Best of the Best 2019

The Results are in

We asked the Northland to help us find the Best of the Best for 2019.

After 195,300 votes... we have our winners inside.

IM AG INE SO ME TH IN GM ORE

Whenneighbors,friendsandfamiliescometogether, wedogreatthings.That’s whywecelebratethehard work anddedicationittakestostrengthenourcommunities. It’speoplelikeyouwhomakethisplaceunlikeanyother.

LI KE NO WH ER EE LSE

Best of the Best

WHAT A SUCCESS!

Megan Keller Advertising Director

Local matters. That’s one thing I think our entire community can agree on. Whether you are in the Woodland neighborhood, Hermantown or Lincoln Park, our community thrives on shop local, be local, and contribute to local. In today’s world, we see shifts where it is becoming more challenging to hold on to our community engagement, our local commitment and what local means. Here at the Duluth News Tribune, local does matter. The Duluth News Tribune has been here for 150 years. As we evolve, one thing will never change and that is our focus on our community, the importance of journalism, and you. This contest is a driver to really bring out the best in our community from the eyes of our community!

This was our 3rd Annual Best of the Best contest, but this year we wanted to take this a step further and celebrate our top three finalists with a special event, held Wednesday, Aug. 28 at the Clyde Malting Building. The results we received were so impressive, all of our nominees have some very passionate customers. This year we had 64,000 nominations, 195,000 votes and 17,094 people participate in nominations and voting. If that doesn’t say local matters I don’t know what does.

I had the honor and the privilege to announce all 352 finalists. Our event began with a social where you could get food and beverage samplings from Lakeside Liquor, Super One Liquor, Hoops Brewing, Ruth’s Vegetarian Gourmet, Castle Danger, Barkers Island, Cash Wise Liquor, Texas Roadhouse, Ursa Minor, Keyport Liquor and Black Woods catering. Our booth vendors sure came with their A game! During our social, we had incredible performances by The Northwoods Band, Laura Velvet, and Zenith City Groove Collective, who were all finalists in our top 20 local bands. Needless to say, the event hit all the senses!

Once the doors opened at 4:30 p.m., the crowds started rolling in. More than 500 attendees later, the place was packed! We were fortunate to have a great partnership with the Clyde Malting Building, who was able to house our event. If you haven’t seen this facility, you should go see it. It’s a beautiful site and has that Duluth industrial appeal.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 3rd Annual Best of the Best Contest, because without you we could not have hosted this celebration. Congratulations to all of our finalists - this year’s contest was very competitive, with more than 4,000 nominees across 118 categories. Placing in the top three is a victory! In this special section, you will find the top three finalists in every category, photos from the event, and stories on how some of our finalists felt about competing in this contest.

Joinourteam: EssentiaCareers.org

& Entertainment ARTS GROUP

TALENTED TWO HARBORS QUARTET NAMED ‘BEST LOCAL BAND’ NORTHWOOD’S BAND

By Andrea Busche

Anyone who says millennials lack ambition definitely needs to check out The Northwood’s Band, based in Two Harbors. This youthful foursome has been named “Best Local Band” in the Duluth News Tribune’s Best of the Best awards for the second consecutive year. And the group has racked up plenty of other accolades over the last few years, too.

For instance, The Northwood’s Band was one of three winners at the PBS Celebration of Music’s talent search in Bloomington last May. They eagerly anticipate traveling to California in 2020 to perform on national TV for the PBS Celebration of Music.

The group

The Northwood’s Band consists of Hunter McCullough on lead vocals, keyboard, drums and harmonica; Colton McCullough on guitar, bass, tenor and alto sax, drums and vocals; Ricky Sundstrom on guitar, bass, tenor and alto sax, drums and vocals; and Dalton Hanson on bass, guitar and trombone. Shelby Holbeck is the band’s sound technician.

These multi-talented fellas like to have fun and mix it up on stage.

“We switch instruments on stage all the time,” Colton McCullough said. “It keeps things interesting."

