Lydia’s Grab & Go Bistro now open in Rehoboth Beach

Looking to bring easy and healthy food options that currently don’t exist at the beach, Lydia Croce has opened Lydia’s Grab & Go Bistro in Rehoboth Beach.

Located in The Shops At Baltimore Commons on Baltimore Avenue, Lydia’s opened June 15 with a menu that includes soups, salads, dips, spreads, charcuterie and sweets. There are made-to-order items and a cooler with a wide selection of grab-and-go items.

There are a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, as little gluten as possible, and allergies are taken into consideration, said Croce. It’s all very healthy, she said.

“There are other places offering some of what we have, but my goal is to offer something that nobody else does,” said Croce, during an interview June 20.

Croce went to Wor-Wic Community College for hotel and hospitality management and has been working in the food service industry locally for years – DiFebo’s Restaurant, Big Fish Grill and Seacrets in Ocean City, Md.

Croce said she had seriously considered a full-service restaurant, but after getting really close to signing the necessary paperwork, she decided her heart wasn’t fully into it.

“I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew,” she said. “I want to start small and give myself the option of expanding.”

She has a background in hospitality management, but Croce said she dreams about making food.

“I love digging through my cookbooks and figuring out what I’m going to be making today,” she said.

As a way to increase customer interaction, Croce has brought a wide selection of those cookbooks into the bistro and created the Cookbook Corner – customers can look through the books, find a recipe they think looks interesting and submit it for her consideration. Once a month, she’ll pick a recipe and make it a special on the menu, she said.

“I want customer feedback. I want to know what people think is working and what can be improved upon,” she said. “I want a consistent product that customers enjoy.”

Lydia’s will be open year round, with its summer hours 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday. However, Croce said, if that door is open, food is being served.

For more information on Lydia’s Grab & Go Bistro, 33A Baltimore Ave., call 302-567-2971, email lydiasrehoboth@gmail.com or go to lydiasbistro.com.