Quick Take
Marini’s Candies, Marianne’s Ice Cream and Pacific Cookie Company are nominees, along with Mount Madonna Center, for the national paper's readers' choice awards.
Three Santa Cruz County dessert businesses are in the running for USA Today’s annual Readers’ Choice top-10 lists.
Marini’s Candies, Marianne’s Ice Cream and Pacific Cookie Company are nominees in the Best Candy Store, Best Ice Cream Store and Best Cookie Store categories, respectively, from the area. Mount Madonna Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains also made the cut in the Health and Wellness category.
The USA Today rankings are a mix of the paper’s judgement and readers voting. Before a general audience gets to vote on the winners, the initial 20 nominees are selected by a “panel of experts,” with final review resting in the hands of the editors of USA Today, according to the contest’s FAQ.
The ultimate winners will be announced June 18. People can vote once per day through next Monday, June 9.
In terms of the ice cream category, the paper chose the top 20 independent stores in the country “for their quality, fresh ingredients and creative takes.”
Charlie Wilcox, co-owner of Marianne’s Ice Cream, said he was grateful for the nomination.
“We work hard to maintain and keep things the way they should be, and so it was nice to feel that was recognized,” Wilcox said.
Trade group Retail Confectioners International emailed Marini’s Candies co-owner Gino Marini on May 29 to congratulate him for making USA Today’s list. Marini was shocked. He did not know what the list was, nor did he know his business was on it.
“I called my wife and my parents and my brother and was like we’re on that list. You can go on there and vote, so go on there and vote,” Marini said. Marini’s climbed from 20th position to fourth before the rankings were taken down Sunday, according to Marini.
On social media, loyal customers said they were voting for Marini’s over and over again. With the rankings no longer visible on the media outlet’s site, there’s no way to tell who’s winning now. But whatever the outcome of the final vote among readers, Marini said he is excited to see all the Santa Cruz businesses get recognition.
Pacific Cookie Company President Cara Pearson was not available for comment.
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