The group is managed by Deanne McCullough, who the band affectionately refers to as their “momager,” since she is Hunter and Colton’s mother.

“It's been such an amazing ride,” she said of the band’s success. “I manage the band by default because five years ago they were all too young to be booking gigs in bars, and they were busy with school and school sports/ activities. So, I started doing the bookings, and now their talent speaks for itself. I rarely have to seek a gig because venues reach out to me. I'm so proud of this band!”

The music

When it comes to their style, The Northwood’s Band can do it all.

“We play classic rock, country, ’50s, blues, metal, grunge – there is something for everyone,” Hunter McCullough said. “We change our set list during each show, once we get a feel for what the crowd wants to hear.”

Although the band has written some of their own original songs, they are primarily a cover band.

Local venues

The Northwood’s Band has played numerous premiere local gigs, including:

• Grill Wars 2018 & 2019

• ZooLaPalooza - Lake Superior Zoo

• KTWH Cabin Fever Reliever

• Two Harbors Heritage Days

• Two Harbors Winter Frolic

• 23rd Veteran Ruck March events

• ALS Blizzard Tour party

• NorthShore Inline Skate Marathon

• WCCO - The John Williams Show

• KQDS Train Wreck

They have also played at many local bars and pubs, at Mystic Lake Casino, and on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. They have played gigs in Cook, McGregor, Rochester, Coon Rapids, Tower, Ely, and even Canada.

Best local band

For the category of “Best Local Band,” 102 bands were nominated. There were over 3,000 votes cast for the top 20 nominees. And The Northwood’s Band came out on top. The group is very grateful for their loyal fans.

“It's a very humbling experience to say the least,” said Hunter McCullough. “We are in such amazing company with the other nominees. We are thankful that people support what we love doing.”

To follow the Northwood’s Band, please check them out on Facebook.

Arts

Best Art Gallery

LAKE SUPERIOR ART GLASS

2nd TISCHER PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY

3rd OLDE TOWNE GALLERIES

Best Attraction

BENTLEYVILLE

TOUR OF LIGHTS

2nd GLENSHEEN

3rd LAKE SUPERIOR

Best Bowling Center

SKYLINE LANES

2nd INCLINE STATION

BOWLING CENTER

3rd VILLAGE LANES

Best Casino

BLACK BEAR

CASINO RESORT

2nd FORTUNE BAY RESORT CASINO

3rd FOND-DU-LUTH CASINO

Best Golf Course

NEMADJI

GOLF COURSE

2nd POPLAR GOLF COURSE

3rd ENGER PARK GOLF COURSE

& Drinking DINING GROUP

DINING IN DEER RIVER

TWO GREAT RESTAURANTS; TWO DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES

By Andrea Busche

Deer River, Minn., is home to two of this year’s Duluth News Tribune Best of the Best winners. Blueberry Bowl, at 44919 Golf Course Road, is a 10-lane bowling center with darts and volleyball, in addition to a full lunch and dinner menu. They are most well-known for their mouth-watering pizzas, which are topped with freshly sliced meats, cheese and veggies.

And, Sportsman’s Cafe, at 109 Main Avenue East, is a sweet hometown cafe, featuring a delectable all-day breakfast smorgasbord. Some of the highlights include stuffed hash browns, chicken fried steak, and dinner plate-sized pancakes.

Planning a trip to Deer River?

Be sure to add these two delicious food destinations – winners of “Best Pizza” and runner-up for “Best Breakfast” – to your itinerary.

Blueberry Bowl

Blueberry Bowl has been open since 1986 and owned by Kim and Jeremy Magnuson since June 2017. Their comprehensive menu offers appetizers, burgers, pizza, steak, seafood and more.

Blueberry Bowl is the winner of this year’s “Best Pizza” category in the Best of the Best contest. Forty-three businesses were nominated, with over 3,900 votes cast for the top 20 nominees.

“We’re definitely best known for our variety of pizzas,” Kim Mag-

nuson said. “We slice our own meats and cheeses, use fresh veggies, and the dough and sauce are homemade.”

