Page 50 - Delaware 222 - 2025

FOOD & BEVERAGE
Lee Mikles
OMG Hospitality
When it comes to the future of Grain
Craft Bar + Kitchen, Lee Mikles is
all about building the brand and
moving the business forward. Along
with co-founder Jim O’Donoghue,
he operates multiple Grain brand
restaurants in Delaware and
Pennsylvania, the fl agship of which was
launched on Main Street in Newark
in 2015. Th e published author and
co-owner of OMG Hospitality has also
participated in various Delaware-based
philanthropic eff orts while his award-
winning entrepreneurial endeavors
have helped create over 100 regional
jobs, including marketing fi rm Th e
Archer Group, which was sold in 2020.
ALMA MATER:
BOARD:
Q&A:
Alisa Morkides
Brew Haha!
Alisa Morkides was working as a
fi nancial analyst when a vacation
through the Tuscan countryside
changed her life. She found herself
sipping a quality cup of coff ee in a
beautiful space and wondering why she
couldn’t do that at home. So in 1993,
she set out to do that, opening the fi rst
Brew Haha! in Delaware. Now 30 years
later, Morkides has built a local coff ee
empire and a devoted fan base with nine
locations around northern Delaware.
She also parlayed that success by
founding Brandywine Coff ee Roasters,
which sells direct to consumers.
ALMA MATERS:
48 DELAWARE 222 | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
48 DELAWARE 222 | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
48 DELAWARE 222 | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
Steve “Monty”
Montgomery
The Starboard Restaurant
and Bethany Blues
When it comes to working your way
up in a business, Th e Starboard’s Steve
“Monty” Montgomery knows exactly
how it’s done. Over the decades, he
has worked his way up in the local
restaurant and business world, where
he’s also helped host hugely impactful
community events like the annual
Dewey Goes Pink 5K, in support of
the fi ght against breast cancer, and
the annual Running of the Bull that’s
attracted Hollywood stars like Ryan
Phillipe. From working the door
to running the show, Montgomery
has expanded from working at Th e
Starboard to running several of the
most-popular restaurants at the
Delaware beaches.
ALMA MATER:
BOARDS:
Q&A:
Jim O'Donoghue
OMG Hospitality
Since 2015, Jim O’Donoghue has
thrived as the owner and operator
of Grain brand restaurants, which
now include six locations across
the state and over the Pennsylvania
border. Th at fi rst year that Grain
Craft Bar + Kitchen opened in
Newark, he and his team earned the
title of Delaware Today’s Best New
Restaurant. Alongside co-owner Lee
Mikles, O’Donoghue has renovated
spaces (like the one at the Cape May-
Lewes Ferry terminal) and focused on
expanding the business into Trolley
Square and STAR Campus spots.
ALMA MATER:
Q&A: