By Tina Coleman , Southern Delaware Tourism

For savvy foodies, Southern Delaware’s Culinary Coast™ conjures mouthwatering images of Sussex County Delaware’s land and sea bounty, creatively and innovatively prepared by the area’s renowned and award-winning chefs. Recently two of those chefs have brought even more accolades to the Culinary Coast™ by representing Southern Delaware in popular television competitions. 

Acclaimed chef Hari Cameron is a previous nominee for the James Beard Awards’ “Rising Star Chef” and “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” as well as a StarChefs Rising Stars Award in 2018. Now a consultant and co-owner of Grandpa Mac in Rehoboth Beach, Cameron appeared recently on Netflix as a competitor on Snack vs Chef, which challenged participants to come up with novel but shelf-stable snacks suitable for a vending machine and to recreate classic snacks. Cameron, widely known as one of the Culinary Coast’s™ most innovative chefs, advanced as far as the finals before being eliminated. 

Another fabulous Culinary Coast™ chef, Dru Tevis, set his sights on winning the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. Tevis is corporate pastry chef for Southern Delaware’s SoDel Concepts hospitality group and was the first pastry chef to receive the title of Best Chef in the Delaware Today Best Of Awards. He was also recently named a Rising Star Chef by the Delaware Restaurant Association. And now, as Sussex Countians found out along with the rest of the world just before the December holidays, Tevis succeeded in winning the Holiday Baking Championship and the $25,000 prize. 

“Southern Delaware Tourism congratulates both Hari and Dru for their successes and for representing our Culinary Coast™ so spectacularly to millions of Netflix and Food Network viewers,” says Scott Thomas, executive director of Southern Delaware Tourism. 

“Our area has become the coastal culinary capital of the Mid-Atlantic largely thanks to the vision and hard work of our chefs and restaurateurs. These two extremely talented chefs have further cemented and amplified that incredible legacy.” 

Southern Delaware’s Culinary Coast™ features a vibrant food scene driven by award-winning chefs and restaurants; thriving agricultural, aquaculture, fisheries and seafood economies; year-round farmer’s markets, immersive food-focused festivals and more. 

Southern Delaware Tourism supports and encourages the identification, development and promotion of sustainable, year-round tourism in Southern Delaware that contributes to economic growth and improves the quality of life. 

For more information, call Southern Delaware Tourism at 302-856-1818 or visit www.VisitSouthernDelaware.com.