Dan’s Best of the Best 2025 Winners Celebrated at The Suffolk

That’s what was celebrated on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at The Suffolk in Riverhead, which came alive to celebrate the winners of the 2025 Dan’s Best of the Best contest.

The annual contest honors East End businesses and professionals who consistently demonstrate exceptional quality, customer care and community engagement. This year’s ceremony once again brought together a wide range of honorees — from food and beverage to home services, wellness, entertainment and more — all under one roof to mark their achievements. The 2025 Best of the Best program and winners party were presented with support from Dime Bank, longtime partners of Dan’s Papers.

“We are thrilled to have you all here,” Victoria Schneps-Yunis, publisher of Dan’s Papers, said in her opening remarks. “We are honored that we have a dear friend in Dime Bank that is sponsoring our Dan’s Best Of program that enables you to be out there with your name and helps us organize and be the leader.”

Guests began the evening with a lively cocktail hour featuring tasting stations from several 2025 category winners, offering a sampling of local wine, spirits and small bites. Attendees mingled throughout the theater, congratulating one another and sharing stories from a busy year on the East End.

“We’re the largest community bank on Long Island, and it’s something that we’re proud to be a part of,” David Barczak, senior vice president and regional manager at Dime Bank, said. “Dan’s Papers is an icon on the East End. They’ve been around for, like I said, over 60 years. We’ve been around a little bit longer, but it’s local communities that we support. Because banking is, it’s a difficult arena – everybody’s offering the same products and services, but the local community touch is a service you provide that separates you.”

A short program followed, during which representatives from Schneps Media welcomed the crowd and acknowledged the businesses being honored. The presentation reflected a shared appreciation for the region’s entrepreneurial spirit, noting the vital role small businesses play in sustaining the vibrancy and character of the East End.

“Dan’s Papers has been wonderful in including us in a lot of their publications, their advertisements,” Patricia Rizzi, proprietor of East End Lobster Bake, which won “Best Clam / Lobster Bake – South Fork,” said. “Dan’s Best Of has really made us a household name. I’ve also been voted to the Power Woman list the last two years, so that has really given us a lot of notoriety, and we’re very proud. We work hard, we’re honest, and we serve people to the needs that they want.”

The night’s entertainment came courtesy of a returning favorite: New Life Crisis, whose long-running presence in the local music scene continues to make them a standout. Their setlist kept the energy high and the dance floor busy as winners and supporters alike enjoyed the celebration. The band was inducted into the Dan’s Best of the Best Hall of Fame in 2016 – a distinction reserved for ten time winners. 

“Dan’s has been really, really great to us, and they’ve been great to local artists, local musicians, local businesses, but particularly, they’ve been really, really good to me, to the band, and I’ve always loved the association with the with the Best of the Best, because really, the way I look at it, Dan’s has the best of the best, and it is one of the best publications out there. So it’s an honor,” Paul Mahos, the lead singer of New Life Crisis, said. “It’s helped us tremendously with marketing the band. We always use that as kind of a distinction for us, especially on the East End, because you know, what a great market it is out here. You’re really among a great clientele, you’re among great people, great restaurants, great bars, great food, great music. I really love the East End, and to me, like, Dan’s kind of signifies that East End vibe.”

The band played a two hour long set, with Mahos occasionally walking around the theater and singing and dancing with attendees.

Many honorees expressed pride in being recognized by their customers and community, some celebrating repeat wins and others marking their first-ever appearance on the Best of the Best roster. 

“We put the logo on all of our bills that go out, all of our emails have the logo now Best of the Best winner on it,” Chris Nappe of Nappe Plumbing, a back-to-back winner which won “Best Plumber,” for both the North and South Forks, said. “We put these decals on all the trucks. We have a decal on the window at the storefront. It’s a great thing.” 

Across industries, a common theme emerged — appreciation for loyal patrons, dedicated staff and the collaborative spirit shared among local businesses.

Family-run establishments, new entrepreneurs and established Hall of Fame inductees were all represented, underscoring the diversity of talent and commitment reflected in the 2025 awards. Several businesses noted their ongoing involvement in community organizations, seasonal events and charitable initiatives, highlighting how deeply rooted these winners are in the fabric of East End life.

“This was our first time – our first nomination,” Michael Guanci of Neversweat Property Management, which won Best House Watcher / Property Management – North Fork,  said. “We started this business three years ago, and to be named among the Dan’s Best of the Best, it’s a really full circle moment.”

As the evening continued, The Suffolk offered the perfect backdrop for conversation, photographs and a collective moment of recognition. The sense of camaraderie — and the pride of being chosen by voters from across both forks — was evident throughout the room.

“We have a lot of customers because of Dan’s Papers,” Laura Zuniga of A Votre Service, a 2025 Hall of Famer for Best Cleaning Service, said. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘Where are people looking at us from?’ and when I ask, they say they saw us in Dan’s Papers. Sometimes they tell me before I even ask.”

The celebration closed with reminders to support local businesses during the holiday season and to look ahead to the 2026 competition, which will open for nominations and voting in the new year.

For more information about Dan’s Best of the Best and upcoming voting, visit DansBOTB.com.