Cape Coral Breeze Honors Best Of Award Winners
Local residents and business owners gathered for a celebratory luncheon to honor the 2026 readers choice award recipients.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Healthy Food
Live Poll
Do you believe local readers choice awards accurately identify the best businesses in your community?
The Cape Coral Breeze recently honored the winners of its 2026 readers choice awards at a luncheon held at Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill. Local voters determined the winners across approximately 375 distinct categories.
Why it matters
The annual awards provide local recognition for Cape Coral businesses and individuals who have established significant standing within the community. These honors serve as a direct reflection of local consumer sentiment.
The awards span 375 categories, with notable honors including Ralf Trebing winning Best Tile Contractor for the 15th consecutive year. Additionally, Rich Dantona secured seven awards, while Lizzie Marrero earned her second consecutive title for Best Smoothie.
The players
Ralf Trebing
He is a long-term local business owner who has been recognized as the Best Tile Contractor for 15 consecutive years.
Lizzie Marrero
She is a local business owner who earned the Best Smoothie title in both 2025 and 2026.
Rich Dantona
He is a community member who achieved significant recognition by winning seven Best Of awards.
Dan Rams
He is the founder of the Cape Coral Run Group, which he established in 2014.
The Cape Coral Breeze
This local media outlet organizes and hosts the annual readers choice awards program.
The details
The celebratory event at Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill featured a buffet and carnival-style games for attendees. The recognition highlight included long-standing winners alongside newer community fixtures, such as The Zone Nutrition, which has been in business for three years.
Timeline
2014 was the year Dan Rams started the Cape Coral Run Group.
2025 marked the first year Lizzie Marrero won Best Smoothie.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, was the date of the winners luncheon at Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill.
Culture Shift
The annual readers choice program highlights a shift toward hyper-local recognition within the city. This event underscores the community's reliance on peer-verified awards to validate local service providers and lifestyle businesses.
The awards provide residents with a vetted list of recommended local contractors and dining establishments for their daily needs. Shoppers can utilize this 2026 guide to make informed purchasing decisions among neighborhood service providers.
The takeaway
Community-driven awards foster local competition and encourage consistent quality across neighborhood service industries. Residents can support high-performing local businesses by referencing the published winners list for their future service needs.
Further reading
For more information on the latest trends and local honors, visit the Healthy Food section.
More information
View the complete list of honorees in the 2026 winners digital book.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cape Coral Breeze.
Live Poll
Do you believe local readers choice awards accurately identify the best businesses in your community?
