Monday, July 10, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $120

Upon first hearing that chef Jay Caputo’s restaurant is named Espuma (“foam” in Spanish), one might think the eatery is a tribute to Ferran Adrià, the Spanish chef who started the worldwide froth craze. But Caputo’s restaurant, which inherited its name from the previous owner, has not a foam on the menu. The success of his eclectic Mediterranean dishes comes from their complex flavors and nuanced combinations.

Caputo learned how to turn classics into regional standouts while toiling at the stove alongside culinary masters. After attending the Culinary Institute of America, Caputo worked with two Beard Award–winning chefs: Bradley Ogden at the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, California, and pastry chef Emily Luchetti of San Francisco’s Farallon. But the Dover, Delaware, native really made his mark after returning to the East Coast—first at Boston’s Radius under chef Michael Schlow, and later as executive chef at Tangerine in Philadelphia.

Now back in his home state, Caputo has called on these experiences to lead Espuma, an eatery that has been hailed as evidence of the maturity of Rehoboth’s restaurant industry. Eve Zibart of the Washington Post described Espuma as “intelligent, not overwhelming, and a real pleasure,” and praised Caputo for being a chef “who values powerful flavors but keeps them in control rather than letting one rich and unruly indulgence run away with the dish.” Though pleasure is practically built into the tranquil seaside setting, Caputo’s dishes are above and beyond simple beach fare. Writing for the News Journal, Eric Ruth wrote, “The magic is in how Caputo takes such a concept and makes it new—makes it speak of flavor and harmony.”