SoDel wine dinner honors Matt Haley
The room held a warm glow on a rainy winter night in January.
Strangers and friends alike gathered to break bread, hanging on Mike Zygmonski's every word.
The SoDel Concepts' wine sommelier spoke of the company's late founder, Matt Haley, and how he was connected to the bottle of wine Zygmonski was holding.
"As you know, Matt was a motorcyclist who loved to travel," he said. "On a particular trip to Italy, he found himself lost down a dirt road, needing to use the bathroom. As fate would have it, he knocked on the door of Manfredo Di San Bonifacio."
Bonifacio and Haley instantly connected, he said.
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"As you probably also know, Matt loved wine," Zygmonski added. "And Manfredo had a winery."
His wine, Conti di San Bonifacio, is now featured at all eight SoDel Concepts restaurants. The company also showcases it once or twice a year, specifically, at one of its many wine dinners.
Those who attended the sold-out Jan. 18 wine dinner, held at Catch 54 in Selbyville, were served five courses paired with several of Bonifacio's wines.
"Although Matt is no longer with us, Manfredo has continued to remain a company friend," Zygmonski said. "He is a remarkable person, and his wine is exceptional."
Attendees dined on fresh sweet bread with Conti di San Bonifacio olive oil — made exclusively for SoDel — raspberry point oysters, topped with paddlefish caviar, roasted tomato and garlic crab bisque, grilled rainbow trout with roasted vegetables, pan-seared filet mignon over lobster risotto, and dark chocolate mousse for dessert.
The wine dinner was one of nearly 40 to be held this offseason, from October to May.
"The dinners are a wonderful opportunity to showcase what our chefs are capable of," SoDel Concepts president Scott Kammerer said. "We really like to take advantage of the 'second season'. We can do things for our customers, like the wine dinners, that we can't during the busy summers."
Each wine dinner menu is crafted around a theme, with the help of Zygmonski, to optimize pairings with the featured wines.
Upcoming events will include a showcase of Sposato wine, paired with elevated Mexican cuisine at Papa Grande's Coastal Taqueria in Rehoboth Beach, on Feb. 11. Catch 54 will host a wine dinner Feb. 12 centered around historic drinks and dishes served during famous inaugural presidential dinners, in honor of President's Day. Fish On in Lewes will host a five-course Valentine's Day dinner Feb. 13. The SoDel Concepts' Women and Wine dinner series will continue Feb. 18 at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, and Northeast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View will host a wine dinner Feb. 19, showcasing Frank Family Wine.
In addition to showing off creative culinary skills and great local wines, the dinners allow like-mind individuals, passionate about food and drink, to connect, Kammerer said.
"Half the time at these things, you're sitting with a couple you've never met before," he said. "But it's easy to bond over good food and wine. We like to think these dinners really help create a sense of community."
For more information, visit sodelconcepts.com.
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