"This is not your average brunch," notes Chef Peter McMahon of Blue Moon and Chefs’ Committee Chair for the event two years running. "These are leading chefs working months in advance to put together some very creative dishes, all at their own expense, all for a very important cause."

He should know. For the last several years Chef McMahon has also participated in the mother of all brunches (and the event from which the Beach Brunch sprung last year), the Meals from the Masters—Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch held in Wilmington every spring which has raised $2.5 million since 1997. Then, last year Chef McMahon, knowing he could stir up support among the strong restaurant community in Sussex County, teamed with Scott Swingle of WSFS to launch the Celebrity Chefs’ Beach Brunch. With Swingle at the head of the table as Event Chair, it sold out early, earning a sizable $72,000 for Meals On Wheels Delaware.

Proceeds from both events benefit Meals On Wheels Delaware, whose agencies and their volunteers delivered over 620,000 nutritious mid-day meals to over 4,300 homebound seniors across the state last year. Recipients are unable to consistently shop or cook for themselves, so this service is a lifeline and the key to their ongoing independence, allowing them to remain living at home and not in a nursing home.

New restaurants to the Beach Brunch this year include Abstractions, The Buttery, Blue Water Grille, Café Zeus, Cultured Pearl, Fish On!, Wilmington’s Moro, Nage, Back Porch Café, Sedona and Venus on the Half Shell. They’ll be joining last year’s returnees, Atlantic Seafood Company, Blue Moon, Café Solé, Celsius, Classic Catering, Cloud 9, Dog Fish Head, Eden, Java Beach, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Toscana Kitchen & Bar from Wilmington.

If you need a few moments to savor Café Zeus’ Grilled Marinated Flank Steak or Toasted Almond Shortbread Blueberry Tart with Crème Fraîche (or you simply need to digest between Rounds 2 and 3), you can stroll through the silent auction of specialty items like sports memorabilia and tickets, luxury vacations, vintage wines, gourmet cooking items and unusual gifts.

Top sponsors include WSFS Bank, Highway One Limited Partnership, Cape Gazette, Brandywine Assisted Living at Seaside Pointe, CAMP Rehoboth, Intervet, and Vance Funk, PA.

"With Sussex County’s retirement population growing so rapidly, we need to be sure the entire community understands the value of Meals On Wheels and also supports it," says WSFS’ Swingle. "It’s important for Meals On Wheels to be able to meet increasing demands easily, without making someone who’s in need sit on a waiting list for home-delivered meals because the funds aren’t there. This is a way we can all make sure there are no waiting lists for our elderly neighbors as we enjoy a spectacular feast."

Approximately 53% of the cost of each meal delivered is covered by the state of Delaware’s Division on Services for the Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD). Meals On Wheels Delaware and its member agencies cover the remaining cost through private sector donations and grants.

Since 1997, Meals On Wheels Delaware has distributed $1.1 million to its member agencies with over $330,000 going to Sussex County via Sussex County Senior Services/CHEER and Meals On Wheels of Lewes and Rehoboth.