In Greek mythology, sirens used enchanting songs to lure sailors toward danger. By naming their restaurant Surf Siren Kitchen + Bar, Jennifer Behm-Lazzarini and Julio Lazzarini have a more hospitable goal: Draw diners to coastal Delaware for Spanish-Caribbean cuisine.
The husband-and-wife chefs opened Surf Siren in Millville—just inland from Bethany Beach—in May. Their journey to Sussex County has included high-profile twists: restaurants in Wilmington and Rhode Island, a catering company, a food truck, and appearances on popular cooking competition shows.
That combined experience gives Surf Siren a built-in allure, but the couple is counting on the menu to build a steady following.
The X factor
A brush with fame certainly helps. In 2011, Jennifer, a former Miss Delaware USA, won the second season of “MasterChef,” the Gordon Ramsay–led competition for home cooks.
The win propelled her from a career in real estate to catering. And a passion to succeed was already in her blood. “I have always been extremely driven to put my best foot forward,” she says. “That is a consistent theme.”
Surf Siren’s menu is influenced by Puerto Rico, the birthplace of chef Julio Lazzarini. Seafood paella includes clams, mussels, shrimp, and chorizo.
Julio followed a more traditional path. Born in Puerto Rico, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and later worked for Douglas Rodriguez, whom Julio calls the “godfather of Nuevo Latino cuisine.” Delawareans may remember Rodriguez’s name from Alma de Cuba, the Philadelphia restaurant he opened with Stephen Starr.
Julio became a chef at Deep Blue Bar & Grill—now Tonic Seafood & Steak—in Wilmington. Jennifer was so in awe of his balanced mignonette for oysters that she had to meet the man who made it. But sparks didn’t fly until later.
By 2009, Julio was the chef and owner of Orillas Tapas Bar and Restaurant at 413 N. Market St., a risky venture in a pre–Buccini Pollin Group era. That year, he competed on “Chopped,” the Food Network competition with mystery basket ingredients. There are three elimination rounds—appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Julio advanced to the dessert round before being eliminated.
Working marriage
Jennifer and Julio’s culinary credentials earned them a spot at a winemakers’ dinner in the British Virgin Islands, and romance bloomed. Their first official date was at Capers & Lemons in Wilmington, and they wed on October 14, 2012, at Buena Vista, the state-owned estate near New Castle. After closing his Wilmington restaurant, Julio was recruited by a restaurant group in Rhode Island, where the couple later opened Red Fin Crudo + Kitchen. The restaurant served small plates focused on seafood, crudo, and oysters, as well as the global flavors that have since surfaced at Surf Siren.
“Delaware gave us our foundation, our community, and many of our earliest opportunities.”
— JENNIFER BEHM-LAZZARINI
In 2021, the couple appeared on Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” Jennifer bested both her husband and Flay, a victory that was especially welcome since the couple had closed Red Fin Crudo during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By then, Delaware was calling. The state put them closer to family in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Initially, they opened a catering business in New Castle County. But they wanted their children, who grew up near the beaches in Rhode Island, to maintain a connection to the water. And, increasingly, their private-chef and catering work was taking them to the beach. They began looking for what Jennifer calls “our culinary home.”
While a location in a resort town is preferable, it’s also expensive. Not only are the inland areas more affordable, but they’re also increasing in population. When the former Shaka Shack space in Millville became available, Jennifer and Julio jumped on it.
Ceviche is a specialty at Surf Siren in Millville, and it comes with crispy pieces of boniato, a pale Caribbean sweet potato with a mild, nutty flavor.
Changing tables
They were so eager to open the restaurant that they welcomed customers before the liquor license arrived. “We felt that the food could stand on its own,” Jennifer says. The bar program now includes craft cocktails, wine, and beer. They kept some of the surf-shack décor but reworked the kitchen to accommodate more sauté stations.
Jennifer says Surf Siren is a gathering place where globally inspired Spanish and Caribbean flavors meet elevated beachside hospitality.
The lineup includes seafood paella; mahi-mahi fish tacos; tuna ceviche; shrimp ceviche; charred scallion hummus with fried green plantains and pickled beets; oysters with passion fruit mignonette; crabcakes; lobster mac and cheese; fried chicken with cornbread; and a potato croquette filled with Spanish beef picadillo, raisins, and olives. Cheesesteak egg rolls—made in-house with Cooper cheese and served with French onion marmalade and beer-cheese sauce—are flying out of the kitchen, Julio says.
Surf Siren Kitchen + Bar is in the former Shaka Shack in Millville. Eager to open for summer, Jennifer Behm-Lazzarini and her husband, Julio, gave the dining room a light makeover, but kept the beach vibe. They plan to do more when the season ends.
Some diners will recognize Puerto Rican and Latin American flavors, but others will need to have faith in the kitchen. “We crafted the opening menu to create trust through some familiar dishes and then introduce deeper flavors that may be unfamiliar to some,” he says.
In the works is a grab-and-go component with such items as salmon with farro, chicken with rice, salads, soups, and ceviche. Meanwhile, the catering operation and food truck are still going strong. “We’re just gluttons for punishment, I think,” Jennifer says.
To be sure, the launch has required stamina. In June, they were commuting from Pike Creek while looking for a place closer to the coast. But for Jennifer, the return feels rooted in more than logistics. “Delaware gave us our foundation, our community, and many of our earliest opportunities,” she says.
Surf Siren, she adds, is their way of giving back.
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Dining and Cooking