Rehoboth jazz festival names 2026 Producer of the Year honoree

Bronx, New York-born builder/developer Bob Ciprietti quite literally transported the tastes of his childhood home on Arthur Avenue to his three wildly popular Touch of Italy eateries in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City, Md. After they were established, his love for steaks and fine dining gave rise to the beautifully appointed Royal Prime Steakhouse at Bally’s Dover Casino Resort.

It all began well over 10 years ago in his vacation home at the beach, where he would treat friends and neighbors to authentic Bronx-style Italian delights, carted down the turnpike every week in his pickup truck.

Ciprietti’s generosity continues not only in the form of consistent quality and service at the restaurants, but also in substantial donations to charities such as local food banks, Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth, his Touch of Italy/RehobothFoodie.com Culinary Scholarship Fund and his current Touch of Italy Community Fund headed up by longtime Operations Manager Matt Pfau.

The consistently high quality of his restaurants, along with his many charitable contributions, makes restaurateur and humanitarian Bob Ciprietti a worthy recipient of the 2026 Rehoboth Jazz Festival Producer of the Year honor.