Chamber honors bakery, community leaders

Scores of Coastsiders piled into Oceano Hotel and Spa Wednesday evening for the fourth annual Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau annual awards dinner.

The occasion had previously been celebrated in a luncheon, said Chamber President and CEO Charise McHugh. But in recent years it has taken the form of a dinner, with Assemblyman Rich Gordon serving as emcee Wednesday.

"I think it was the best ever," said McHugh. "Rich Gordon was great as emcee. There were 160 people in attendance. Oceano was fabulous, and all of the awardees were very deserving."

Included in the evening was an announcement of the 2012 slate of chamber officers, who will serve three-year terms. Those included Chair Sara Watson, Vice Chair Heidi Kuiper, CFO Robert Dragony, Secretary Sheri Olson and board members Tara Earley, Kelly Davis, Ginger Minoletti, Chris MIckelsen, Rick Ellis, Tom O'Brien and Cortney Alifano.

Board members Teresa Adam and Wayne Meyer have retired, said McHugh.

Several local businessmen and women received recognition through. Those included:

The Mayor's Award, at the discretion of Half Moon Bay mayor, went to Mark Andermahr of the Half Moon Bay Bakery, which had been in business on Main Street since the 1920s after having moved there from its first location on Kelly Avenue;

The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Heidi Kuiper;

The Civic Achievement Award went to City Councilwoman Naomi Patridge;

A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Andre Franco and Rocky Law;

The Green Business Award went to Allied Waste;

The New Business Award went to Nano's Yogurt;

The Innovative Business Award went to Paul and Julie Shenkman;

Jude and Julie Damasco were named to the Business Hall of Fame.

Patridge gave a nod to Andermahr and the bakery for their longevity through changing times. "It's great to recognize a business (that) when you go down the street you see one of the original businesses - the bakery - still there and still using the same recipes," she said. "It's the hub of the old-timers."