Awards ceremony brings out ‘best’ that Boise has to offer

BOISE — The expression on Jeannie Jackson’s face, along with the tone and tenor of her voice, said it all.

The owner of the local breakfast establishment Egg Mann and Earl had just taken home two top honors in Wednesday night’s Best of Boise awards ceremony in the Food and Dining category — one for Best Breakfast spot and the other for Best Biscuits in town.

The emotion Jackson exuded was palpable, as she explained what the honor meant to her both personally and professionally. Jackson moved to Boise when she was 7 and started reading Boise Weekly as a young teen.

“I’m not kidding you, I picked up the Boise Weekly since I was 13 years old, and I’ve always wanted to be the Best of Boise. This has been a dream of mine,” she said, plaques gripped tightly in her left hand. “I’m over the moon about it. I’m taking it home. I’m taking the gold.”

Jackson — like many of the award winners interviewed — stressed that it wasn’t about her, rather her staff at Egg Mann and Earl who made the recognition and evening as whole possible.

“It isn’t just me, it isn’t just my win, I’ve got a team of 37 people behind me that made this happen. This is not my win. This is the team’s win,” she said.

“I wouldn’t get here without him, without him, without the table I’m sitting at,” she said, gesturing to her coworkers standing nearby. “My mom and my dad, they believed in me. All my staff.”

That was a snippet Wednesday night from Boise Centre, where the 30th annual Best of Boise unfolded in front of a loud and raucous crowd. Close to 500 attendees were present to witness a plethora of awards handed out in multiple categories, including top honors in the local Bars and Nightlife scene, favorite picks in the world of Beauty and Health, top options in the Sports and Recreation field, and awards handed out in sectors such as Finance, Home Services, and Arts and Entertainment.

After opening speakers took the mic, MCs Chris Stewart (Lucky the DJ) and Steve Kicklighter (KeKe Luv), both formerly of Boise’s KISS FM, took center stage. They were backed by music entertainment supplied by Boise Centre and kick-started by a speech from renowned local music artist and Humpin’ Hannah’s icon Rocci Johnson. The spirited atmosphere took off, and there was no looking back.

Close to 180 awards were handed out, spurred by a community nomination and voting process . With each winner announced, the crowd got increasingly louder, culminated by a rendition of the Village People’s Y.M.C.A. and a spirit award late in the evening that nearly took the roof off the building.

Idaho Press Publisher and President and Boise Weekly Publisher Matt Tranquill said it was an honor to recognize the various businesses and entities “for their outstanding performance in their fields.”

“The excitement in the room was unparalleled. Having participated in numerous events nationwide, I can confidently say this audience was the most engaged I’ve ever seen,” Tranquill said. “Boise is undeniably a wonderful community, and I am grateful that Boise Weekly and Idaho Press could play a small part in celebrating its success.”

Award winners echoed Jackson’s sentiment regarding Boise Weekly, the long-standing arts and entertainment guide for all things local.

“It’s an honor every time. Boise Weekly is the award we really cherish,” said Dahlia Berreth, owner of Luciano’s, which took home the top spot for Boise’s Best Italian Food. “We’re happy to have this year’s one to go up alongside the many others.”

Stina Krasch, owner of StinaFace Beauty Lab, said winning Best of Boise honors in consecutive years “feels like it was meant to be.”

This year, StinaFace won first place for the city’s Best Makeup Artist in the Beauty and Health category.

“My clients recognize that they were a contribution to this and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have a business at all,” Krasch said.

Jason Smullin, owner of J’s Ultimate Hand Car Wash, talked about how his Garden City-based business just hit its 20-year anniversary after winning Best Car Wash and Detail Shop in the Vehicles, Dealers and Services category.

“I think there’s a lot of people who didn’t know if we’d make it that long. And we’re still here,” he said. “We’re loving it, we’re providing jobs for people. We’re just trying to serve Garden City and the Treasure Valley.”

Boise Weekly Editor Jeanne Huff called the annual tradition of Best of Boise “a touchstone with our community” and “a Boise institution.”

“We are so proud to be able to showcase so many in our community, from the arts to the eats, from services and local businesses to the individual people who made — and make — a difference,” Huff said. “Boise Weekly is proud to be the torchbearer of Best of Boise and look forward to 30 more years awarding the best of the best in our community.”

Tranquill was sure to recognize the work done by Huff at the Boise Weekly day-in and day-out, week-in and week-out. The publisher also threw a lion’s share of praise to Idaho Press Advertising Director Angela Sammons and her staff for spearheading the Best of Boise event, which, from the publisher’s perspective, was a rousing success.

“The venue, the MCs, the staff, everyone,” Tranquill said. “It was a night I will forever remember. Thank you to everyone.”