Best of Morgan Hill 2022

Voted the best

Through painstaking deliberations and difficult decisions, the community voted for their favorites. Now, in this issue, we unveil the winners of the annual Best of Morgan Hill awards.

Readers had the chance to vote for a variety of businesses, organizations and more through an online ballot that was live for a month. With more than 100 categories to consider, at least

20 selections had to be made in order for the ballot to count.

We received numerous entries, with the community telling us their favorite places to eat, where to shop, what they like to do on the weekend and more.

The results show many old favorites have once again reclaimed their titles, but plenty of others have been voted the best for the first time.

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7455 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA Phone: 408-842-6400

Publisher Dan Pulcrano

Editor Erik Chalhoub

Advertising Account Executive Carrie Bonato, Eric Bocanegra, Jeanie Johnson

Production Coordinator Deb Fisher

Designers Jennifer Meyer, Elena Razgonova, Jimmy Arceneaux, Hon Truong Production Operations Manager Sean George

Dan Pulcrano

TO

Creative Services Director Cindy Couling

Editorial Production Manager Phaedra Strecher

Thank You for thinking highly of My Pizza and voting us Best of Morgan Hill

We at My Pizza are honored and privileged to serve our community. Our goal is to offer you excellent product and service with every visit. Please let us know if we ever fail so we can make it right. Your feedback is what makes us better and keeps us learning about how to improve our operation.

Keep supporting local businesses

Order online and skip the wait!

ordering, menu and

have in town – they are all

229-A West Main Ave., Morgan Hill

Mon-Fri

11am-9:30pm

Best food & drink

ON A ROLL Mandi Barnes serves up an albacore/tuna nigiri and a Santa Cruz lobster roll at Sushi Confidential, which opened in April in downtown Morgan Hill.

Best New Restaurant: Sushi Confidential

Sushi Confidential opened earlier this year at 17340 Monterey Road in downtown Morgan Hill, and it’s quickly become a hit among diners.

So much so that it has been voted the Best New Restaurant in Morgan Hill for 2022.

Restaurateur and sushi chef Randy Musterer, also known as “Sushi Randy,” had an earlier career in Silicon Valley as a cancer researcher, with a “side hustle” as an evening sushi chef, he said. In 2012, he “retired” from biotech and took his culinary passions to the next level by opening his first Sushi Confidential in downtown Campbell.

He opened his downtown San Jose restaurant in

2016, and has continued to expand with catering and concessions.

Diners can try out Musterer’s original signature roll, featuring a tempura California roll topped with crab, salmon, tuna, albacore, macadamia nuts and more, along with a variety of other rolls. The menu also includes a sizable list of vegan options and plenty of unique cocktails to choose from.

“The front of the house team—as well as the back of the house—are pretty much all from Morgan Hill. A lot of them are born and raised (here) so they have a vested interest to do the best service possible,” Musterer said. “It’s been a community, family friendly environment.”

Tarmo Hannula

MORGAN

Best food & drink

CATERER

HONORING FAMILY Tommy Palmer, owner of Palmerino’s, stands in front of his family’s photos inside his new Italian deli in downtown Morgan Hill. Palmerino’s, which

Main Ave. The

Polpette,

Erik Chalhoub

Best food & drink

SHOP—

Best

drink

Best food & drink

Ramar

Best Bookstore: BookSmart

Best shopping Michael Moore

Husband and wife Cinda Meister and Bradley Jones, co-owners of BookSmart, first opened their doors in downtown Morgan Hill in 1994. Ten years later they moved to Depot Center on Second Street, and after that, in their current location at Vineyard Town Center.

With each move, the couple’s goal has remained the same: serving the community.

“When they’re looking for a gift certificate or donation for their club, school or church, we always do whatever we can,” Jones said.

In this day and age of big box stores, BookSmart offers something unique: personal service.

“It’s nice to shop where someone knows your name or knows your face or knows your family; you have a much more personal touch,” Meister said.

BookSmart earlier in 2022 celebrated 10 years of finding an

elusive book character named Waldo and giving local children and families a fun activity that promotes the value of shopping locally. And this year, the 10th anniversary of “Find Waldo Local” featured support for a good cause that provides services for families.

The iconic children’s book character in the red-and-whitestriped shirt and black-rimmed specs hid out in 21 local businesses throughout town. People could pick up a “passport” that contained a list of the participating stores, then go around to local shops and try to find Waldo hidden among the shelves and displays.

This year’s Find Waldo game added a philanthropic element to the fun—for each completed passport that was submitted, a book was donated to the local FIRST 5 Community Solutions Family Resource Center.

BEST BOOKSTORE Books by local authors adorn some of the shelves at BookSmart, a local independent bookstore that was voted Morgan Hill’s Best Bookstore for 2022.

Best

ETHNIC MARKET

FABRIC

Mehdi Kousha,

Manager of Morgan Hill Wine Shop & Cigar

James Agopian,

of

Cigars;

Shop

Michael Moore

Thank

Best shopping

NEW RETAIL

SPORTING

PET/FEED STORE

SHOE STORE

SMOKE SHOP

Best care&service

Best Dance Instructor: Lana Wright, Lana’s Dance Studio

Even for an accomplished dance organization as Lana’s Dance Studio, what it did in the 2022 Kids Artistic Revue Nationals Dance Finals in Anaheim June 26-July 1 was nothing short of impressive.

Out of the 50-plus studios competing, Lana’s was the only one that had dancers reach the finals in all eight categories. They also ranked first overall in wins and won Studio of the Year and Choreographer of the Year.

