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F avorite Seafood Market" was one of the new Food & Wine categories in the December 2022 Santa Cruz Sentinel Readers' Choice poll. The winner was H&H Fresh Fish, with Shopper's Corner coming in second. They are both fabulous local sources for all your fish needs. H&H Fresh Fish H&H Fresh Fish is honored to be named the best seafood market in the category's inaugural year. "We're proud of the quality and freshness of our seafood, the variety of seafood we offer, the level of customer service provided by our crew, and our overall reputation and history," says co-founder Heidi Rhodes. "We've worked hard to provide our customers with a positive shopping experience and have built a strong relationship with our local community over the past 20 years." Heidi and co-founder Hans Haveman started H&H Fresh Fish in 2003 "with the mission of simply providing Hans' fresh catch to our local community," shares Heidi. "Our vision was to shorten the food chain by connecting our customers directly to their fishermen starting with Hans and other local fishermen whom he had long standing relationships with." They began by selling at one farmers' market. Over the past 20 years, H&H has steadily grown to include a Community Supported Fishery (CSF) Club, a flagship retail store in the Santa Cruz Harbor, and the newest offering: an On-Demand Delivery service. "We've also expanded our presence to over a dozen farmers' markets per week and are the proud Resident Seafood Buyers of the Santa Cruz Harbor," says Heidi. "While the business has certainly evolved since its founding, our mission of providing fresh, local, and sustainable seafood has remained constant," she adds. "We aim to do this with an emphasis on consumer seafood education delivered with a warm, friendly, family-style, fun vibe." The most popular items at H&H are local Dungeness Crab and local King Salmon. "Both are things customers look forward to all year long," says Heidi. "There's always an exciting buzz right before these seasons open." Crab and salmon, along with halibut, are customer Ryan Murdock's favorite H&H selections. "Their oyster selection is also top-notch," he adds. Ryan, who is in his 40's and lives in Live Oak, joined the CSF in the spring of 2020. "I had been meaning to become a member for a while. Being stuck at home during the pandemic motivated us to finally sign up. Some people learned how to make sourdough; I learned how to cook delicious seafood." He orders two meals or three portions every week. "It's the perfect amount of food to feed my wife, two young children, and me every Tuesday and Wednesday. And it is fresh, delicious, and sustainable. I feel extremely lucky to be able to shop at a place where you see boats dropping off fresh fish from local fishers as you are buying the product. Plus, there are always friendly faces working in the store that provide good cooking advice." Having fresh fish twice a week to cook healthy meals has helped Ryan lose weight since becoming a member three years ago. "An added bonus is that it is three miles round trip to their shop in the harbor, so I get an excuse for a beautiful dog walk every Tuesday (weather permitting)." Ryan loves the weekly recipes from H&H. "I have a folder in my email account with hundreds of awesome fish recipes. I look forward to receiving the email every Monday afternoon to see what the selection is for the week and what recipes I get to try. H&H has helped me become a much better cook. More importantly, I now have two young children that love seafood." His five- year-old son loves their local squid. "His favorite meal is now Italian Squid Stew which was one of the recipes H&H sent us a couple years back," Ryan explains. "How many five-year-olds will say their favorite meal is something other than pizza, hotdogs, or chicken fingers?" H&H has customers of many ages. Bruce Holgers, who is in his 70's, first ordered from H&H about three years ago. "We get fish once a week from them. I pick up at the harbor. which makes a nice outing on my bike," he says. "At the same time, I pick up fish for my daughter and family and for our next- door neighbor." His daughter is in her 40's and the neighbors are in their 50's. Bruce really enjoys the variety of fish that H&H features in its CSF. "It keeps me creative. I learn how to cook and serve different seafood that I wouldn't have chosen on my own." As with any successful business, it takes a village. Heidi and Hans work as CEO and COO, respectively, to ensure that H&H is the best it can be. Heidi handles a wide range of responsibilities including administration, aiding fishermen, email customer service, branding and marketing, and bookkeeping. She also runs the CSF Club and H&H's catering subsidiary, Shucked Raw Bar. Hans is responsible for many duties including procurement of all the seafood offerings, maintenance and safety, and creation of recipes for ready-to-eat specialties. "His hands-on approach and attention to detail are key to the success of the business," says Heidi. "We would like to give a shout-out to the entire H&H team for their hard work and dedication to representing the standards that the H&H brand is all about," Heidi adds. "Our team is family to us, and we are proud to have grown to the place where we can now offer benefits and a rewarding career. Our Creative Director, Cade Wright, has done an incredible job including helping us Seafood in Santa Cruz County: Who is the Best Retailer? by Tara Fatemi Walker 14 | 2022 READERS CHOICE AWARDS | FEBRUARY 26, 2023 S A N TA C R U Z S E N T I N E L . C O M "

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