Representatives from Misericordia University collected their awards at the Best of the Best awards ceremony at the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Plains Township on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
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Times Leader Media Group Publisher Kerry Miscavage, right, along side Advertising Director Diane McGee, addresses the hundreds of award winners at the Best of the Best awards ceremony at the Woodlands Inn & Resort on Monday night
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Jessica Skoloda, right, received her award as the Best Realtor. With her is fellow realtor Lori Spencer.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The Salt Barre, Pittston, were the winners of several awards at the annual Times Leader Best of the Best awards ceremony held Monday night at the Woodlands Inn & Resort.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
PLAINS TWP. — The Times Leader rolled out the red carpet Monday at the Woodlands Inn and Resort for a dinner honoring the winners of the 11th annual Best of the Best reader’s choice awards.
The celebratory event included buffet style dining, with food catered by the Woodlands, and live entertainment by the band Triple Fret.
Winners picked up their framed certificates and made plenty of memories, thanks to the selfie and video stations that circulated around the ballroom, courtesy of Dynamic Duo, DJ Donnie Evans and Jonathan Edwards with Diamond City Studios.
According to Times Leader Media Group Publisher Kerry Miscavage, the award’s dinner was also a chance for businesses to network with each other and for the newspaper to continue building ties within the community.
“A lot of businesses are here that we’ve never met before. It’s exciting to see so many new winners,” said Miscavage. “That means our region is evolving and providing more services.”
The ballroom was exceptionally crowded Monday and Times Leader Advertising Director Diane McGee said that more than 300 people were expected to attend the event.
“We usually start preparing in October or November, just to go through the categories and look for new businesses, new types of categories that are open that we can expand on,” McGee explained.
The Potato Pancake Shack, located in Larksville, was the gold recipient for Best Potato Pancakes, of one of those new categories, as well as a silver winner for Best Take Out.
Owner Ed Krystofosky, 62, has experienced many ups and downs over the course of 30 years in business.
“When the people come in and tell me how much they like my potato pancakes …. it took years. It didn’t happen over night,” he explained. “For so many years I was just ready to close up and say the heck with it.”
Still, Krystofosky kept at it and after much trial and error, now serves potato pancakes that his customers tell him are the best they’ve ever had.
Krystofosky’s sister-in-law, Lorraine Herness, who he attended the dinner with, was quick to sing his praises and express just how meaningful it was for him to have won an award like the Best of the Best, especially because it came from the community he serves.
“He really has put a lot of time into his recipes, in his business,” she said. “Winning this is very gratifying for him.”