Hamel’s country shop keeps McQuay’s Market tradition alive

McQuay’s Market in Rehoboth Beach has taken on a new name but will still provide fresh, local produce.

Hamel’s, a new gourmet market that began operations five weeks ago, took over the former McQuay’s space at 510 Rehoboth Ave. Owner Mary Murphy said that while the name has changed, she left the McQuay’s name over the building to honor its historic significance in Rehoboth.

Murphy said the new name comes from her grandfather, Harry Hamel, a well-known butcher in Ireland.

“Hopefully he’ll give us some good direction from above,” Murphy said. “The concept of the store is really to make good food fast, for both the visitor and also for our local residents here in Rehoboth. So what we do here is really focus on fresh, daily and local.”

She said Hamel’s not only uses produce from local farmers, but also has a farmer’s feature every weekend.

“We wanted to make fairly familiar items to most people, but we use local ingredients and fresh ingredients,” Murphy said.

Besides fresh produce, cheeses, breads and salads, Hamel’s has rotisserie chicken, made daily, and items from Lewes Dairy.

“Probably our biggest piece right now is our lobster and shrimp salad, and our Greek salad seems to be popular,” Murphysaid. “We’re not a supermarket, but we hope we have enough of a line that you’ll be able to get what you need at a price point that allows you to come back to us.”

Hamel’s also has a limited line of meats, geared toward the grill. Murphy said Hamel’s sells the steaks individually, by the steak, not by the pound. There are also hot dogs from Hebrew National and sausages from Martin’s Specialty Sausages in Philadelphia. Hamel’s also has a long line of sandwiches, the most popular of which is the Italian meat sandwich, Murphy said.

“It’s a selection of salamis on a roll that we bake here ourselves with a little drizzle of balsamic, extra virgin olive oil, lettuce, tomato, salt and pepper,” Murphy said.

Catering is also available, and Murphy said the staff at Hamel’s helps pair different food items to suit individual customer needs.

“We can make sure that we tailor it to the needs, instead of saying, ‘Here’s what we do, like it or lump it.’ That’s so not what we’re about,” Murphy said. “I believe in that sort of service, getting to know a person.”

A native of Waterford in southeast Ireland, Murphy has been in the United States for 18 years, six of them in Dewey Beach. She said she’s always loved the East Coast and hopes Hamel’s can become a fixture in Rehoboth for locals and visitors.

“We wanted it to be that quintessential beach market, that you get to know everybody, you know what we do, you keep coming back for the freshness and the quality of things,” Murphy said. “There’s such a lovely feeling of community in Rehoboth. We wanted this to be a reflection of what we think Rehoboth is about.”

Hamel’s is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, call 302-227-3386.