A night full of *cheers* 2 years in the making: The Tampa Bay Yelpies 2021.
On December 7 some of Tampa Bay’s most valuable members of the Yelp Elite Squad gathered in the tiki at Mamajuana for an annual celebration of all things Yelp.
The social Squad started the night with sangria and selfies. For some this was their first time meeting fellow Yelp Elites, and for several others it was their first time seeing old friends since 2020. No matter the journey there, all guests were ecstatic to celebrate together and to enter the enchanting world of Mamajuana.
Mamajuana completely blew away the group of local loving foodies. Chef Luis Almonte and the ownership team curated a unique multi – course menu featuring house favorites such as Yucafongo and special holiday empanadas. The Elite Squad drooled over the flan, and couldn’t stop taking photos of the stunning salmon over rice. Each bite was as flavorful as it was colorful.
In between cheering over the dynamite dishes, the Yelp Elite Squad had the chance to cheer for one another as awards were presented. Without further ado, we are honored to announce the winners of the 2021 Yelpies:
- Reviewer Of The Year: Raegan L.
- Photographer Of The Year: Rachel M.
- The Social Butterfly: Henderson W. + Gloria L.
- The Life Of The Party: Nick S.
- Keeping Yelp Useful: Brian M.
- Keeping Yelp Funny: Brigitte L.
- Keeping Yelp Cool: Boon C.
- Keeping Yelp Meta: Andrea T.
- The Reliability Award: Brittany M.
- The Dynamic Duo: Roseiby J. + Karina S.
- The Foodie Influencer: Rachel L.
- The Globetrotter: Jude B
Each winner took home a lot of honor and a $25 gift certificate to Tender Shack.The remarkable evening was given life thanks to Just Us Productions and their magic photobooth mirror. Justincredible Moments captured every *cheer* while Victor Maldo serenaded the entire space. And we will cherish the memories on Yelp through the Elite Squads’ reviews.
In a year with its challenges these folks found a way to keep our community positive and always thinking locally. The winners of the night were in remarkable company. Read on to meet the nominees for this year’s awards, as well as the insights behind the categories.
The Social Butterfly: Aren’t these just the nicest folks? They compliment you for your awesome reviews, always keep in touch, and love to chat online about all things local + you.
Gloria L, Henderson W, Kaitlyn S. y+ Karen V. and Susan T.
Keeping Yelp Useful: These Yelpers keep Yelp useful by sending HQ updates for business listings. They update hours, change categories and keep your search results as accurate as possible.The also share plenty of tips onsite.
Boon C., Brian M., Gabrielle V., Jude B., and Tina S.
Keeping Yelp Funny: These Yelpers make us laugh out loud (or at least snort through our noses) while reading their reviews. They keep folks smiling on and offline.
Anna M., Brigitte L., Chris W.,Josh B., and Karen V.
Keeping Yelp Cool: These Yelpers are the ones who are always FIRST TO REVIEW. They stay on top of the coolest new openings around town. When you’re looking for hot + new it’s always worth taking a peek at their latest adventures.
Boon C., Brian M., Brigitte L.,Joy X. and Rivka P.
Keeping Yelp Meta: That’s right, the Yelp Elite Squad is one social bunch…and these folks are taking that love of YES! And spreading it across the metaverse. Some of Tampa Bay’s brightest IG influencers are also proudly representing The Yelp Elite Squad.
Andrea T. (@FourFoodFreaks), Charlie S. (@charliechowsdown), Felipe P. (@foodieponce),
Jamie A. (@livelaughexplorestpete),and Theresa L. (thegreatestdamnbites)
The Reliability Award: These Yelpers have shared plenty of updated reviews to keep information fresh, and relevant. We can count on them to give reliable reviews. Did you know you can update any review on Yelp? And there is no limit on how many times!
Art C., Brittany M., Richard S., Ryan P., and William L.
Photographer of the Year: A picture is worth 1000 words! From delicious food pics to storefronts to the beauty that is Tampa Bae. These folks showed us the ‘behind the scenes’ of their experiences through their lens.
Bill M., Brain M., Carmen L., Rachel M., and Raegan L.
The Top Reviewer: The Yelp Elite Squad is made up of the BEST of the BEST Yelp reviewers out there. These folks had the most reviews for the year and still kept them super detailed (a mix of total amount of reviews/character count) in 2021….
Boon C., Brigitte L., Brittany M., Mari H, and Raegan L.
The Foodie Influencer: This user nominated and voted award recoginzes the Elite that has the best eats. Whether they are always dining somewhere new, frequently reviewing restaurants, or just have amazing foodie taste.
Andrea T., Anna M., Joel H., Rachel L., and Ryan P.
The Life Of The Party: This user nominated and voted award recognizes the Elite that is always making connections at Events, they bring the life to Yelp.
Boon C., Keith T., Lori B., Nick S., and Nikita H.
For your next culinary adventure, definitely visit Mamajuana and the team. Mamajuana Cafe is famous for its mouth-watering Latino cuisine, mostly featuring the dynamic flavors of the Dominican Republic. They are always innovating by finding ways to combine time-honored traditional recipes with delicious new twists. You can join them for Taco Tuesday and *cheers* with $5 Casamigo shots, or perhaps you want to enjoy live music with Victor and others on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Of course if you are looking for a party always take a peek at their weekend events calendar. Make your reservation here.
Find Mamajuana on Yelp. Find Mamajuana on Instagram @MamajuanaCafeTampa.
