Sanford's Best – The 5th Annual Best

SANFORD’S BEST

The 5th Annual Best of Sanford Readers’ Choice Awards Celebration

BY PERLA B. CROSBY

Back on Stage! On September 8th, our Fifth Best of Sanford annual awards ceremony was once again showcased live at the elegant Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center. This year we were fortunate to have the presence of our local business owners and city officials as well as special guests from the cities of Orlando, Deltona and Kissimmee.

Guests, presenters and winners showed up to celebrate, mingle and party after the show, which proved to be a night of glitz and glamour. Our emcees Amber Clore and Derrick Daniels and our red-carpet presenters Marta Matty Frias and Izzy Mendez did a fabulous job of entertaining while giving us the best of the best in each category and during the red-carpet interviews.

During the Fifth annual awards ceremony two new recognitions were included. Top 10 Best of Downtown Sanford, which were chosen by our readers and Best of Sanford Lifetime Achievement Award. The statuette, created by a local artist Mark Seppala, was presented by the mayor of the City of Sanford, the president of the board of the CRA, and the president of My Sanford Magazine to the Hollerbach family for realizing their vision of making Sanford a dining and entertainment destination.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

MY SANFORD MAGAZINE IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE 5TH ANNUAL BEST OF SANFORD READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

FOOD & DRINK EXPERIENCE

BEST CASUAL DINING

El Zocalo Mexican Restaurant Nominees: Colonial Room Restaurant The Original Christo’s

BEST FINE DINING

The Old Jailhouse Sanford Nominees: The Tennessee Truffle The District

BEST BRUNCH/

BREAKFAST DINING

Colonial Room Restaurant Nominees: The Original Christo’s Buster’s Bistro

BEST LUNCH DINING

The Corner Café Nominees: Henry’s Depot Food Hall Colonial Room Restaurant

BEST SWEET EXPERIENCE

Wondermade Nominees: Palate Bubs and Ice Cream Dairy Queen Sanford

BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT

The Original Christo’s Nominees: Cheddar’s Colonial Room Restaurant

BEST PET FRIENDLY

RESTAURANT/BAR Celery City Craft Nominees: The Breezeway Restaurant and Bar The Original Christo’s

BEST CATERER

Creations Catering & Events Nominees: Sonny's BBQ The Original Christo’s

BEST CHEF

Nat Russell at The Tennessee Truffle Nominees: Patrick Story Barry Czekaj

BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT

Hollerbach's Willow Tree Café Nominees: Carrabba's Italian Grill Sanford The Tennessee Truffle

BEST NEW

RESTAURANT/BAR The Current, Seafood Counter Nominees: Simply Homemade 1913 Swine & Sons

BEST MICROBREWERY

Sanford Brewing Company Nominees: Wops Hops Brewing Company Deviant Wolfe Brewing

BEST CRAFT COCKTAILS

The Basin Nominees: The Old Jailhouse Celery City Craft

BEST HAPPY HOUR

Buster’s Bistro Nominees: West End Co. The Basin

BEST BARTENDER

Nick Sprysenski at The Old Jailhouse Restaurant Nominees: Robbie Kennerney at Throwbacks Sanford Jessi Pandolfi at Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge

BEST OVERALL BAR

Tuffy's Bottle Shop & Lounge Nominees: Celery City Craft The Basin

SERVICES

BEST HAIR SALON

VMZ Beauty Studio Nominees: The Backroom Salon Angie by Design Hair & Make•Up

BEST NAIL SALON

Bellagio Nails & Spa Nominees: Koi Nail Spa Lavish Nail Bar & Beauty Lounge

BEST BARBER SHOP

Traditions Barbershop Nominees: Flawless Cutz Barbershop Classic Barber & Beard Co.

BEST WELLNESS SPA/

FITNESS FACILITY

Esporta Fitness Nominees: Body By Roni Fitness & Day Spa Massage Garage

BEST MEDICAL FACILITY

North Seminole Family Practice Nominees: Central Florida Regional Hospital Orlando Health Imaging Centers Sanford

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Omar M. Rivera Nominees: Erin Lynn Spaulding Demetree Chiropractic of Sanford

BEST MEDICAL DOCTOR

Dr. Daniel Monette Nominees: Dr. Vinay Srivastava Dr. Kristy Kopala Magee

BEST OPTICAL FACILITY

LensCrafters Sanford Nominees: Frutchey Eye Care, PA America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses

BEST PET CARE FACILITY

Hounds Town Sanford Nominees: Pet Paradise Sanford Murphy Veterinary Clinic

Congratulations to the Winners!

BEST REALTOR

Porzig Realty Nominees: Deborah Ward-Moran Tammy Agnini

BEST ACCOMMODATIONS

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Orlando North/Sanford Nominees: The Shed in Downtown Sanford Park Place Inn and Cottages

BEST FINANCIAL

SUPPORT/BEST BANK Fairwinds Credit Union Nominees: Amanda Spor National Risk Management & Associates, Inc.

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

Jessica McCarty-Carvajal Nominees: Reg Garner Daniel Morris

BEST LOCAL CHARITY ORGANIZATION

Ladies 327 Nominees: Glorious Hands Inc. Pet Rescue by Judy

BEST LOCAL

HUMANITARIAN/

VOLUNTEER

Kim Colegrove, Ladies 327 Nominees: Tina Kadolph, Love Mission Kemedontae Tillman, Glorious Hands Inc.

BEST CAR DEALERSHIP

Headquarter Hyundai Nominees: Seminole Toyota Mercedes-Benz of North Orlando

BEST AUTO SERVICES & REPAIR

Harrell & Beverly Transmissions & Auto Repair Nominees: CMC Automotive Repair Motorworks of Florida, Inc.

BEST SMALL RETAIL BUSINESS

Magpies Modern General Nominees: The Sweet Chalet Shoppe Whisker Works

BEST UNIQUE BUSINESS

Henry's Depot Food Hall Nominees: Limo Cycle Tours Board & Brush Sanford

BEST NEW BUSINESS

Sanford Tours & Experiences Nominees: Simply Homemade 1913 El Sol Mexican Bar and Grill

BEST ARTS AND CULTURE

BEST EVENT VENUE

Venue 1902 at Preservation Hall Nominees: Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge

BEST LOCAL ARTIST

Jason Hawk Nominees: Sean Holcomb Hannah Harber Wynn

BEST ART GALLERY

Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Nominees: Gallery On First Park Drive Gallery

BEST ART/

MUSICAL FESTIVAL

St. Johns River Festival of the Arts Nominees: Sanford Porchfest Sanford Jazz in the Park

BEST CHARITY EVENT

Sanford Porchfest Nominees: Pints n' Paws Craft Beer Fest Sanford Jazz in the Park

MY SANFORD MAGAZINE IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE TOP 10 BEST OF DOWNTOWN SANFORD READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

Hollerbach's Willow Tree Café

The District

Executive Cigar Sanford

Henry's Depot Food Hall

Loggerhead Distillery

Palate Coffee Brewery

Sanford Brewing Company

The West End Trading Co.

St. Johns River Steak & Seafood

Wops Hops Brewing Company