Three-time James Beard Award nominee Chef Vinnie Cimino and proprietor Andrew Watts bring Cordelia inspired fried chicken to the venue’s Street Level concourse

CLEVELAND, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rocket Arena, home to the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, is tipping off the 2026-27 season with new fan experience enhancements headlined by a partnership with Cleveland’s own Cordelia, bringing Delia’s (@deliaschicken), the East 4th Street restaurant’s new fried chicken and JoJo concept, to the Street Level concourse near Portal 26. Led by three-time James Beard Award nominee Chef Vinnie Cimino and proprietor Andrew Watts, Delia’s opens for the Cavaliers’ first preseason home game, and reflects Rock Entertainment Group’s continued investment in the Northeast Ohio favorites fans know and love.

Created specifically for the arena, Delia’s takes the quality, warmth and point of view that have made Cordelia a Cleveland favorite and translates them into something faster, more casual and built for high volume. Rather than a sprawling concessions menu, Delia’s focuses on doing a few things exceptionally well: crispy fried and grilled chicken, Handys, JoJos and a lineup of new house-made sauces, all designed to outshine standard stadium fare.

“Delia’s is Cordelia made faster and more casual, but with the same heart,” said Chef Vinnie Cimino. “We wanted to cook food that people can spot from across the concourse, get in their hands quickly and still feel like they’re eating something made with real care.”

Cordelia is named for Watts’ great-grandmother and Delia’s carries that same family-rooted hospitality: great food without pretension, Cleveland pride and a genuinely Midwest Nice approach to taking care of people. The storefront-style space, with white brick, a lowercase delia’s wordmark, hand-painted “Chicken and JoJo’s” lettering and an illustrated portrait of Delia herself, shares Cordelia’s family resemblance while standing on its own.

“The concession experience is usually pretty transactional, and we saw a chance to change that,” said Andrew Watts. “We wanted Delia’s to feel like a real neighborhood chicken joint that just happens to live inside the arena.”

The Menu

The menu centers on Buckets of mix-and-match drumsticks or boneless thighs in two- and three-piece orders, served with pickles, hot sauce mayo and JoJo fries. Handys include a Fried Chicken sandwich finished with Chef Cimino’s signature Magic Dust, wavy pickles, coleslaw and black garlic mayo; a miso-marinated Grilled Chicken sandwich; and the Midwest Polish Boy, a nod to the Cleveland classic. Sides include malt vinegar-rinsed JoJo fries, pimento potato salad and coleslaw, alongside all-new Cordelia-inspired sauces: black garlic mayo, hot sauce mayo, Fancy Sauce and Cleveland ketchup.

“Cordelia has long been a Cleveland favorite and a neighbor of Rocket Arena, a spot fans would frequent before or after gamedays. Now, it’s part of the arena experience itself,” said Chris Kaiser, Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group, Chief Marketing Officer. “Bringing Delia’s into our venue deepens our commitment to great Cleveland brands and enhances the best gameday experience in sports.”

Delia’s is located on Rocket Arena’s Street Level concourse near Portal 26 and is open during Cavaliers home games and select arena events. For updates, follow @deliaschicken on Instagram.

About Chef Vinnie Cimino

Vinnie Cimino is the chef behind Cordelia and ROSY in Cleveland. A three-time James Beard Award nominee and Food & Wine Best New Chef, Cimino is known for thoughtful, deeply personal cooking rooted in Northeast Ohio and its local farms. ROSY was recently named one of The New York Times’ best restaurants in America.

About Cordelia

Cordelia opened on Cleveland’s East 4th Street in 2022 and is named for proprietor Andrew Watts’ great-grandmother. The restaurant celebrates Midwestern comfort food through a chef-driven lens, pairing unpretentious hospitality with a deep sense of Cleveland pride. www.cordeliacle.com 

About Rocket Arena

Rocket Arena is Northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment venue and Cuyahoga County’s largest driver of economic impact. It is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Monsters, Cleveland’s WNBA franchise, set to begin play in 2028 and the annual MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. Each year, Rocket Arena hosts nearly 200 diverse ticketed events, including major attractions, concert tours, family shows and signature events, along with 1,400 private events that draw around 1.6 million patrons to downtown Cleveland. These events have a lasting and significant cultural and economic impact on the city, the county and the broader Northeast Ohio region. Visit rocketarena.com to learn more.

Media Contact:

Elaine LaPersonerie

Wink PR

423584@email4pr.com | 917 930 4080

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SOURCE Delia’s Chicken