Imagine you are in charge of marketing one of Delaware’s most prestigious and storied dining clubs. The question becomes, how do you promote membership of a dining club in a social climate in which face-to-face engagement itself seems ready to go the way of the dinosaur? For Stacey Inglis, Director of Sales and Marketing at the University and Whist Club, the direction forward started when she looked to the past.
The Tilton Mansion, 805 N. Broom Street, has been home to an incarnation of the club since 1935 when Francis V. du Pont, Jr. bought the home to preserve its history and save it from demolition. The building is now on the National Register of Historic Places, but drive down Broom Street today and the 200+ year old mansion could be covered in an invisibility cloak for all that you can see of it behind the stone wall and trees that surround the property. Deciding to play on the club’s strengths, Stacey Inglis is lifting the veil on the building and the forgotten history of its first owner, Revolutionary War hero and first Army Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. James Tilton.
Inglis’s idea sprouted when she was asked to give a lecture on Dr. Tilton to the Physicians Emeritus Luncheon for the Medical Society of Delaware. She is a detail-oriented person–her job demands it—and as such she came away from her research with 72 pages of information on Dr. Tilton’s contributions. What to cut? He was a man for the times, and it was all important. Dr. Tilton immunized troops against small pox. He found a cure for a disease killing the colony’s peach trees, and when the treasury was founded by Alexander Hamilton, James Tilton was appointed Delaware’s first Commissioner of Loans. The list goes on. Inglis wasn’t intending to unleash a dissertation-length paper on her audience, but once she had the information, she knew she had to use it to the advantage of the club. Fueled with her new knowledge, the Tilton Mansion decided to offer Historical Tours for private groups. Curious about Delaware’s part in the Revolution? Grab your book group or your history-buff cousins and call the club to arrange an hour-long tour followed by lunch or dinner in the club’s newly added four-seasons room.
History isn’t your thing? Inglis conceived other happenings to welcome non-club members onsite to experience Whist dining and the stately Tilton Mansion first-hand. For those with young ones, consider dropping them off for some Mary Poppins Manner Lessons on February 9th from 11 AM-1 PM. Mary, in all her costumed glory, will be on hand to offer some tips on table manners (with snacks–naturally) as well as lead kids in song and dance. $20 per child. Parents are welcome to eat lunch at the Whist or run errands and return prior to 1 PM.
Or maybe you are seeking a unique setting for this year’s Valentine’s Day celebration? The Whist Club started opening its dining room to the public for select holidays starting in 2017. (They are also open to the public on Easter and Mother’s Day). Call for reservations to experience the à la carte menu from Chef Joshua Dykes which includes starters such a soup flight or oyster trio to entrees such as the Whist’s signature crab cake or porterhouse. A special drink menu features wines by the glass and specialty cocktails such as Opposites Attract—a blackberry-infused spin on the Old Fashioned.
For those of you with a wedding in your future, don’t miss the 2019 Bridal Experience at the Tilton Mansion on Sunday, April 7th from 11 AM-3PM. Not only can you scout out the venue and talk to in-house Wedding Coordinator Margaret Reilly, but you can peruse the wares and services of all vendors/sponsors of the event. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Special 10% discount if you book your wedding on the day of the show.
These are just a few of the new happenings and blasts from the past that showcase the reINvention taking place at the University and Whist Club. For more details on these events and many more check out their website. The University and Whist Club; 805 N. Broom Street; Wilmington, DE 19806 (302) 658-5125.