4 Homer businesses named 10Best winners

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026

Four local businesses were recently named as winners in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards contests. The Homer Chamber of Commerce congratulated AJ’s Oldtown Steakhouse and Tavern, Johnny’s Corner, Tutka Bay Lodge and Stillpoint Lodge for being highlighted in the contest results.

AJ’s took sixth place and Johnny’s Corner took ninth place for “Best Restaurant in Alaska.” According to the contest website, selected restaurants were nominated by an expert panel and then voted on by USA Today readers.

Seward’s The Cookery was voted number one for Alaska restaurants, “showcasing the best of the Alaska bounty, from fresh oysters to locally farmed meats to produce straight from the Kenai Peninsula.” Restaurants in Sitka, Girdwood, Anchorage and Juneau also made the list.

USA Today described Johnny’s Corner as “a small kiosk-style eatery on Homer’s gorgeous spit, where the food is as astounding as the sublime mountain and sea views.”

Proprietor and chef John Brennand-Sheffler highlighted in an email to Homer News Tuesday his long relationship with Homer, the ocean and delicious food.

“I grew up here and commercially seined out of Homer for 15 years. My career on the water — starting with set-netting as a teenager and later purse-seining in Kodiak and Prince William Sound — taught me a deep appreciation for the ocean’s resources,” he wrote. “Over the years, I became the cook on the boat, and the galley quickly became my happy place after long hours on deck.”

Salmon Sisters, a local company co-founded by two sisters and Alaska fishermen that offers wild-caught seafood and other goods made in Alaska, approached Brennand-Sheffler five years ago with a “dream opportunity,” and he’s operated Johnny’s Corner seasonally, April through September, from their fish shop on the Homer Spit for the past four summers.

“Our focus is on combining high-quality local seafood with global culinary influences I’ve gathered during my travels in the off-season. You’ll find hints of Nepal, New Zealand, Japan, and Mexico in our bowls—all made with the freshest ingredients including locally sourced seafood, microgreens, kelp, and more,” Brennand-Sheffler wrote.

While this is the first time that Johnny’s Corner has received an award from USA Today, the restaurant is a proud two-time, back-to-back winner of the Taste of Homer contest, a week-long event sponsored annually by the Homer Chamber of Commerce.

“(In) year one, we won with our miso soup, made with Kachemak Bay kelp from Kachemak Kelp — who actually process their kelp right here in the same building! (In) year two, we won with our halibut dumplings with blueberry teriyaki sauce, featuring a surf and turf mix from Citizen Salmon,” he wrote.

Brennand-Sheffler called the 10Best award “truly an honor,” and this summer is most looking forward to participating again in Taste of Homer.

“We hope this recognition encourages even more folks to come down to the Spit and try what we’re doing,” he wrote. “We love the opportunity to collaborate with local food sources and can’t wait to see what we and the rest of the Homer restaurant community cook up for the season.”

USA Today highlighted AJ’s history as the first bar in Homer, established in 1941, and noted their premium food and drink offerings as well as their specialty customer service.

Adrienne Sweeney, who co-owns the historic restaurant with her husband, Alex, wrote in an email to Homer News Saturday that being recognized by USA Today’s 10Best “is a tremendous honor for all of us at AJ’s Oldtown Steakhouse.”

“We are very proud, but more than anything, deeply grateful. AJ’s is only as special as the people behind it, and we are fortunate to have an incredible team that works together every day with heart, dedication, and a true commitment to caring for our guests,” she wrote.

“We also want to thank our local community and the many visitors who have supported us, voted for us, and made AJ’s part of their Homer experience.

“We share this recognition with our team and with everyone who has supported us along the way.”

On the lodging side, Tutka Bay Lodge took sixth place and Stillpoint Lodge took seventh in the 10Best “Best Wilderness Lodge in Alaska” contest. Top picks for the contest were similarly nominated by an expert panel and then voted on by readers. The contest website also notes that each of the 10 winning lodges is set in a “stunning” location with direct access to the outdoors and “offers cozy accommodations that balance rustic charm with modern comforts.”

The Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, located on Fox Island about 12 miles from Seward, was voted second place for Alaska wilderness lodges. The Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge in the Kenai Fjords National Park was selected by voters for 10th place. Other lodges in Talkeetna, Kennicott, Judd Lake and several in Denali National Park were also named to the list.

Stillpoint Lodge, near Halibut Cove across Kachemak Bay, is the only Michelin Guide Keys property in Alaska and offers “exquisitely” handcrafted spruce timber cabins, immersive custom itineraries and combines luxury with unique Alaska experiences.

Manager Beka Thoning said in an interview Friday that Stillpoint Lodge is entering its 23rd season.

“We started off as a retreat center, and then about 12 years ago we transitioned to a high quality service adventure lodge,” she said. “We’re very well situated for saltwater fishing and bear viewing and (are) right next to Kachemak Bay State Park. All of our packages are custom, and people really like that freedom to work with us to curate exactly what they’re envisioning for their stay.”

Tutka Bay Lodge sits along the southern shore of Kachemak Bay, on 35 private acres surrounded by Kachemak Bay State Park. The lodge offers private accommodations, daily adventures and award-winning cuisine from Michelin-trained and James Beard-recognized chefs. Tutka Bay Lodge was also named an Oprah Hotel O-Award winner in 2024 and has received multiple “Best Lodge USA” and “Best Lodge in Alaska” awards from Conde Nast Traveler and Travel and Leisure Magazines.

“We really feel honored and very pleased when we’re recognized,” co-founder and co-owner Kirsten Dixon said in an interview last Thursday. “There’s a lot of talent in Homer, there’s a lot of really incredible small businesses and bigger businesses that bring a spotlight to our little community, both nationally and internationally.”

According to Dixon, Tutka Bay Lodge is a family-run business operating under the umbrella of Within the Wild, an Alaska adventure company that also covers Danish Daughter Farm on Diamond Ridge, Alaska Beyond, and other related businesses. Dixon also owns La Baleine Cafe on the Homer Spit.

Dixon said that the four winning businesses from this 10Best contest all being part of the hospitality industry highlights Homer’s “incredible” hospitality offerings and “ability to bring people into the natural world to experience the mountains and ocean and coastline.”

“I think that is what really is so appealing to visitors who come and experience us, and it’s important to our community to share our town, our ocean, our bay with the world. It’s worthy of that,” she said.

Chamber marketing director Silas Firth said via email Tuesday that Homer has placed in a number of USA Today’s 10Best lists, including being named a runner-up last year for “Best Small Town Arts Scene.”

“I think it certainly speaks to the reputation Homer has among visitors and locals as one of the best places in Alaska to visit and live,” he wrote.