Food and drink: Wilmington breakfast spot gets national notice; KPot opens; Bardea’s Garden and, yes, ghost kitchens are still around

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(Photo of Nery Burgos from the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau)

The Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau launched a new Corporate Diversity Program to enable more small and minority-owned businesses to benefit from Bureau membership.

Its first corporate partnership, between Amazon and Breakfast at Blume at 4304 North Market Street in Wilmington, was formed this spring. Amazon is sponsoring Breakfast at Blume’s membership in the Bureau, giving the restaurant access to networking opportunities, marketing exposure, social media promotion, meetings and group tour leads, and travel writers.

Nery Burgos, owner of Breakfast at Blume, said, “As a small business owner, I face a lot of challenges. This partnership helps me grow my business through marketing and media exposure. It will also help me expand my customer base to visitors, including those visiting our area for the first time.”

The relationship is already paying off. The Bureau helped secure media coverage for Breakfast at Blume in Southern Living magazine among its “unforgettable spots for breakfast or brunch” and in Prime Women, an online lifestyle magazine, for its “famous Banana Foster French Toast.”

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Geoff Gellas, senior staffing manager at Amazon Workforce Staffing, said, “Chef Nery has created a unique space that is reflective of her passion for food while honoring her roots and the relationships that have shaped her as a person. We are thrilled to be part of her journey.”

The Corporate Diversity Program enables businesses just starting out that have strong marketing potential but limited budgets to tap into the benefits of Bureau membership. Those interested in becoming a corporate sponsor or are interested in being considered for sponsorship of your tourism-related business, please contact Diane Angeline, membership and community relations director, at dangeline@visitwilmingtonde.com.

KPot opens a Newark-area location

KPot has opened at a location in Christiana-Stanton that formerly housed Fuddruckers and, back in the day Chi-Chi’s, a popular Mexican food and for a time night spot.

The opening near the Delaware Tech Stanton Campus comes long after the outside of the restaurant site was completed a while back and the location looked close to opening. That’s not unusual due to supply chain and labor issues.

The chain is building a national footprint that features Korean barbecue and hot-pot dishes in an all-you-can-eat format, with a maximum stay of two hours. Diners can cook their own thinly sliced meat, accompanied by veggies, at the table.

Korean food has been gaining popularity, especially that nation’s fried chicken offering Two Koeean chicken chains have opened locations to the west in Newark.

Bardea opens patio

A patio has opened between the popular Bardea and Bardea Steak establishments on Market Street in Wilmington.

The landscaped area will be known as The Garden will feature lighter fare and not provide an alfresco setting for the two Bardea restaurants.

Also, in the works for Bardea, according to Delaware Live is a pasta restaurant.

It joins the two Bardeas and Mexican and pizza stands at the DE.CO food hall in the DuPont building in downtown Wilmington.

Ghost kitchens still around

We heard a lot about “ghost kitchens” during the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The kitchens typically use chain restaurant kitchen space to prepare their items for delivery.

Perhaps the best-known is Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, which offers sandwiches and appetizers. Flavortown is still around, operating out of the address of the Brio Italian restaurant at Christiana Mall. Don’t go in looking for Flavortown items. it’s delivery only.

A couple of others are Pardon My Cheesesteak, which delivers to the Newark area, Pike Creek, Middletown, Laurel, and Milford and Libby’s Barbecue, which operates out of the state’s Ruby Tuesday’s restaurants in Pike Creek, Middletown, and Milford.

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