Midtown Brandywine is a historic and tight-knit neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware. One of the highlights of the year is the annual progressive dinner, which has been a beloved tradition for over 30 years. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Rhea Phillips, a member of the Midtown Brandywine Neighbors’ Association who leads the event.
According to Rhea, the progressive dinner started over 30 years ago with a Mardi Gras theme, and has since evolved into a themed culinary adventure. “Since I’ve been involved we’ve always picked a theme,” Rhea explained. “We’ve done ‘Midtown in Paris’, we’ve done a Cuban night, we’ve done Moroccan. Each theme has always had a really nice element.”
The event is spread out over several homes in the neighborhood, with houses hosting a different course of the meal. “We typically have 14-16 houses participating in hosting. With Covid-19 still lingering, we have a few host houses that will provide some outdoor seating for the dinner homes,” Rhea said. “Usually, we have two houses that are appetizer and cocktail hour, and they’re usually next to each other or across the street so guests can float between the two, the same for the two dessert houses. The other 10 or so homes host the dinner.”
The preparation for the progressive dinner takes a few days, with the same meals being served at each house. “Our dedicated food committee spends a couple days prior to the Saturday of the event preparing the exact same meals for every host dinner house, and we always have a vegetarian option,” Rhea explained. “In some cases, sometimes, the whole meal is vegetarian just by coincidence.”
One of the things that makes the progressive dinner so special is the opportunity to meet new neighbors. “You come away having met people you might have never met because they live three blocks away,” Rhea said. “And we try to match up old neighbors, new neighbors with older neighbors with younger neighbors. We do our best to make sure that we have a really nice diverse group dining at each house.”
Unfortunately, the 2020, 2021 and 2022 progressive dinners had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, but this year the event is back and better than ever. The theme for 2023 is ‘Greece is the Word,’ and Rhea and her team are excited to bring the community back together. “We’re really excited to finally being able to bring progressive back to Midtown,” she said.
If you live in Midtown Brandywine and would like to get involved in the progressive dinner, Rhea is still looking for host houses. “There’s literally nothing that they have to do. They don’t have to lift a finger. They just have to be willing to open their doors,” she explained. “So please get in touch with me if you’re a potential host house!”
Midtown Brandywine is a unique and vibrant community, and the progressive dinner is just one of the many ways that the neighborhood comes together to celebrate its heritage and its residents. We can’t wait to see what delicious and creative dishes will be on the menu this year!
Editor’s note: as more information about the event is confirmed, it will be added to the event page in our community calendar.
