Nourish in the press

Go Greek on the highway; get Nourished on the Boardwalk

One of the (very few) things I miss about living in the Washington, D. C. area is the delicious supply of ethnic restaurants. If you’re willing to arm-wrestle your way around the Capital Beltway, there is very little in world cuisine that cannot be enjoyed.

Though I pine away for authentic Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and Indian fare here at the beach - are you getting this, wannabe restaurateurs? - one of my favorites is Greek food. Fortunately, when the need for a Greek fix does arise, we need go no farther than Zorba’s Restaurant. Pete and Noula Panagakos are never without lemony dolmades, fragrant moussaka and creamy tzatziki, just to name a few.

Pete came to the United States from Greece at the tender age of 24. He’s been a chef for most of his adult life, honing his skills at restaurants in Long Island and Baltimore. Noula was working in a midtown Manhattan office when they met.

About six summers ago, the opportunity arose for them to buy their own place here in Rehoboth Beach, so they packed up their son and daughter (now 16 and 22 years old) and journeyed southward to the Food Lion shopping center on Coastal Highway.

Now this is where I got my hand slapped a couple of weeks ago when I wrote in this column that they purchased Zorba’s from the previous owner. That was not entirely accurate, and I hang my head in ignominy. Yes, they did purchase an existing restaurant there, but they were the ones who changed the name to Zorba’s. So there, Noula. I have atoned for my sins.

The menu includes Italian and American fare, but at first it was an uphill battle to acclimate the Delaware shore palate to Greek cookery. Pete and Noula tell me that more and more diners come to Zorba’s for the ethnic dishes, expertly ordering such tongue-twisters as Melitzanosalata (a Greek take on the Middle Eastern eggplant dip baba ghanouj) and Spanakopitakia (chopped spinach and feta cheese melted in an envelope of golden brown filo).

One of the reasons I like writing this stuff is that I get to meet chefs and owners who are passionate about what they do. Pete Panagakos is certainly one of those people. Another Rehoboth chef and owner who takes what she does very seriously is Deberah Sutter, part owner of Nourish deli and catering company and the soon- to- open Nourish Express.

Sutter has seen her share of fame, feeding such luminaries as Martha Stewart, Glenn Close, Liza Minelli and even Bill and Hillary Clinton. In spite of this star-studded guest list, her primary objective is to educate people about nutrition. After all, you are what you eat, and she is well aware of the therapeutic benefits of healthy food.

Nourish Express is located at the Elite PT Physical Therapy center in the Stuart Kingston building on the Boardwalk.

Everything will be geared toward healthy eating, not only for patients recovering from injuries, but also anyone who wants a light and healthy nosh in a friendly setting.

Elite PT is a story in itself. Exercise physiologist Amelia Knarr and her husband John, a physical therapist, started Elite PT in California, partnering with Los Angeles gyms to help physical therapy patients keep up their programs. John, a native Delaware-an, started the PT clinic at the University of Delaware. He met Amelia at a conference in California, and the desire for a slower pace brought them to the Rehoboth Boardwalk.

Nourish Express is a lot more than granola and rice cakes. Portioned fruit dishes, yogurt parfaits, fresh coffees and mini baked goods will be available to therapy patients and Boardwalkers alike. Friday afternoon healthy hour (kind of like happy hour, but without the police tape) will feature mocktails, chips, salsa, hummus and lots of tasty nibbles.

Outdoor seating by the ocean promises to make Nourish Express the place to be seen and to be healthy, all at the same time.

Bob Yesbek is a notorious foodie and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Nourish cooks up special treats in Rehoboth Beach

By Ryan Mavity
It's fitting that the business replacing Beautiful Foods would concoct some beautiful food of its own. Nourish, a new specialty food store at Henlopen Junction, took over for Beautiful Foods in January. Nourish's owners, head chef Deberah Sutter and business partner Lois Pellegrino, have extensive experience within the specialty food industry.

The pair worked together as consultants at the Lewes-based organic foods market Good For You and Edible Art Foods in Rehoboth. Sutter has been a chef at restaurants in San Francisco and New York. She started her first restaurant, at 17, outside San Francisco where she is originally from. "I just have an amazing passion for food. It's who I am. It's what I do. I love it," Sutter said. Sutter said the response from the Rehoboth community has been phenomenal.

"They're loyal. They've been very supportive. They were very supportive of Beautiful Foods. So now that we have made the remodeling changes and also we are adding a lot of prepared foods, more organic, natural and local products, the community has been very supportive," Sutter said. She said the concept of Nourish spun out of Edible Art Foods and a restaurant Sutter worked at in New York called Farm To Table.

