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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.

Nonprofits 2026 - Community Center of Northern Westchester

Nonprofits 2026 – Community Center of Northern Westchester

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia When were you founded? We were founded in 1991.  What’s your mission? CCNW’s mission is to improve the well-being and self-sufficiency of neighbors in need as community-based organization serving over 3,000 food insecure Northern Westchester households annually. CCNW helps families move toward long-term stability by offering food, clothing and an array of personalized services free ...
Best Boutique Fitness 2026 - Breathe Pilates & Yoga

Best Boutique Fitness 2026 – Breathe Pilates & Yoga

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What is the first thing you do when you open for the day?  Turn up the heat and FaceTime my grandsons. What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes?  Play the saxophone (attempt). If there were an award for your daily routine, what would it be called?  The Lucky Award What’s ...
Best Med Spa 2026 - Canvas Medical Spa, Mt. Kisco

Best Med Spa 2026 – Canvas Medical Spa, Mt. Kisco

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? We are co-owners with a shared vision, and we are three sisters by chance. Inspired by our father, the patriarch who built a pharmaceutical manufacturing company from the ground up, we were motivated to follow in his footsteps and create something of our ...
Best Event Space 2026 - Captain Lawrence Barrel House

Best Event Space 2026 – Captain Lawrence Barrel House

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What is the first thing you do when you open for the day? Check on the beer and then check our private event inquiries. What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? We spend most of our time brewing and packaging beer for the northeast markets.   If there was an award ...
Best Cultural Destination 2026 - Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts

Best Cultural Destination 2026 – Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? The incredible work performed by our facilities team. Many people don’t consider the massive effort required to beautify our 81 acres and preserve our historic home, the Rosen House. Our facilities crew are the behind-the-scenes superstars of the Caramoor experience and they don’t ...
Icons 2026 - Blue Dolphin, Katonah

Icons 2026 – Blue Dolphin, Katonah

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What is something that you do behind the scenes that people probably don't know? We make all fresh pasta here, like lemon spaghetti pasta, which we’ve had for a few years. It’s very popular.  Is there something small you do that makes a big difference? We try to use fresh and local products, especially in ...
Ones To Watch 2026 - Blue Heron, Mt. Kisco

Ones To Watch 2026 – Blue Heron, Mt. Kisco

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s one thing your customers don’t know you do behind the scenes? We cup the teas and coffees beforehand, which means tasting each delivery, particularly the coffees; they're not always the same from season to season. What’s something you do that seems small but makes a huge difference? We dial in the coffee recipes with ...
Judge Picks 2026 - Bové Spa, Somers

Judge Picks 2026 – Bové Spa, Somers

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Marialisa Zyqotchenko Pick Why she chose them: “I've gone there a dozen times with girlfriends; we rent the little cottage out and back, bring mimosas, and take turns getting massages and sitting in the hot tub. It's glorious.” What is the first thing you do when you open for the day? We check the schedule ...
Judge's Picks 2026 - Bedford Playhouse, Bedford

Judge’s Picks 2026 – Bedford Playhouse, Bedford

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Jessica Watts Pick Why she chose them: “I love the party options, art and screenings they provide.” What is something you wish more people knew about you and/or your business?  We wish more people knew just how much membership at the Playhouse pays off—literally and experientially. The more you visit, the more you save. And ...
Best Date Night 2026 - Bedford Post Tavern, Bedford

Best Date Night 2026 – Bedford Post Tavern, Bedford

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Describe your business in three words.  Community, comfort and excellence.  What's your dream customer reaction?  We really strive to make sure that everyone is not only just satisfied with the experience but that they're literally over the moon and they leave here raving about every single element of the experience—not just the food, not just ...
Best Breakfast 2026 - The Beehive, Armonk

Best Breakfast 2026 – The Beehive, Armonk

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia Describe your business in three words. Food. Family. Love. If your business had a theme song, what would it be? “Bee Yourself.” It’s a reminder to stay grounded, stay humble, and stay true to who we are — values our family lives by. What’s your business’s unofficial motto? Work hard, and treat everyone like family ...
Best Community Arts Space 2026 - Bethany Arts Community

Best Community Arts Space 2026 – Bethany Arts Community

Written by Isabella Aranda Garcia What’s something you’ve gotten better at every year?  Outreach, programming, engagement, and impact. We've expanded our impact throughout our home of Ossining and out into the larger tri-state area and internationally, hosting events and programs accessible to all. This spans across increased workshops, concerts, theater productions, exhibits, and other community offerings. We've had the honor ...