AMHERST — The weather was less than hospitable but the atmosphere was warm and festive as Tim Kiedrowski was officially honored around noontime today for having the best bakery in America as determined by an online voting contest.

His family-run Kiedrowski’s Simply Delicious Bakery received just over 28,000 of some 55,000-plus votes in the competition sponsored by Baking Buyer, a trade publication known as the Bible of the baking industry. The Amherst business was in the running for the honor with eight other bakeries in the around the United States.

More photos below.

“I’m so proud to be from the Amherst and Lorain area, and it’s so important to see this area get some good publicity,” Kiedrowski said to a crowd gathered beneath a big white tent set up in the parking lot just outside the front door of the Cooper Foster Park Road business.

As he did when the nomination was first announced nearly a month ago, Kiedrowski reiterated today that he believed it came mostly from his efforts to “think outside the box” in terms of advertising and promotions such as the area’s well-known Paczki Ball, the 22,000 Obama cookies sold during the 2008 presidential campaign, and the special cakes he made for the 1997 All-Star baseball game played in Cleveland.

“There are bigger bakeries that make different things, but we’re the best till the best comes around,” he said.

Though clearly elated over the award and the outpouring of public support, Kiedrowski isn’t changing his ways.

“I still work 14 hours a day and make 5 o’clock deliveries every morning. But it feels great,” he said.

Some 15 to 20 union workers gathered at the edge of the road near the bakery with signs protesting the passage of Senate 5 bill, which severely restricts collective bargaining rights. The protestors gathered after apparently hearing that Gov. John Kasich, the driving force behind the measure, would attend the ceremony. Kasich was not present.