"Moving to Delaware, I found it difficult to find certain products," Sutter said. "We found there was a real void, and there was an opportunity to fill that void." Nourish's product lines include artisanal cheeses, whole- grain breads, fresh meats and organic chocolates. Pellegrino said Sutter's cooking tries to preserve the food in its purest form.

"That means without over-spicing or over-marinating. Certainly no chemical additives or preservatives," Pellegrino said. "I use really good products," Sutter said. "When you're using produce from Hattie's Garden, and she grows the best arugula and you've got a great olive oil or a lemon olive oil and great vinegars, you can't go wrong. So the worst thing you can do to something like that is overpower Hattie's arugula. And that's how I feel about everything."

At this point, Nourish is take-out and catering, but Sutter said she'd place tables outside during the summer so people can eat at the store. Local designer Giancarla thought up the name Nourish as well as the logo. "She came up with the name and the logo based on who she believes we are and what we can bring to the community," Sutter said. "I think that says it all."

Sutter said in the future she wanted to have cooking classes and work with local farmers to provide education about naturally grown foods. Sutter and Pellegrino said they see Nourish as a community-oriented business.

"What would be the eating equivalent of the local watering hole? The place where people come for a little nibble and something to drink," Pellegrino said. "I think it would be nice for the community and business owners to see this place as the place to have your products." Pellegrino said she envisions Nourish as the place to go for ingredients as well as finished products. Sutter said Nourish should have a sandwich menu in place by April 1.

Nourish is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, although Pellegrino said the hours will expand as the summer approaches. For more information on Nourish, call 302-227-6282 or visit www.nourishingidea.com.

It's More Than Edible and More Than Art: It's awesome

By Fay Jacobs
Letters From CAMP Rehoboth
February 08, 2008
Well I finally have something in common with Bill and Hillary, Martha Stewart, Joan Baez, Susan Sarandon, Billy Baldwin, Chevy Chase, Melissa Etheridge and Suzie Orman. I can see you thinking. Well, two (and a half if you count Baez) are lesbians and most are democrats. If you've seen my checkbook it can't be that Suzi Orman and I are both financial gurus. I don't sing, act, do stand-up or make home decor out of pumpkins and doilies. I do however enjoy a good meal. And all of the above-mentioned celebs have had the same delicious experience I just had a delectable luncheon prepared by chef Deberah Sutter of Edible Art Foods. You don't know poached salmon until you know Deberah.

From her commercial kitchen at 48 Wilmington Avenue (make that Wonderful Wilmington Avenue) Deberah and her partner Lois Pellegrino have launched Edible Art Foods, a farm to table operation. In a world with a slowly rising consciousness, Chef Deberah runs a green business focused on healthy food that's also cutting edge scrumptious. Deberah's mission is to get people eating well and being well. From her catering menus to ready-to-serve meals, Deberah's seeing to it that going healthy has never been so delicious. As the chef works her magic on the big commercial stove before her, Lois, seated on a stool adjacent to the big stainless steel work counter explains how the pair landed in Rehoboth. Like many other couples, Deberah and Lois vacationed here and fell in love with Rehoboth's welcoming exuberance and attitude. "We spent a couple of weeks here and then set off on a six-week RV trip," says Lois. It was on that road trip that they decided to leave New York restaurant-owning days behind and "just do it. Move to the beach." It was a lot to leave behind. Deberah had been owner and chef at the acclaimed Flying Pig Restaurant in Westchester County, N.Y., where the likes of Hill, Bill, and Suzi Orman used to stop by. And she was a much-in-demand celebrity caterer as well. Her recipes won critical raves and she was the talk of the town. Now, after tasting her recipes, I want to make her the talk of this town. So now Lois, recently retired from a health care career, and Deb have put together a business plan to recreate themselves at the beach with Edible Art Foods. And their business plan is surprising in many ways.

First, their goal is to have their new community of friends in the Rehoboth area eating better. Next, is to build a demand for healthier eating in the community with cooking classes and most importantly, they do not believe, as Deberah says, in "sticking people with a fork to get their attention." They plan to get people's attention in less pointed ways by partnering with local non-profits and giving away some of their delectable food so people can get a taste of what Nourish can do.

To that end, their business plan includes a calendar of events throughout the year where they will be providing complimentary catering. From Rehoboth Main Street (I got to them immediately!) to CAMP Rehoboth, and others, Edible Art will donate their ingredients and services. "It's what we do," says Deberah. "If you want to get it back, you give it away."

Whether it be catering a dinner party in your home, teaching you to cook, providing you with a healthy box lunch for the beach (after all, their kitchen is a block from the ocean!) or catering a community event for 500 people (artistically presented AND healthy), you'll get to know Edible Art quite quickly.I did. And believe me, I'm headed back for more.