily duplicated by customers at home.
Dogfish Head
Off-centered ales, for off-centered people... that's what we do here at Dogfish Head! Whether it's weird ingredients, super-strong extreme beers, or crazy, made-up styles, you can be sure that a beer from Dogfish will challenge your perceptions of what beer is supposed to be!
We make, bottle and keg most of our beer in our Milton, Delaware brewery. We also have a small brewery inside our Rehoboth Beach brewpub. That's where we do our experimental batches - the funkiest of the funky! Our beers are distributed across the United States.
Delaware Technical Community College
The culinary arts instructional team at Delaware Tech is composed of (from left to right) Pastry Chef Andrea Brandli, Chef Ron Leounes, Chef Tom Howell CEC, Chef Dave Nolker , CEC and Laboratory Specialist, Chef Dave Shapero. Collectively, the team shares over 100 years of experience in the industry and appreciates and promotes the recent trend of using healthy and fresh local products.
Chef Andrea is a 2001 graduate of the Delaware Tech Culinary Arts program and has worked at several local restaurants and bakeries before joining the college in 2005. Chef Ron is a true restaurateur at heart with working and running family restaurants and his own catering business. Chef Tom, a 1977 graduate of Johnson & Whales University has worked numerous years with the DuPont Company and presently consults. Chef Dave, the program chairperson graduated from culinary school in England in 1975 and has worked with the British Royal Family and prestigious hotels and private clubs. Laboratory Specialist, Chef Dave is a 2006 graduate of the Delaware Tech Culinary Arts program. All of the chefs work with the culinary program students and have them get involved with real-life experiences on a routine basis.
Seth Harvey
French inspired Bistro pizzas from the stone hearth, great salads, soups, crepes and pastas, hot gourmet sandwiches. Enjoy "shareables" like moules frites and a selection of local artisan crafted cheeses as well as classic and creative entrees like Steak Frites and coq au vin at Bistro on the Brandwine.
Katie Loeb, Mixologist
Moved to Philadelphia to get a degree in Communications and Marketing from U. Penn, got into the catering business part time for some extra cash and found my calling as a professional foodie. Worked as an administrator at Pasion and Moore Brothers Wine Company, and in restaurant management at White Dog Cafe and London Grill. Eventually my wine knowledge got me a position with MealTicket, Inc. a group of restaurants that included Striped Bass, Rouge, Bleu and Avenue B. and I worked my way up to Beverage Director and Controller. I started getting more interested in cocktail creation and actually bartending. I set up the opening Beverage program at Amada and bartended there for a year. I worked at M restaurant and at Chick's Cafe Wine Bar for the last year. I've attended the Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans for the last two years, a gathering of the very best bartenders and spirit professionals in the world. I love to "think like a chef" when creating cocktails and am a big proponent of making my own fresh mixers whenever I can find or create a recipe for them. I just won Best of Philly for "Most Creative Cocktails".
Stay Tuned for updates and new information!
