SPOTLIGHT: BEST OF DELRAY APP

Delray resident Stephen Dickstein had a problem. As a local Realtor and foodie, he was constantly asked about the best restaurants around town and couldn’t find a reliable database for them. So he made one. Looking for a better way to spotlight a city’s blossoming economy and local businesses, Dickstein founded Best of Ventures Inc. and set to work on his first hyper-focused smartphone app: Best of Delray Beach.

Launched mid-2022, the multifaceted app features more than 2,000 local businesses from jewelry stores to dentists, but its pièce de résistance is its more than 300 restaurants and bars that are carefully vetted just for you.

Enter Mike Mayo. The former Sun Sentinel food critic and local foodie personality still runs the paper’s Let’s Eat, South Florida Facebook group (at publication it has nearly 100,000 members), and so Dickstein reached out with a proposal to team up on his new app.

As its content director, Mayo painstakingly curates the restaurant list for the app, emphasizing that restaurants don’t pay to play. His goal: to create a useful and comprehensive guide for locals and visitors alike. The Eating section is divided into 30 categories including coffee shops, Italian, pizza and vegan/vegetarian alongside specialty markets, local favorites and the app’s selection of the year’s Best of the Best. Plus, if you’re venturing outside of Delray, Mayo spotlights neighboring restaurants within the Worth the Drive subsection.

With an aim to support local restaurants and be accurate for diners, Mayo explains that the app is agnostic because it lists the restaurant’s preferred reservation or delivery platform regardless of what it is. He also heads the Best of Delray Beach Facebook group (13,000+ members at publication time) to encourage conversation within the community.

“We want to make it a convenient, easy-to-use, easy-onthe-eyes, attractive site that has all the touch points,” he says. “Everything you want—whether it’s going out to a restaurant or finding a plumber—is here.”

Show Your Pride

Delray Pride Fest returns for its third year on Saturday, June 10 for a day of festivities to celebrate and support Delray’s LGBTQ+ community. The free event will begin in the Pineapple Grove district, where attendees can grab food truck bites and enjoy live music and dance as they make their way to the Pavilion at Old School Square, where Elton John tribute band Rocketman will be performing. The event kicks off early in the day, rain or shine, and the free concert begins at 7:30 p.m. downtowndelraybeach.com/events/delraybeach-pride-fest-concert, all day June 10, Pineapple Grove neighborhood to the Pavilion at Old School Square

LIVIN’ LA VIDA YOGI

In recent years, yoga has been enjoying a renaissance, with the number of practitioners nearly doubling in the past decade. It’s easy to see why. Yoga has been linked to improved cardiovascular health, increased strength and flexibility, weight loss and more. Delray Beach is a hotbed for yoga studios, but ATHA Yoga Shala is the one local yogis swear by. With classes every day of the week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., there’s openings to fit any schedule. Looking for a dynamic yoga workout? Try one of its Vinyasa classes. For those looking for a more passive and relaxing yoga experience, ATHA’s Raja class is designed with stress relief in mind. Also, don’t miss out on some of ATHA’s outdoor class offerings, taught in its gorgeous patio space. 2219 Seacrest Blvd., Delray Beach, 561/857-1157, athafoundation.org