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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.

Judge Picks 2026 - Josie's, Bedford Hills

Judge Picks 2026 – Josie’s, Bedford Hills

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Jennifer Wege's Pick Why she chose them: “Such a great selection. It’s always a go-to when I need an outfit.” What is the first thing you do when you open for the day? I turn on the lights, put on music, and take a quick walk through the store to make sure everything feels fresh ...
Judge Picks 2026 - Katonah Playcare, Katonah

Judge Picks 2026 – Katonah Playcare, Katonah

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Jason Kadlec's Pick Why he chose them: “The directors greet each child at the door with the same joy and enthusiasm as they did on day one. Every teacher, director and person associated truly cares about the growth and development of each child.” What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes?  ...
Icons 2026 - Kellogg's & Lawrence, Katonah

Icons 2026 – Kellogg’s & Lawrence, Katonah

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What's something you do that seems small but makes a huge difference?  We change products based on the seasons. It may be earlier than someone would think, but then they say, "Oh, it's time to get that.” When did you open?   The business itself has been open since 1887. Describe your business in three ...
Best Sushi 2026 - Dai Sushi, Pleasantville

Best Sushi 2026 – Dai Sushi, Pleasantville

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What is the first thing you do when you open for the day? The first thing I do is check on my wellbeing. I need to make sure that I’m happy with myself before I start the day. Then I check the ingredients. I will personally check on my inventory of fresh, raw seafood.  What ...
Icons 2026 - Farmer and the Fish, Purdy's

Icons 2026 – Farmer and the Fish, Purdy’s

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What makes you stand out? We keep it simple and fresh. We don't complicate dishes; we focus on the ingredients. What’s your most popular item? The scallop salad as the appetizer and the spicy shrimp fried rice as our entree. What’s something people should know? Our fish comes directly from boats, and the produce comes ...
Judge Picks 2026 - Food Truck Fridays, Pound Ridge

Judge Picks 2026 – Food Truck Fridays, Pound Ridge

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Patti D’Agostino Pick Why she chose them: “Great vibe, no ticket fees, easy to find something to eat at the event or neighboring establishments and live music.” Describe your business in three words. Fun. Community. Gathering. If your business had a theme song, what would it be? “Happy days are here again" by Milton Ager ...
Icons 2026 - G. Williker's, Katonah

Icons 2026 – G. Williker’s, Katonah

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? We spend a lot of time researching and testing toys before they ever make it onto our shelves. We want everything we carry to spark imagination, last through real play, and feel truly special—so a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes “work” looks like grown-ups ...
Ones To Watch 2026 - Green Room Music, Mt. Kisco

Ones To Watch 2026 – Green Room Music, Mt. Kisco

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? The teachers and I meticulously curate the Spotify playlist that plays throughout the common areas of the school. We’re a music school after all, so of course we need to have great tunes playing! If you weren’t doing this, what would you be ...
Best Art Gallery 2026 - Chroma Fine Arts Gallery

Best Art Gallery 2026 – Chroma Fine Arts Gallery

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What is the first thing you do when you open for the day? When we open, we take a moment to make sure the gallery feels like an inviting space for the community—tidying, adjusting lighting, and reviewing the day’s visitors or programs. It’s about creating a calm, inspiring atmosphere from the very start. What’s something ...
Nonprofits 2026 - D.I.G. Farm, North Salem

Nonprofits 2026 – D.I.G. Farm, North Salem

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia When were you founded? We were founded in 2014. What is your mission? We are a nonprofit teaching farm and community organization with four focus area initiatives: Westchester Local Food Project: Focuses on community gardens, garden education, preparing and donating meals along with fresh produce to the community in need, food rescue from schools, kids ...
Judge Picks 2026 - Fantastic Finds, Chappaqua

Judge Picks 2026 – Fantastic Finds, Chappaqua

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Anne Joyce's Pick Why she chose them: “It’s an upscale resale shop that supports those battling breast, ovarian and gynecological cancers.” What’s the one thing your business couldn’t function without?  Our 45 volunteers, some who have been with us for almost 25 years. What’s the unsung hero of your business?  Our donors! We get donations ...
Icons 2026 - Charles Department Store, Katonah

Icons 2026 – Charles Department Store, Katonah

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes?  I think one thing my customers may not know that I do behind the scenes is curate and design our Katonah merchandise—hats, bags, mugs, t-shirts. I would love to do more of this type of work but it's hard to find the time ...