Smokin’ D’z BBQ finds new home at Hopkins Farm Creamery
Smokin’ D’z BBQ is preparing to reopen its red trailer, where it cooks and serves meals, at a new location next to Hopkins Farm Creamery west of Lewes.
The business is scheduled to open in the first weekend of May at its new location, 18186 Dairy Farm Road at the corner of Route 9, said Katherine Birl, who co-owns the business with her husband, Damian.
The business began 14 years ago at the corner of Cave Neck Road and Route 1, but had to relocate because the property is being cleared for future development of a project called Chappell Farm.
Katherine said she appreciates the support of the community. When people heard the business was losing its longtime location, they offered alternative sites. Damian contacted the Hopkins family to inquire about space at the creamery property.
“My husband reached out to Mr. Hopkins,” she said. “The family came over to see us on our closing day [in October]. We worked it out from there.”
The Hopkins family could not be reached for comment.
Preparations are underway for the season, Katherine said. Water and electric service were installed to prepare the site, and the trailer is expected to be moved to the property this weekend.
Come May, the business will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, with the exception of Mother’s Day. It is expecting to close after the third weekend of October.
Birl said she expects Smokin’ D’z will continue as it had before.
“The menu is small, but we pour a lot of love into each item,” Katherine said.
The menu features smoked baby back ribs, pulled pork, brisket, cuts of chicken and homemade sides. Another staple will be GC Pickles, made by and named for the owners’ sons, Gavin, 20, and Collin, 25.
While the sons are expected to be involved in the business this year, their daughter, Sophia may not, as she is busy working on her graduate degree in physical therapy at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Katherine said Smokin’ D’z BBQ has many repeat customers. Some families return to celebrate birthdays, Father’s Day and the Fourth of July.
“We do pretty well,” Birl said. “We have a lot of customers that come back every weekend. It is a tradition with some families.”
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
