Flora & Fauna now open in Rehoboth Beach
Looking to provide the type of cheese shop she’s been looking for locally, chef Julie Biggs has opened Flora & Fauna in The Shops at Baltimore Commons in Rehoboth Beach.
So many people have memorable experiences with cheese, said Biggs. A cheese with a distinctive flavor stands out in someone’s mind, she said.
“I know in my own personal search for a local cheese shop, I would have liked to have a shop like this,” said Biggs.
Growing up on a 125-acre family farm in Damascus, Md., west of Baltimore, Biggs’ culinary career began with a summer job in Mystic, Conn., after she graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in botany. She never looked back from that summer job, eventually working in Hawaii, attending Boston University’s Master of Gastronomy program, working for nearly a decade as charcutier at renowned cheese chop Formaggio Kitchen, and serving as executive chef of two restaurants in Charleston, S.C. More than two decades after it began, Biggs moved back to the area to be closer to family; she now lives in Lewes.
To start, the cheese selection will be small, but with a wide range, said Biggs a few days before a soft opening May 19. There will be holes, but more will be added every week, she said.
In addition to cheeses, Flora & Fauna will be offering baguette sandwiches, salads, to-go dinners, beach snacks, local produce and locally baked breads. There will be sandwiches made daily, and when they’re gone, they’re gone for the day, said Biggs.
“I plan on doing everything I can in this space. To push the limits,” said Biggs.
Biggs’ career has been spent in buildings, but the shop is her first attempt at a brick-and-mortar location. It’s taken a little more than expected, but people have been good to work with, she said.
“When setting up a business, it’s all the little things you think of as you’re getting things together,” said Biggs. “We’re getting there. It’s exciting.”
Biggs said she will continue to operate her private chef and cooking class business. The two go hand in hand because most of the private events are in the evening and it allows her to get her equipment out of her office and into a kitchen, she said.
Flora & Fauna, 33 Baltimore Ave., Suite A, is open 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday. Hours could change as the summer progresses. For more information, call 302-640-5678, email flora.fauna.rehoboth@gmail.com or go to florafaunacheese.com.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
