In the small village of Ovid — population roughly 600, perched on the ridge between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes — the Big M supermarket on Main Street is not just a grocery store; it is a lifeline. The 2022 Gold for Best Grocery Store recognizes something that the judges and voters understand intuitively: in a rural area where the nearest chain supermarket might be a twenty-minute drive, a well-run local grocery matters enormously. Ovid Big M stocks the essentials, carries local products, and keeps its shelves full with the kind of consistency that residents depend on year-round.

Big M is a small regional chain with roots in the Finger Lakes, and the Ovid location embodies the format at its best — a full-service grocery that knows its community. The meat counter, the produce section, and the deli all reflect an awareness of what local customers actually cook and eat. For Finger Lakes visitors, particularly those staying in vacation rentals along the lake roads south of Ovid, this is the provisioning stop that saves a long drive to Geneva or Ithaca. The prices are fair, the selection covers real cooking needs (not just snack food), and the experience of shopping in a true small-town grocery is a pleasant antidote to the warehouse-scale retail that dominates elsewhere.