Lana Wright is in her 44th year as the owner/director of the studio which has facilities in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

Since Lana’s Dance Studio opened, dozens of its

alumni have gone on to work all over the world, whether in Hollywood, Broadway, or New York City. Many of them have gone on to compete for a four-year collegiate program.

However, Wright said it’s the relationships she values the most. Eight of the 10 members of her working staff danced at the studio.

“I feel very blessed to have the relationships with my staff and how we have the same goal of wanting the kids to learn, have fun and always improve,” she said. “It’s phenomenal when you take a step back and see how many kids’ lives you’ve touched. You hope their experience here has made a difference in their lives.”

PERFORMERS Lana’s Dance Studio’s hip-hop team Onyx Premium along with team Sapphires won the Intermediate large group category and were invited back for the Showcase in the KAR National Dance Finals June 26-July 1 in Anaheim.

Cochi

&

Voted

Bob

Steve

Peggy Martin

Mario Banuelos

Rob Christopher

Nick Gaich

Matt WendtPamala Meador

Mark Turner

Zachary Hayes

Joe Trammell

Thank You Morgan Hill community for Voting CommonWealth the Best Place to Bank for six years in a row!

At CommonWealth Central Credit Union, we care about supporting our local community, and that means you! We are proud to have been part of the Morgan Hill Community for over 30 years and look forward to serving you for years to come.

If you don’t know us, you may have seen us around the neighborhood—from passing out sunglasses and light-up bracelets at Morgan Hill’s Friday Night Music Series, to pouring beer & wine at local festivals, to walking in the 4th of July and Holiday Lights parade—we are proud to work and play in Morgan Hill.

At CommonWealth, your financial well-being matters to us. Whether your financial goals include a new home, a car, a dream vacation,

Not sure where to start on your financial journey? We have resources available to help ensure that you are prepared and comfortable with your goals – like online education programs, webinars, and newsletters. Mostly importantly, our team is driven to support you in your financial life. Stop by one of our local branches and mention Best of Morgan Hill to receive a special gift.

Alex, Operations Supervisor:“My favorite thing about helping membersis being able to make a difference—the satisfaction of knowing I can havea positive impact on the lives of ourmembers and the community.”

Noel, Financial Services Representative: “I love seeing our members smile and their gratitude after they have been helped.”

Best care & Service

Best care & Service

Best

With immense gratitude, South County Animal Hospital would like to thank everyone who voted us #1 Veterinarian in Morgan Hill for the third consecutive year!

We are also deeply thankful to be a part of such a wonderful community. This award means a lot to us, because it shows how dedicated we are to providing pets and their families with the best possible care. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your

Escamilla (from left), Sally Freimuth and Renee Lee

Marilyn Wendt

Best care & Service

MARTIAL ARTS STUDIO

MORTGAGE BROKER (TIE)

MOTORCYCLE DEALER

FUNERAL

Best care & Service

Best care & Service

PLUMBER/ PLUMBING COMPANY

Frank’s Plumbing

REAL ESTATE AGENT

Lauren Ronan— Coldwell Banker

REAL ESTATE COMPANY

Intero Real Estate Company

RECYCLE CENTER

Recology South Valley

ROOFER

Chad's Roofing

SCHOOL— PUBLIC

Charter School of Morgan Hill SCHOOL—

PRIVATE Oakwood School

SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

Westmont Senior Living

SKIN CARE Agape Day Spa

SOLAR SUPPLIER

Golden State Solar

SPORTS MEDICINE

Active Spinal & Sports Care STORAGE FACILITY

Cochrane Road Self Storage

TATTOO PARLOR

Sailors Ink

TIRE SHOP

Advanced Tire and Wheel

TRAVEL AGENCY

Your Vacation Source—Laura Fleischhauer

TREE SERVICE

Morgan Hill Tree Service LLC

URGENT CARE CENTER

De Paul

Urgent Care

VETERINARIAN

South County Animal Hospital

VETERINARY HOSPITAL/ OFFICE

South County Animal Hospital

WEDDING CATERER

Cochi's Kitchen

WEDDING EVENT

PLANNER

Heather Moggia— Moggia Events LLC

WEDDING RECEPTION

Yoga

FLYING HIGH Hawks senior Kiefer Nguyen was instrumental in Oakwood School’s

with his ability to drive to the basket,

3-pointers and

defense.

Kort Jensen

Best fun

Best Festival and Outdoor Event: Mushroom Mardi Gras

The 41st Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras took over the city’s downtown for the Memorial Day holiday weekend in 2022, bringing patrons and visitors all the arts and crafts, food vendors and live entertainment they missed from the festival’s cancellations due to Covid-19 in recent years.

The Mushroom Mardi Gras typically draws tens of thousands of visitors and residents to Morgan Hill. The festival has raised more than $1 million for scholarships for local college-bound high school students and more than $542,000 to nonprofits since it was founded. It has also given

away more than $64,000 in mini-grants to local organizations since the Mushroom Mardi Gras started its mini-grant program nine years ago.

The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras, Inc. announced the rebranding of the 2023 festival to Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival. Scheduled for May 27-28, 2023, the festival will feature mushroom-inspired gourmet food, entertainment, arts and crafts, wine and beer gardens, and a mushroom expo with cooking demonstrations, in addition to “Munchkinland” for the kids.

Tarmo Hannula

FUNGI FUN The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras brings thousands of people annually to downtown Morgan Hill to try some of the best mushroom-inspired dishes.

Thank

Best

Recology is proud to be named

Together with our valued customers, we are moving closer to a world without waste. Thank you!

Best Recycling Center in Gilroy and Morgan Hill

+ strategy + design