Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1451541
S A N TA C R U Z S E N T I N E L . C O M W elcome to the annual Santa Cruz Sentinel Readers Choice, where the readers of the Sentinel let us know who they think are the best in our county! When I wrote this last year, I thought for sure that by this year, things would be back to normal. I was wrong. What has become normal though, is how businesses learned to pivot and adapt in a more permanent way. The voting was strong, the interest was high, and the inquiries were many from all of you. I wanted to address a lot of questions I got this year about voting including who qualifies, why isn't my category there, and confusion over our county and city boundaries. First, we are all about LOCAL, so the big box store votes get disqualified in our votes. Geography is a huge factor too. Though we like to drive down to Moss Landing or up to Pescadero to eat, those are both out of our county. And then there's 41st avenue! Depending on what part you are on it could be Soquel, Santa Cruz or Capitola so the best in each city can be confusing. But trust us. We re- searched all the votes to make sure they were in the right town as they should be! Why isn't my category there? I get this every year but please know, after the magazine comes out in February and we deliver the banners and the plaques, we have an after the fact meeting where we discuss it all. I have already received a lot of new category requests for next year, and the team and I will discuss them for sure and add the relevant ones for next year's edition! Tara Fatemi Walker did some great stories about new food businesses that appeared, outdoor activities we could do safely like u-pick farms, and how we can get some self care still in these trying times. Thanks for reading…and voting! Cheers! Steve Bennett Director of Operations and Advertising 6 | 2021 READERS CHOICE AWARDS | FEBRUARY 17, 2022