The Making of a Menu
- Details
- Written by Kris Legates
Coming up with the right combo takes time and a willingness to test new ideas
By Pam George
Photograph by Scott Nathan
From the May 2022 issue
As a young chef, Lisa DiFebo-Osias worked in Florida and New York establishments, executing the same dishes each night. The then-20-year-old quickly grew bored, and she vowed that no one working under her would feel that way.
Today, the owner of two coastal DiFebo’s restaurants revamps her menu every three months. “And sometimes, depending on my travels, I might change it every week to reflect where I’ve been that week or that month,” says DiFebo-Osias, who has locations in Bethany Beach and downtown Rehoboth.
Menu planning, however, is far from easy. Indeed, DiFebo-Osias and her husband, Jeff Osias, have spent plenty of road trips hotly debating a new dish’s merits or the validity of an ingredient. The brainstorming part is only the beginning. Chefs must also consider the concept, sales, seasonality, sustainability and price.
In a competitive market like this one, the right blend is crucial.
Leaving Them With a Smile
- Details
- Written by Kris Legates
A rare genetic condition hasn’t dampened Elle Nauman’s gift for brightening others’ lives
By Susan Towers
Photograph by Carolyn Watson
From the May 2022 issue
Elle Nauman may know more students and teachers than anyone else at Cape Henlopen High School near Lewes. And those who’ve met the outgoing senior respond to the positive energy she radiates as well as her gentle nature — and her propensity to send text messages.
“All my friends text me after school,” Elle says, breaking into a broad smile that’s familiar to everyone who knows her. “She sends text messages to everyone, and they all message her back,” says her younger sister, Anna, a junior at Cape.
Health Care in Crisis
- Details
- Written by Kris Legates
COVID accentuated the pre-existing condition of staff shortages. In coastal Delaware, other factors heighten the need for a remedy.
By Pam George
Photograph by Neil Parry
From the May 2022 issue
Julie Short didn’t dither over career choices after high school. Like her grandmother, she attended Beebe Healthcare’s nursing school, now the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing. “I joke with my manager and say, ‘You know, I drank the Kool-Aid in the womb because I have grown up at Beebe,’” says the fifth-generation nurse, whose mother has worked at Beebe for more than 40 years.
“I have a loyalty to Beebe,” says Short, a rapid response and “code blue” nurse. (A code blue is called when a patient experiences unexpected cardiac or respiratory arrest that requires resuscitation.)