When Sean Nye first opened cocktail lounge Delilah in October, it started as an unexpected opportunity for him to branch out from his background as a chef and begin honing his mixology skills.

Now, the cozy bar, tucked between farm-to-table restaurant Daphne and Phog Bounders Antique Mall, has become a destination for locals and tourists alike.

And as the lounge evolved, so did Nye, leaving behind his past working in larger kitchens and becoming a one-man show who operates, tends bar and cooks at Delilah.

In 2018, Nye moved to Astoria from Phoenix, Arizona, with 25 years of culinary experience. He worked as a chef at Bridgwater Bistro and then Fede before joining the team at Daphne, where owners Silqet Ra and Jake Martin told him the space next door was for sale.

“The opportunity was there,” he said. “And I took it.”

Nye said he chose the name Delilah because it sounded good next to Daphne.

From an empty room surrounded by four gray walls, he transformed the space into a reflection of resources and local partnerships from around the region, starting with the bar itself.

“I built this bar from chestnut that grows on the property where I’m living, out by the fairgrounds … This one actually fell in a storm,” Nye said. “The landowner there gifted me with all this wood.”

Embedded in the bar is a nontoxic epoxy from Ash River Woodworks, located a few blocks away. Nye added red mica powder to create a warm, glowy light emitting from between the chestnut slabs.

The art seen around the lounge is also entirely local; April is the third month that Nye has dedicated a wall to local artists as part of the Astoria Art Walk, with this month’s iteration featuring various metal wall sculptures by Brownsmead-based Ted Messing.

Colorful artwork by Abby Koziol covers Delilah’s front windows. Nye said he noticed Koziol’s small doodles on the whiteboard in the Chart Room bar, and was inspired to ask her about a commission.

As he began building his cocktail menu, Nye made sure to utilize other nearby businesses. For his espresso martinis, a regular favorite, he gets beans from the Astoria Coffee Co. All the organic fruit involved in his cocktails comes from the Astoria Co + Op and local farms.

“We have access to a lot of really good produce around here, and people who are getting back to the earth and doing sustainable and organic farming,” he said.

Embracing cocktails didn’t mean giving up cooking; Delilah also features a menu of local cheeses and meats in addition to a consistent vegan option. Nye also bakes the bread himself — currently, he’s dedicating his time to perfecting a focaccia.

“I’m open until midnight, so I have good food available after all the restaurants are closed,” he said. “And that was kind of one of the things I was leaning towards, you know, people who get off at eight or nine o’clock and don’t have anywhere to eat.”

In the past year and a half, Nye has found that his favorite part of owning and running Delilah has been getting to talk with members of the community.

“It’s been really good,” he said. “People come in and are surprised with the quality of stuff that I’m doing. They come in just expecting a bar, and then find out there’s more.”