FOOD & DRINK
THE BEST of theBEST OF
SANFORD
2021 BY LEON KONIECZNY
Twenty years ago, downtown Sanford was a quiet, sleepy place, but that did not stop Theo and Linda Hollerbach from taking over a small restaurant space, the Willow Tree Café. From those humble beginnings with only a handful of employees and tables, Hollerbach’s Willow 20 M Y S A N F O R D M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 21
Tree Café had grown and expanded over the years to be Sanford’s premier destination restaurant, now featuring an outdoor, rooftop Biergarten. On any given weekend, the restaurant is packed full. Gemütlichkeit (hospitality), beer, and fine (and excellent) German food flows freely. No one leaves hungry, thirsty, or not having had a great time. Another early newcomer to Sanford, nearly 15 years ago, was the West End Trading Company, curiously situated on the east end of downtown. From humble beginnings, West End has grown and expanded over the years into an entertainment venue with bar food and drinks, featuringWatermelon their signature The “Loggerhead Moonshine Lemonade” Throwbacks. Sunshine State Bomb.from West End continues to
host many, many events, including their own long-running Hurricane Party, every June since 2007. I think it was West End that invented the #Sanfording hashtag, too. Many of the streets of downtown Sanford have been transformed over the years, funded by the Downtown Sanford CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency). That investment has paid off, luring more and varied venues to Sanford. Sanford’s first Craft Brewery, Wop’s Hops Brewing Company, began as just “a few guys brewing some home beer.” Now a fixture on the re-streetscaped Sanford Avenue, they’ve expanded and offer full-service dining as well. But they are known first and foremost for their imaginative and tasty craft beers.
DANIELLA HUME, MASTROPIECES PHOTOGRAPHY
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he 2021 annual “Best of Sanford Awards”, sponsored by My Sanford Magazine, highlight the best of the best. The Downtown Sanford Entertainment District draws people from far and near to its various bars, restaurants, events, and venues. MSM recognizes that, though Sanford is chock-full of excellent (best) places, there are a few that really stand out from the rest of the best. These are them:
