Michy's Relaxed Dining: South Florida flavors in Rehoboth

Dining out in the Cape Region recently got a little more flavor with a little less stress with the May opening of Michy's Relaxed Dining in Rehoboth Beach.

Since the opening, Michy's owners, Richard and Michelle Davis have been serving up Caribbean-style seafood dishes and contemporary American fare, inspired by a sojourn to South Florida in the early 2000s.

They said their return to Rehoboth Beach was driven by a desire to fulfill their dream of opening a restaurant at the Delaware beaches, where they first met in 1991.

"It has always been a dream of ours to open a place," Michelle said. "We were standing on the edge, and we took the jump."

Richard, a native of the United Kingdom and former head chef at La La Land, first began working as a chef in Rehoboth nearly 25 years ago.

Two years later, he met Michelle, or Michy, at a party to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Blue Moon restaurant, now in it's 33rd year. The couple hasn't looked back since.

These days, the Davises work as a team to run Michy's, with Michelle taking care of customer service and operations while Richard assumes control of the kitchen.

A Delaware native, Michelle said she always vacationed at the beaches and is already enjoying the following Michy's has developed by virtue of its convenient location and dinner and happy-hour specials.

Although he was trained as a chef in the U.K., Richard said his seafood specialties at Michy's have come to reflect the South Florida influences of their travels.

As soon as they returned to Delaware, Michelle said, she began looking at restaurant locations and came across a space, tucked between Food Lion and a GNC store.

From the first time they walked in, Michelle said, she knew it was the spot where they could realize their dream: an upscale-casual eatery with a South Florida feel and free parking.

"It started with the blue walls," she said. "It's a comfortable environment; you can come here off the beach, and it feels like home,"

So far, their chilled-out take on spicy Caribbean flavors and contemporary American dining has been warmly received, Richard said.

"It's a very relaxing environment with good food, good drinks and good service," he said. "We use a lot of fresh ingredients. There's a lot of South Florida, Caribbean and Latino influence in the food."

Michy's Relaxed Dining opens at 4 p.m. daily with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.

For more information, go to www.michysrelaxeddining.com or call 302-227-0999.