OCEAN BEACH – OB is full of winners.
Social Syndicate, Lighthouse Ice Cream, Submerge Church, An’s Dry Cleaning, Phil Cenedella, Gordon McLachlan, Catrina Russell, Ken Moss and Craig Gerwig were among the winners of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association’s annual community awards celebration Jan. 22.
Held at St. Peter’s by the Sea Lutheran Church at 1371 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., the nonprofit’s celebration highlighted a year of growth, creativity and collaboration across Ocean Beach. More than 80 local businesses contributed to the event to honor local businesses, volunteers, and community leaders. Attendees enjoyed food, drinks, live music, and an awards program honoring contributions in business development, design, promotion, community engagement, and volunteer service.
Owner Carol Ladiges of Lighthouse Ice Cream at 5059 Newport Ave. said she was beyond thankful for her award recognition. “Our shop won for having a fun interior,” Ladiges said. “It means so much to us. We had a fire in 2023 and lost everything. I rebuilt and reopened on May 10, 2025. I couldn’t have done it without the support of our great community.”
Ken Moss was named Volunteer of the Year for his continued willingness to support OBMA events and initiatives throughout the year. Community Engagement People’s Choice awards were presented to Catrina Russel, Creations Boutique, and Carter Moss with Submerge Church.
Moss, longtime pastor of Submerge Church at 4851 Newport Ave., was appreciative of being recognized, “We are very honored at Submerge Church to win another award from OBMA, and our first-ever People’s Choice Award,” he said. “From our start three years ago, we’ve strived to be a church that is ‘with,’ ‘in,’ and ‘for’ the community.”
The evening concluded with the presentation of the Like a Boss award, given in honor of restaurateur Mike Hardin’s legacy. The 2025 Like a Boss award was presented to Craig Gerwig for his exceptional commitment, leadership and service to the Ocean Beach community.
One of several award honorees was Social Syndicate, a San Diego-based restaurant development group founded in 2011 with a track record of revitalizing and creating popular and profitable restaurant concepts. Syndicate members in OB include La Dona, OB Surf Lodge, Wonderland Ocean Pub and Blue Water Seafood.
Additional OBMA awards honored businesses and organizations that hosted events promoting OB, including Punk Rock Rodeo venues, the Santa Experience team, Sunset Plaza Makers Markets, and Top Floor Trick or Treat participants.
OBMA also presented Milestone and Community Partner Awards to CC Summerfield, Christie Romano, Daisy Santana, Mike Fahey of the Peninsula Beacon newspaper, Nancy Vaughn, and Raquel Freischlag for their long-standing dedication to OB.
Ocean Beach MainStreet Awards for 2025 were presented in 2026 by OBMA committee leaders across several categories:
- The Clean, Safe, and Beautification Committee honored Phil Cenedella for his leadership with the OB Task Force on Homelessness and Gordon McLachlan for his daily commitment to keeping Ocean Beach clean. Love Thy Neighborhood also received the People’s Choice Award for this category.
- The Design Committee recognized businesses and property owners for improvements that enhanced the look and feel of Ocean Beach, including the 1851 Bacon Street Building, An’s Electronic Repair, Art Up Your Life, Details Salon & Spa, Dirty Birds Ocean Beach, OB Smoothie, The Template, US Bank, The Collective Ocean Beach Jiu Jitsu and Lighthouse Ice Cream.
- The Economic Vitality Committee honored Bluebird Play, Creations Boutique, Excelsa Cafe, Jones Barbershop, Mortarless Bricks and Spill the Beans Coffee & Bagel for strengthening the business district through innovation, expansion, and investment. Spill the Beans Coffee & Bagel received the People’s Choice Award for this category.
- The Promotion Committee recognized An’s Electronic Repair, Indie Yoga, Official Ocean Beach, Scoops Ocean Beach, Wonderland Ocean Pub and Sourdough & Moore for outstanding marketing, promotion and community presence.
