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Suzanne Loudermilk, Executive Editor
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Welcome to our 2015 Best of Delaware issue. This is our biggest issue of the year and is a labor of love we plan for months.
We have more than 370 winners between our readers’ and editors’ picks, and we are excited for all of them. They worked hard to earn the recognition and deserve our congratulations. (Check them out, starting on page 70.)
People often ask how we decide who the winners are. In February, we asked readers to tell us their choices via a ballot. Their responses were tabulated by an outside company to ensure fairness.
If you feel someone worthy is missing from the list, please take the time to vote for your favorites next year. The editorial staff also wants to hear from you. Many times, there are restaurants or businesses we aren’t familiar with, and we take your loyal pitches seriously.
As for us, we’ve spent the past year keeping our eyes out for places and people we think deserve a nod in our Best of Delaware list. We’re pleased with this year’s editorial picks—from a tiny cheese shop and oil-tasting boutiques to places offering live music and the top news reporters in the state. We’ve already started thinking about next year.
To really celebrate, I hope you’ll join us at the Best of Delaware Party at the Chase Center on the Riverfront on July 30. I went to my first BOD event last year after becoming executive editor of Delaware Today and was wowed by the array of food from dozens of the state’s top restaurants. You can dance off the calories to the dynamic
music group Jellyroll—and then go back for another crab cake or cookie.
The party also benefits two great causes: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware and Delaware Guidance Services for Children and Youth Inc. You can learn more about these worthwhile organizations and other party details in our Best of Delaware Party Guide (page 126). Hope to see you there!
But the Best of Delaware party isn’t the only fun event in town. The Delaware State Fair in Harrington kicks off a 10-day run, starting July 23. To get you pumped for the rides, music lineup, food and farm animals galore, we asked illustrious photographer Kevin Fleming to shoot fair photos last year. Check out his pictorial display (page 92). You’ll be counting the days till this year’s action starts.
Also in our July issue, freelance writer Bob Yearick sheds light on Leo Strine Jr., Delaware’s Supreme Court chief justice. He writes intriguingly: “Lawdragon.com once likened [Strine’s] appetite for ‘skewering fat cats’ to the way ‘Hannibal Lecter loves fava beans and a nice Chianti.’” And that’s just part of the story (page 90).
Like everyone in the state and around the country, we were terrifically saddened by the death of Joe Biden’s son, Beau, who died of brain cancer at age 46 in May. Attorney General Matt Denn, who succeeded Beau in office, shares his thoughts about his predecessor and his legacy (page 176). We offer our condolences to the Biden family as they grieve the loss of a son, father, husband and friend. Hug those close to you, and seize the day.
