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Connect to the Best 2026

January / February 2026

Rainbows, Folio and Our Lab

For this year’s Connect to the Best awards, we asked the winners to answer eight of our 25 questions. So we decided to do the same, but double. Because we never shy away from a challenge. For this year’s Connect to the Best awards, we asked the winners to answer eight of our 25 questions. So we decided to do the same, but double. Because we never shy away from a challenge.

What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? When you line the magazines up from the beginning, the spines of each issue make a rainbow (with an exception here or there). We’re now on our fourth rainbow.

What’s something you’ve gotten better at every year? Reading each other’s minds. Seriously. It’s a little creepy.

What’s something you do that seems small but makes a huge difference? We fact check every story.

Tell us about your favorite local spot. Impossible. You’re all our favorites!

What northern Westchester business do you secretly (or not so secretly) love? It’s not really a secret. We love Mouth to Hand Learning Center, which teaches nonspeaking people how to communicate through spelling. (Technically, we love all the nonprofits we work with, but M2H holds a special place in our hearts.)

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing instead? Working as a freelance journalist and designer and partnering together on projects. Just like we did prior to this venture.

What’s the best advice you ever received? Think of our business as a lab and treat everything we do as an experiment.

How do you celebrate a big win? After we put an issue to bed, we go out for a celebratory drink. Unfortunately, this gets postponed when we close an issue after 9 p.m. and nothing is open!

Describe your business in three words. We only need two: Wildly brilliant.

What’s the funniest customer request you’ve ever received? “You should put me on the cover.” (Two local celebrities whose identities we will protect.)

What’s your business’s unofficial motto? Try to do less and then accidentally do three times more.

What’s something your business does differently than anyone else? We’re not pay-for-play, which has gained us the respect of residents and businesses. People & businesses choose to work with us because they want to be associated with a high-quality, reputable publication that people actually read, many cover-to-cover.

What’s the smallest detail your customers notice—or that you hope they notice? Folio! He’s our AI-created robot mascot, and we hide him in every issue.

What’s the one thing your business couldn’t function without? Good taste. 😉

What’s the unsung hero of your business? Google Workspace.

What is something you wish more people knew about you and/or your business? We’re more than a magazine; we’re a media company. One of our specialties is custom videos for businesses and nonprofits. We’re storytellers, and this is another way we tell stories.

Modernizing An Ancient Art

Modernizing An Ancient Art

By Ilyssa Panitz Photography by Jonathan Baskin The year was 1988. It was a sunny fall afternoon in New York City when Audrey Zinman, who was 27 years old and working as a marketing manager for a family business, entered a flea market on West 26th Street, not far from where she lived. As Zinman strolled up and down the ...
Of Service

Of Service

Volunteering benefits you as well as others. It can reduce stress, increase happiness and build confidence. Here’s the 4-1-1 on the philanthropic service organizations in our area. By Gia Miller Artwork by Justin Negard In the almost four years since we started this magazine, we’ve had the opportunity to meet many incredible people and nonprofits throughout our area. We are ...
Finding Her Palate

Finding Her Palate

By Liz Colombini Photography by Justin Negard At 27, Olivia Vining stands in the pastry corner of The Inn at Pound Ridge’s kitchen, orchestrating desserts for up to 350 guests per night. Her hands move with precision as she plates salted caramel sundaes topped with caramelized popcorn and house-made fudge. The bursting flavors showcase a culinary mastery made all the ...
Stuffies, Sparkles and a Party in the Playroom

Stuffies, Sparkles and a Party in the Playroom

By Kayla Schmidt Artwork by Aeneas Eaton Photography by Gia Miller Meet Lucy Moore, a second grader at Coman Hill Elementary School, who loves pink, sings in a band and wants to be BETTER than Taylor Swift when she grows up. What’s your favorite band? Charming Disaster. It’s a spooky band, and I made a costume for it for Halloween ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Jennifer Wege

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Jennifer Wege

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt Jennifer, of Northern Westchester Moms, is incredibly passionate about local businesses. She spends her days supporting local businesses on her website and social media pages, doing her part to help each one succeed. Why did you choose to return as a judge? The first experience was so magical. To see local businesses get ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Marialisa Zywotchenko

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Marialisa Zywotchenko

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt Marialisa is the president and owner of Cyrus Contracting Corporation, where she works with many local businesses. She also plays on the Kiss My Pass flag football team and is the lead singer in the rock band Blame It On The Bourbon. Marialisa believes that being a longtime northern Westchester resident and her ...
Ones To Watch 2026 - Bedford Books, Bedford

Ones To Watch 2026 – Bedford Books, Bedford

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes?  Most of the social media is still me! I have an intern helping with the more time-consuming reels, but I set the strategy for each post (is it a single photo, a carousel, or a reel?) and I write the captions. People keep ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Courtney Walker

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Courtney Walker

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt Courtney Walker is the owner of Full Court Press, a public relations/special events consulting firm that specializes in arts organizations and small businesses in the Westchester region. She is also a proud member of the Pleasantville Pride committee, a singer who is very involved in the local music scene, a fierce supporter of ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Jessica Watts

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Jessica Watts

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt Jessica is a real estate agent with Rand Realty and a “community hype girl” who strongly believes that communities help people build meaningful connections and increase home values. She takes a lot of pride in teaching people about sustainable choices that can help them save money and make better choices. Why did you ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Jason Kadlec

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Jason Kadlec

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt Jason is the writer and founder of the cartoon “Teddy’s Friends” and its foundation, which donates teddy bears to hospices, orphanages and hospitals, among other charitable acts.  He’s also a licensed real estate salesperson for Douglas Elliman. He returned for his second year to use his knowledge to better the community—and decide who’s ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Marc Lowenstein

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Marc Lowenstein

Written by Gia Miller and Kayla Schmidt A new judge for 2026, Marc is the director of marketing and communications for Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, co-chair of the New Castle Arts and Culture Committee and a founding member/guitarist/vocalist of the band Color TV.  Why did you want to be a judge? I enjoy the democratic process, and ...
Connect to the Best Judges 2026 - Anne Joyce

Connect to the Best Judges 2026 – Anne Joyce

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Anne is a longtime Pleasantville resident and the president/founder of A Joyce Design, Inc. As an entrepreneur, she is as passionate about local businesses as she is about her design projects and clients. Why did you choose to return as a judge? I was asked last year, but I was unable to attend the onsite ...