Stepping into one of the retail locations of Nourish Specialty Foods Market, Café and Catering in Rehoboth Beach, Del., is like stepping into a foodie’s paradise. Every shelf and cooler is filled with fresh, healthy, organic or unique options, such as the house-made Charred Tomato Salsa or potato chips that are “popped” instead of fried or baked. But the concept of Nourish is about far more than just good food.
For owners Deberah Sutter and Lois Pellegrino, creating Nourish was about creating community.
“They come in as a customer, and they leave as family,” Sutter, who is also the executive chef at Nourish, said of the business’ patrons.
Before moving to the Delaware shore, Sutter worked with a 240-acre farm in New York – an environmentally sustainable project run mostly by bio-diesel that produced everything from grass-fed beef to tilapia to Shetland lamb, which she then served at a restaurant in Westchester – among other projects.
“As a chef, driving out to a 240-acre farm was like being a kid in a candy shop,” she recounted. “It changed my life.”
That concept of a mission-driven business was carried with the pair when they relocated to southern Delaware in August 2007. They started with two restaurants, but Sutter said she struggled because of the lack of available ingredients in the area. Both found other positions.
“It was sort of a situation where you can become a part of the solution or the problem,” she said.
The couple then took over the “good bones” of Beautiful Foods in Henlopen Junction, just off of Route 1, and took to battling with the quandary of a mission-driven business in a seasonal community, where much of the population is in a constant state of flux and many customers want what they want when want it, nevermind the availability of fresh, in-season items.
But Sutter has found a happy marriage between the two worlds of what customers came to expect from Beautiful Foods and her desire to get the most out of food in the healthiest way.
Now, Nourish has three locations. The market and café are still in the old Beautiful Foods location at Henlopen Junction. There, shoppers can find everything from meat and produce to sauces and artisanal vinegars. They can also order sandwiches and snacks to go and eat in the store, or have platters made, or any other number of other options.
The other two locations are at Elite Physical Therapy and Stuart Kingston, an oriental carpets and jewelry store, both located on the north end of the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk and featuring mini-markets and cafés.
Sutter said that, this year, they plan to stay open year-round, except for January, but will probably go down to four days of operation per week in the off-season. She said they find their customers can usually plan their shopping around limited days of operation.
“Because of where we live, there is a cost associated with the lack of volume,” said Sutter, explaining that people who want to eat green, grass-fed products need to be willing to shell out some extra cash.
But both Sutter and Pellegrino said that the extra cost associated with a specialty foods store is well worth it.
“When people enter a specialty store, they’re expecting specialized customer service,” said Pellegrino. “People are coming in here expecting you to know about the product and educate them and then they can make the decision whether it has the value that is associated with that price.”
And for many who value sustainability and a personal touch in their food, literally and figuratively, it is – especially those who try very hard to eat with proper nutrition. In fact, Sutter called learning to eat healthy a full-time job.
But the movement is growing, said the pair, explaining that people are getting back to basics with food, calling it a movement.
“They want to have something that is more foundational, that gives their kids, their families, meaning,” Sutter said.
Pellegrino attributed the movement to the Baby Boomer generation that battled childhood obesity and is now coming from as high up as the White House.
“There’s really a whole microscope on the responsibility that we all have to be mindful – not purist, not fanatics,” Pellegrino said, gesturing at a phrase on the wall at the store, which reads, “Do you know where your food comes from?”
If Nourish carries a product or includes them in a dish, either Pellegrino or Sutter has been to the farm and spoken to the person who raised it. They said that gives the greatest transfer of energy that can be seen and tasted.
“Ultimately, when a chef or anybody in a kitchen is working with food and there’s a passion and an understanding, that translates into love on the plate,” said Sutter.
In addition to the market and café, Sutter and Pellegrino cater many private functions and dinners. They said they are going to continue to expand with cooking classes and the restaurant in the winter, educating people about good food.
Sutter and Pellegrino said there has been tremendous evolution since Nourish first opened its doors, but remaining true to their mission, to creatively serving people what they should want to be eating, and imparting passion and love for food, remain their chief goals.
But they also recognize that, in this community, they simply couldn’t do it alone, within their own establishments or in the broader area.
“You’re not trying to be everything to everybody,” Sutter said. “We’re just a small piece of the pie.”
