05/26/2026
If you believe in me and Mother's Cantina and want to support a strong, hardworking woman in business, take a second and cast your vote for Neely James – Best Business Woman in Worcester County.
It would mean a lot 💗
https://coastalstylemagazine2.secondstreetapp.com/og/c59b4002-73dd-40be-acd2-383d3e229f17/gallery/541230689
Best of 2026 -> Best of 2026 Ballot -> Worcester county -> Coastal Style Honors -> Best Business Woman
Here are ALL the things Mother's Cantina is nominated for in Worcester County:
✨Family business (honors)
✨Business woman (honors)
✨Mexican (food & drink)
✨Caterer
✨Happy Hour
✨Tacos
Neely James is not just a businesswoman. She is a full-contact hospitality tornado in lip gloss, probably holding a settlement file in one hand, a taco in the other, and answering three emails with her mind.
In Ocean City, Maryland, Neely has built a reputation as the kind of person who does not simply “show up.” She arrives with a plan, a backup plan, snacks, follow-up notes, and somehow already knows who needs a closing moved, who needs a margarita, who needs a hug, and who needs to be gently but firmly told to sign on page 7.
As co-owner of Mother’s Cantina, Neely helped create a year-round Ocean City staple where the tortillas are made with actual love and the hospitality is so real it should probably have its own tax ID number. While many people talk about customer service, Neely lives it in a way that makes you feel like you wandered into a business and accidentally got adopted.
And because one thriving business apparently was not enough chaos, she also serves as a Settlement Officer with Lakeside Title, helping buyers, sellers, lenders, agents, and every anxious person in between make it to the closing table without spiraling into the sea. She brings the same energy to real estate settlements that she brings to the restaurant world: clear communication, calm under pressure, obsessive attention to detail, and a deeply unnatural ability to make stressful things feel manageable.
Neely is the rare businesswoman who can talk title insurance, tacos, transfer taxes, staffing, marketing, client experience, community growth, and where to find the good chairs for elderly dads — all before lunch.
She is an Army veteran, a mother, a wife, a restaurant owner, a settlement officer, a marketer, a caregiver, and somehow still the person who will remember to send the thank-you text. Her calendar looks like it was assembled by a caffeinated air traffic controller, yet she keeps showing up with heart, grit, humor, and the kind of practical magic that keeps small-town business communities alive.
Neely deserves Businesswoman of the Year in Worcester County because she does not just run businesses — she builds relationships, feeds people, solves problems, supports agents, loves her community out loud, and turns daily chaos into forward motion.
In conclusion: give Neely James the award before she politely organizes the entire event, fixes the catering, improves the seating chart, thanks the sponsors, closes three deals from the parking lot, and somehow makes everyone feel like they were the reason the night mattered."
