Good food – fast – that even Grandpa would love

While others sleep peacefully, restaurant lovers toss and turn as they dream of carryouts with names like All Bacon All the Time, or tiny bistros called Burned Cheese Brasserie … or Pepperoni Palace. Well, here at the beach, at least one of those flights of fancy isn’t a dream. It could have been named All Mac ‘n’ Cheese All the Time, but James Beard twice-nominated chef Hari Cameron and his brother Orion curbed their enthusiasm and named it for their grandfather, Cameron McCurdy. And thus Grandpa Mac became a reality on Coastal Highway next to the old Pier One store.

The history of this emporium of happy comfort food is not without its drama. The Cameron Brothers (Energizer Bunnies for sure) opened the first Grandpa Mac in the original Touch of Italy spot in downtown Rehoboth on July Fourth weekend, 2015 – while Hari was simultaneously gearing up for Independence Day at his a(MUSE.) restaurant across the street. Oh, and just to add to the fun, Hari and his wife Steph welcomed their first child into the world just two days before the Grandpa Mac opening. Energizer Bunnies, I tell you….

Chef Hari Cameron is a native Delawarean. While most kids were eating meatloaf and spaghetti out of a can, he and his brothers Josh and Orion (both work full time in the food industry) tucked into sushi, Thai and curries. Hari’s love of music, writing and photography prompted him to enroll in the communications curriculum at Delaware Technical & Community College. It’s amazing how many chefs, restaurant owners, food writers and critics credit an interest in music and the creative arts for their attraction to cooking. Perhaps the muse is equally at work in all those vocations.

Hari got his “big break” many (many!) years ago at The Buttery in Lewes when a chef was taken ill and the young server was recruited to man the salad station. He laughs as he tells me how much time he spent fussing over each plate to make it deliciously symmetrical. He quickly learned about the thin line between making it pretty and getting it out before the customer starved to death.

He eventually moved to downtown Rehoboth, prepping salads at the old Ram’s Head restaurant (where Rehoboth Ale House is now), soon becoming what he calls “sous chef in training” at the now long-gone Cloud 9 (home of today’s Sussex Public House). After working closely with then chef/owner Kevin Reading at the old Espuma, he joined Kevin at Nage (now Fork + Flask). Formal training was the next logical step, so he enrolled in the culinary program at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia. He graduated at the top of his class and returned to help put Nage on the culinary map. Classmate Josh Grapski’s La Vida Hospitality now operates Fork & Flask along with six other successful properties.

Back to Grandpa Mac. I want to make one thing clear: This ain’t yo’ momma’s mac ‘n’ cheese from the little blue box. Hari and Orion make their pasta in-house, every day, dishing up delights like the cheese-loving foodie’s ultimate fantasy: The Build Your Own Pasta Dish menu, where you create the mac ‘n’ cheese of your wildest dreams from a selection of well over 50 ingredients. The more restrained foodie might get The Grandpa Mac, where a 5-cheese blend and fresh-out-of-the-hopper pasta are married into the quintessential mac ’n’ cheese. The Big Ragu or the My Sweet Italian with orecchiette, sausage and mozzarella will also fill the bill – and you – at the same time. The Delmarva Dog blends the all-American wiener with the equally all-American mac ‘n’ cheese. Of course the Brothers Cameron made it their July Fourth opening-day special.

Whether it’s their creation or yours, the resulting delights can be enjoyed in the restaurant, or guiltily gobbled in the privacy of your home or hotel room. The boys even take their show on the road via their Grandpa Mac Truck. Watch for that bright-yellow noodlemobile at local events.

Hari’s restaurants have always been friendly to any and all eating proclivities, and Grandpa Mac is no different. The aforementioned guilt factor doesn’t extend to their Vegan Mac & Uncheese or the Vegan Mushroom Ragu menu items. By the way, you can build your own fresh salad (I love the dressings!), and there are always a couple of homemade soups available for the cheese challenged. Fries, tasty appetizer bites, wraps and panini sandwiches round out the menu.

I don’t want to reveal all the surprises, but I guarantee you will not leave Grandpa Mac hungry. And the prices are wallet-friendly. The Cameron boys and their team are at 18756 Coastal Highway across from Midway Galleria. They are open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., Thursday to Sunday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, and closed Wednesday.

Bob Yesbek writes and talks beach eats nonstop. He can be reached at byesbek@capegazette.com.