"Heart of Del Ray Award" Voting Now Open

The “Heart of Del Ray Award” is annually presented by the Del Ray Business Association during the Valentine’s Day holiday to the business that serves as the heart and soul of Del Ray. We want to thank everyone that nominated a business -- over 30 wonderful businesses were nominated making it very tough to narrow it down to just five.  Please see quotes at the end of this email that many of you included in your nominations. Many of you also expressed your continued strong support for past winners which is a tremendous compliment to them and reaffirms how lucky we are to have such great businesses in Del Ray.

We are excited that you, our neighbors, customers and friends will determine the winner of this prestigious award. Selection should be based on which business best demonstrates their warm and welcoming attitude to the community/customers, their commitment and generosity to the community, and to their overall contribution to what makes Del Ray the best place in the world to live, work and shop! In other words, what business warms your “heart” when you here its name?

We congratulate and are honored to list the following five businesses that have been nominated for the “2017 Heart of Del Ray Award”:

1)    Cheesetique  http://cheesetique.com/ 

2)    Del Ray Cafe http://www.delraycafe.com/

3)    HolyCow/PorkBarreBBQ    http://www.holycowdelray.com/ http://wwwbbqdelray.com/   

4)    Rock ofAgesMusic(ROAM) http://www.roamrockandroll.com

5)  Taqueria Poblano        http://www.taqueriapoblano.com/

On line voting is now open at www.visitdelray.com - each person is only allowed one vote.   You can vote anytime between now and 5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 8th.  Once votes are calculated and a winner is determined, a large heart shaped award will be displayed on the winning business on Friday, February 10th to greet them for the Valentine’s Day holiday. We will also notify the various list serves of the winner so you can stop by and congratulate the winner.

Last year over, 1,600 neighbors, friends and customers voted so we encourage you to tell your neighbors to be sure and support their favorite nominee. A business can only win once and we congratulate our past winners which include: A Show of Hands, Jen Walker McEnearney Associates, Bobi Bomar Homes of Alexandria, The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray, Greener Cleaner of Del Ray, Del Ray Pizzeria, Mind the Mat and Caboose Cafe.

Happy Valentine’s Day & be sure to shop for that special Valentine at one of Del Ray’s many businesses!!!

Quotes from those nominating these businesses: 

- Cheesetique: "Long time favorite for our family."  "You can always count on great food and great service as indicated by the many national awards they have won." "Thankful to Jill [Erber] for supporting so many important causes in the community."

- Del Ray Cafe: "Every time we go there, the waiters welcome us like we are old friends.  Friends from D.C. joined us there for dinner and said that they have never received that warm a welcome anywhere!" "The Del Ray Cafe not only treats its customers like family, it also gives back to the community.  They hosted a restaurant night for my daughter's school, and they were generous with their time and donation."

- Pork Barrel/Holy Cow/Sushi Bar: "Besides great food, they are one of the most community-minded businesses in the DC area." "Holy Cow donates a quarter per burger to ACT, they supported Rose's family, organized a fundraiser for Al's, one of their competitors and they donate the Del Ray's Christmas tree every year. They are what makes Del Ray so special."

- Rock Of Ages Music (ROAM): "What John Patrick and his team of talented instructors have done for musicians and children in the neighborhood is astounding and I know they do it with all of their Heart!  And they coordinate great community events like ROAMFEST and the Del Ray Music Festival."

- Taqueria Poblano: "A neighborhood favorite -- like Cheers, where you walk in and they know your name."  "We love the food and love to take friends from out of town because it always feels so welcoming."  "Appreciate Jeff [Wallingford] and Taqueria Poblano who are always willing to support community events."