Rehoboth’s Hari Cameron talks honors, future plans

Chef Hari Cameron’s a(MUSE.) in Rehoboth Beach was recently named Delaware’s best Farm-to-Table restaurant by Food and Wine magazine in a national state-by-state selection.

Cameron said the best ingredients come from within 200 miles of Rehoboth. He said he has been using locally sourced foods since he was the chef at Nage.

“The inspiration for me comes from a lot of different places. I want my food to have one foot in the classic food of the mid-Atlantic in the ingredients, but I also want it to be in the here and now,” Cameron said. “When you put the best things in, you get the best things out.”

Still, he was surprised by the honor.

“I thought it was a cool honor. I want food that is delicious no matter what. I search for the best product possible. It just so happens that a lot of the most beautiful things that are the freshest are grown with love by friends and by farmers,” he said.

While a(MUSE.) has become known for its farm-to-table menu, Cameron said he tries not to be restricted by the label.

“The term is almost ubiquitous right now. I think people are expecting us to have awesome local things,” he said.

Cameron asks, “What is a farm-to-table nowadays? To me it’s really important to support people who are local. But at the end of the day, what the guest cares about is the food is delicious.”

The honor from Food and Wine magazine was the latest for Cameron, who last year was a semifinalist for the national James Beard Award for the Mid-Atlantic’s best chef. This year, Cameron cooked at the James Beard House, which he said is in itself a big honor.

“We do our best to serve people food that we’re interested in every day. It’s nice when somebody pays attention to all the hard work you’ve put into things,” he said. “These were things as a young cook I only dreamed would happen.”

Still, Cameron is not resting on his laurels. He has a number of projects in the works - although he doesn’t want to spill the beans just yet - but he said he is looking around to open a third location for his Grandpa Mac pasta venture. The first Grandpa Mac opened on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth, while a second, larger restaurant opened on Route 1. Cameron said the concept of Grandpa Mac is the opposite of a(MUSE.) in that it was intended as a quick-service option for families and people of all ages.

“It’s not fast food, but it’s a casual restaurant where we can make a lot of people happy. It’s kind of what the majority of America is looking for. Pasta is a great comfort food,” Cameron said. “It’s a really fun concept.”