Blueberry Bowl’s pizzas all have a thin crust, and are made with hand-rolled dough. They also offer take-and-bake pizzas.

“Since we bought the place, we’ve made 50,000 pizzas,” Magnuson said. “And Deer River only has a population of 800. It’s really a popular destination spot.”

Sportsman’s Cafe Sportsman’s Cafe, owned by

Heather Howsen, is a “cute little hometown cafe” which can seat about 70 people. The cafe has been around since 1950 and owned by Howsen for the last 21 years.

Sportsman’s opens its doors at 5 a.m., seven days a week, and people start coming in the doors at 4 a.m. for coffee. Sportsman’s is, above all, focused on home cooking, and everything here is made from scratch: real mashed potatoes, soups, sausage gravy, and much more. And their award-winning breakfast is served all day.

Sportsman’s Cafe took second place in this year’s “Best Break-

fast” category in the Best of the Best contest. Sixty-nine restaurants were nominated, with over 3,300 votes cast for the top 20.

“Our most popular breakfast item is probably the stuffed hash browns,” Howsen said. “They’re packed with sausage, ham, tomatoes, onion, green peppers, black olives, cheese, mushrooms and bacon. And our ultimate stuffed hash browns include two eggs inside, with sausage gravy.”

Other breakfast favorites include dinner-plate sized pancakes, country-fried steak, and omelets.

Reflections on winning

In a tiny town like Deer River, being nominated for an award based in Duluth is a big deal. And winning is truly an honor.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for us,” Kim Magnuson said. “We’re extremely excited and appreciate that a lot of our customers put so much effort into voting.”

“It’s hard to wrap my head around it,” Howsen said. “I was so young when I bought this business. It means so much to me how many people have supported me. Our customers, and our employees, are so loyal.”

For more information, please visit blueberrybowl.com, or thesportsmanscafe.com. Both businesses are also on Facebook.

Blueberry Bowl

Sportsman’s Cafe

Best Sandwich

Best Sushi

HANABI JAPANESE CUISINE

2nd OSAKA

3rd ZEN HOUSE

Best

DULUTH GRILL

2nd AT SARA’S TABLE CHESTER CREEK CAFE

3rd THE JUICE PHARM

Best Wine Selection

BELLISIO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

2nd VA BENE CAFFE

3rd BOAT CLUB RESTAURANT

Best Medical Facility

Floor

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Business

GROUP

THREE STYLISTS VIE FOR TOP SPOT

IN ULTRA-COMPETITIVE ‘BEST STYLIST’ CATEGORY

By Andrea Busche

Many of us lack a filter when it comes to sharing personal details with our hair stylists: major life news about job promotions, weddings, and babies is all par for the course. Our stylists hear it all.

And on top of that, we often leave their chairs feeling confident, and looking so much better than when we came in. So, a close bond, with the loyalty flowing both ways, is often a natural occurrence.

So, it’s no coincidence that the competition was fierce for the “best stylist” category in this year’s Duluth News Tribune Best of the Best competition. This category brought in nominations for 123 stylists. Over 4,000 votes were cast for the top 20 nominees.

Our top three

Today, we’ll highlight the top three nominees:

Third place – Raya McMurtrey-Horst, owner of Hair by Raya located inside Serenity Spa, at 1705 Tower Avenue, Suite 102 in Superior.

Second place – Natasha Fre-

itag, owner of Natasha Freitag Hair Artistry at 4850 Miller Trunk Highway, Suite 3 in Hermantown.

First place – Kali Moll, owner of Fox and the Hare at 425 North 59th Avenue West in Duluth.

All three women have their own service specialties and their own unique style – but they all count their loyal clients as a major reason for their success.

Specialties

McMurtrey-Horst is both a medical esthetician and a stylist. She offers laser treatments, microblading, facials, waxing, and skin penning, in addition to hair treatments.

But her specialty is hair color, including unique techniques such as root smudging and balayage. She is grateful and humbled to be a nominee

“It means so much to me – it’s a great honor. You go through a lot with your clients, and they become like a little family,” she said.

