After 11 years, I’m finally ready to say it: This is my favorite issue of the year.

I never feel more connected to the community than when we’ve announced the final results of Best of the West, resulting in a tidal wave of winners and finalists thanking their loyal fans, the comments filling up with even more vocal support. 

It’s really not even about Revue. Sure, we facilitate the voting, but we’re not the ones running small businesses, providing essential services to the community, or creating great art. Our role is the same as always: We’re connectors. Year-round, we aim to help you the readers find new people, places and events you’ll love in town, and that work is just kicked into hyperdrive with Best of the West.

For the totally unfamiliar, this is our annual readers poll, now in its 11th year. We ask the community to nominate and vote for their favorites in more than 130 categories, including everything from barber shops to breweries, Thai restaurants, art museums, musicians, vintage shops and much more. 

Every year, thousands of people turn out to support their favorites. Sure, it only takes a few clicks and some typing, but that’s in a world of endless information and constant bids for attention. 

And what do they get out of it? Just the joy of helping shine a spotlight on the people and places they love. We don’t offer any voting incentives or giveaways or anything. So when you look through the pages ahead, you might not agree with every one of the results, but you can be assured hundreds of people (at minimum) consider these winners and finalists the cream of the local crop. 

We hope with that in mind, the winners feel truly honored, and that you the reader can take a few recommendations away and discover something new to love. Because that’s really what this is all about.

'Til next time,
Josh Veal, Managing Editor