Freitag offers cuts, color, and hair extensions. Her

personal specialties include custom color, balayage/hair painting, and hair extensions.

“Being nominated for an award like this is truly an honor,” Freitag said. “Being recognized for all of the hard work and dedication I have put into my career feels great! I feel honored for the relationships I have made with my clients. They turn into friends, and some are even like family! They are a huge part of the success I have had, and I can’t wait to continue to pursue my dreams with my business, continue to grow, and build relationships with my clients.”

And, our winner, Moll, operates her salon in a studio out of her home. Here, she is a one-woman operation, and is open by appointment only.

Moll specializes in specialty color treatments, including hand-painted color, foils, blonding, and balayage. She also does consulting and offers online content under the name The Cultivated Stylist, together with another stylist friend, McKenzie McCullough, which is available to view on Instagram.

“Duluth is such an amazing, cool city with so many talented artists and makers,” Moll said. “It’s an honor to be grouped with these other nominees.”

Kali Moll

Natasha Freitag

Raya Lynn

Services GROUP

CARLSON ORTHODONTICS

WINS BIG IN FOUR CATEGORIES

By Andrea Busche

Many of us are nervous about visiting the dentist’s or orthodontist’s office. We need to feel confident that our smile is in good hands, in order to relax and let the doctor do his or her job.

Carlson Orthodontics, with three locations – in Duluth, Superior, and Cloquet – is both a nominee and winner for not one, not two, but four of the Duluth News Tribune’s 2019 Best of the Best

awards, including:

• Best dental office

• Best customer service

• Best workplace culture, and

• Best small company to work for.

Thousands of votes were cast in each category, and Carlson Orthodontics unequivocally came out on top. Carlson takes good care of their patients. They are polite and friendly. And, on top of that, their employees are happy. I can feel those “dentist’s office jitters” fading away already.

JEWELERS BENCH OF

Employees

Amy Marxhausen is the marketing and treatment coordinator for Carlson Orthodontics. She shared that Carlson has been in business for 16 years.

The business currently employs 19 people, including three orthodontists (Dr. Chris Carlson, Dr. Christine Hammer, and Dr. Joe Dougherty), six administrative team members, and 10 clinical assistants. The office is owned by Dr. Chris Carlson and Dr. Christine Hammer.

Services

Marxhausen shared a bit about the services provided at Carlson Orthodontics.

“We offer several orthodontic treatment options such as Invisalign, traditional braces, clear braces and hidden braces. We work with people of all ages, and spend time getting to know them to determine what their goals are and which treatment option is best for them.

“We invest in the latest technology such as SureSmile and iTero scanners, to ensure that treatment is most comfortable and efficient,” she added. “But first and foremost, we provide an incredible patient experience through relationship-building and trust.”

Workplace culture

Marxhausen shared a bit about what makes Carlson Orthodontics a great place to work.

“I love my job, the team I work with and the people we get to help daily,” she said.

“Our owners really care about each of us individually and are always looking for new ways to

help us grow both personally and as a team. They challenge us to be our best and provide us with the right tools to do so. We are a fun and positive team and really enjoy being together both in and outside of the office.

“We get to make a difference in people’s lives every day,” she continued. “The confidence we can create for someone by giving them a great smile is priceless, and I feel blessed to be a part of that.”

Grateful for the recognition

Marxhausen and the entire Carlson team are humbled by their four nominations, and being crowned the winner in all four categories.

“Customer service is something that we pride ourselves on, and feel it sets us apart,” Marxhausen said. “So, to be recognized for that two years in a row is the best feedback we can get!

“Being nominated for Best Dental Office is such an honor because we work with so many great dental practices in the area, and feel like so many need to be recognized for the great work they do.”

“And Best Workplace Culture and Best Small Company to Work For” mean so much to us because we have worked hard over the years to build a strong team and a positive environment. To see that others recognize that is amazing. We are so appreciative to all who took the time to vote for us!”

For more information, please visit carlsonortho.com.