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Cost and effect
EDITOR'S LETTER
BY LEAH STACY LEAH@ROCCITYMAG.COM
The last time a friend and I went out to eat downtown, we each ordered a glass of wine and split a small burger and a side of fries. Before tax and tip, the bill came out to $65. Now, this is a place we’ve been many times — we love the atmosphere, food and service. But in addition to questioning how people afford to go out to eat more than a few times a month, we wondered if the prices had risen dramatically since our last visit. It’s likely they have there — and most everywhere else we may have eaten out that night.
In September, NPR reported that food costs have risen more than 30% in the last five years. And whether it’s your weekly grocery trip or a restaurant ordering wholesale for the week, those costs are felt. For small businesses, there are myriad expenses to keep in mind, from taxes and staff wages to weekly inventory and special ingredients. As the holiday season approaches, life, in general, becomes more expensive — and some of us have to choose which dinners and parties and gifting and trips we can partake in.
Our Food & Bev issue has taken many forms since we started it three years ago, and this one is like a good spice blend. We have a bit about the status of the wine industry; a group that’s serving meals to those in need; a story about New York State’s sleeper crop; and a report on a downtown district that’s perhaps harming more than helping nightlife.
The idea for this annual issue, which we started three years ago, came from my own love of the food and beverage industry and the more than two decades I’ve spent working in various roles within that ecosystem. At the heart of the reporting in these pages is admiration for and support of our region’s food and beverage scene, from the fields to the tables. We are here to tell the stories, and we charge our readers with finding ways to support our local farms, restaurants, bars, markets, coffee shops and bakeries so they continue to thrive. Skip the chains, protect local at all costs.
NOVEMBER
CITY SOCIAL
Join us at Swan Dive, 289 Alexander St., from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 11/6 for a CITY Social to celebrate the Food & Bev issue. Chat with our team, pitch a story idea and grab some snacks on us! Free to attend.
PHOTO BY ABBY QUATRO
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FINAL ROUND VOTING NOW OPEN!
Around the table
CITY staffers dish on their last (local) meal, favorite ingredients and what menu item — or institution — they’d bring back.
LEAH STACY EDITOR
LAST (LOCAL) MEAL:
A sampler platter of a Fiorella chicken cutlet, Vern’s spicy lettuces, the Cure brandade, an order of classic Le Petit Poutine (crying) and Forno Tony’s carbonara slice. Pair it with a glass of Living Roots pepperberry shiraz and a Good Luck Part & Parcel cocktail (bring it back).
YOUR FAVORITE COOKING INGREDIENT:
To quote the iconic song by Jelly, Recess Therapy and Tariq, “it’s corn!”
SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE ON A LOCAL MENU AGAIN:
Not a menu, per se — I’m just waiting for the day some ambitious soul announces they’re bringing back the rotating restaurant atop First Federal Plaza, which first opened as “The Changing Scene” in 1977. Please make it a nightlife spot where guests can get a classic martini and steak frites, hear a live band, dance into the morning and enjoy incredible views of the city.
Egg shiitake mushroom bibimbap from Seoul Drop prepared spicier than I can handle.
YOUR FAVORITE COOKING INGREDIENT:
Since I went (mostly) vegetarian, I simply cannot cook tofu without a healthy dash of curry powder. And since I primarily put that seasoned tofu in salads, I simply cannot do without Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze.
SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE ON A LOCAL MENU AGAIN: Give the people what they want. Reinstall the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines at Wegmans.
PATRICK HOSKEN
ARTS REPORTER
RYAN WILLIAMSON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LAST (LOCAL) MEAL:
I hope to God there’s a DiBella’s near the prison where I'm getting the electric chair. A Godfather on everything roll. Soak it in the grass clipping oil and don't skimp on the peppers and pickles.
YOUR FAVORITE COOKING INGREDIENT:
Do Fee Brothers bitters for my Manhattan count?
SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE ON A LOCAL MENU AGAIN:
I loved when Bodega (R.I.P.) offered the adult happy meal. Pick a sandwich, grab a frosty beer out of the fridge. Add a bag of chips and throw in an Airhead and a pack of matches.
LAST (LOCAL) MEAL:
Everything about the experience of showing up to Dicky’s Corner Pub (Caroline & Meigs Streets) early on a Friday night and ordering a dozen hot buffalo wings with bleu cheese and celery is what I’d want before I’m wiped clean off the face of the Earth. I’d want to be there with my friends, in the corner near the door, playing “Alison” by Elvis Costello on the jukebox. Diet Coke + lemon and a J, if possible.
YOUR FAVORITE COOKING INGREDIENT:
Soy sauce is the glue that holds together almost everything I cook. You really can add it to anything that needs a savory boost. My fiance puts it in chili, for instance - you should try it in your next Big Pot On The Stove meal. You can also be a bit of a gourmand about it if you take a trip to any Asian grocery store and wander around. I buy it by the jug.
SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE ON A LOCAL MENU AGAIN:
I would love to see some variety of unique or novel sodas on drink menus so I’m not always stuck sipping Diet Cokes or Shirley Temples. Whenever I go to one of those weird little “popcorn and candy” shops in the Finger Lakes, I see a fridge full of interesting soda pops that I’ve never heard of. Stick some of those behind the bar!
ROBERTO
LAST (LOCAL) MEAL:
Pupusas con carne y queso (ideally made by my grandma). They are unbelievably delicious and she encourages me to eat as many as I want to — inevitably following up my next visit with, “Oooo mira, estas gordo, you need to watch what you eat.”
YOUR FAVORITE COOKING INGREDIENT:
Farm fresh eggs, nothing makes you feel like you’re chef’ing it up more than cracking shells, especially when that egg comes from one of your neighbors/nearby farms. A close second is just about any form of onion, as it fills the kitchen with an aroma that reminds me of Michelin starred, critically acclaimed French chef Remy.
SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE ON A LOCAL MENU AGAIN:
Small plates at corresponding prices. Love a family style setup, but give me an array of tapas I can buy when I’m not out with a group of friends. Essentially, bring back a la carte tasting menus.
Tech meets tradition
BY MEILI SHEPARD
Steaming baskets of pillowy dumplings, carts filled with ready-to-order dishes and families gathered around a table overflowing with small plates — just some defining characteristics of traditional dim sum.
For a city filled with myriad culturally diverse restaurants, Rochester has limited options for traditional Cantonese Chinese cuisine.
Spin and Savor, which was recently opened on Monroe Avenue by local restaurateur Peter Sun, may change that. He and his business partner, Bin Sun (who translated for Peter and spoke on behalf of the duo during this interview), saw potential in the market.
“There’s only a couple of (dim sum) restaurants in Rochester,” said Bin. “That’s what made us want to be a part of it, too.”
Dim sum is a style of Cantonese cuisine originating in Guangzhou, China, consisting of small dishes traditionally served for brunch. Sun characterizes these dishes as “snacks,” ranging from sweet and savory to meaty. A dim sum meal is often shared among families and friends, with groups ordering many small dishes for sharing.
Another characteristic feature of dim sum is the unique service. Dim sum is traditionally ordered and served straight from a rolling cart as it passes the dining table. Spin and Savor decided to take a modern approach to
Spin and Savor puts a modern twist on Cantonese cuisine.
the traditional dim sum service; instead of a rolling cart, there’s a long, bi-level conveyor belt wrapped around the dining room.
Guests order dishes from iPads at the table and baskets of freshly prepared food are sent along the upper level of the conveyor belt when ready. The bottom conveyor
belt constantly rotates throughout the dining room and features small, ready-to-eat dishes that diners can grab as the plates come around.
The idea of a conveyor belt dining experience is not new.
Conveyor belt sushi is a popular concept in the U.S., and Rochester
is already home to two conveyor belt sushi restaurants. When Peter Sun was creating Spin and Savor, he wanted to bring a new take to the internet-viral concept.
“How can we make us different from other people?” Bin said. “And then we thought of dim sum.”
It turns out conveyor belt dim
sum is not only a novel concept in Rochester.
“ We found out we were the only ones in New York State,” Bin said. “We might be the only ones in the country.”
The conveyor belt dining experience allows patrons to have an interactive dining experience while keeping overhead food costs down. A key feature of dim sum is the affordability. At Spin and Savor, small plates average about $6-10 per dish.
“Servers don’t have to take orders, and they don’t even have to deliver food,” said Bin.
“Traditional dining can be expensive, the conveyor belt idea makes sure everybody can enjoy the food.”
While the conveyor belt style at Spin and Savor strays from the traditional dim sum cart service method, the food remains authentic as the kitchen highlights conventional Cantonese cuisine.
“Chef Wong makes everything from scratch,” Bin said. “He has over two decades of working with dim sum in New York City.”
Beyond the innovative blend of traditional cuisine and modern technology, Spin and Savor serves as a place where families and friends can gather to connect around a shared meal. For some, a visit to Spin and Savor means experiencing a new culture. For others, it might be a place that gives them a taste of home. For Bilin Gao, a native of Fujian Province, China, dim sum signifies the way familial Chinese culture is expressed.
“ We are eating dim sum during happy times,” Gao said. “For example, when getting married, meeting friends (and) celebrating birthdays.”
Dim sum is also a tangible representation of community and tradition.
“ We are talking together and taking care of each other,” said Gao. “Dim sum brings family together.”
spinandsavor.com
PHOTO BY ABBY QUATRO
6 tips and tricks that just might have the staff reserving you a seat.
How to be the best bar guest
BY FLORENCE CADELLA
Acelebrate wins, drown sorrows and everything in between. Bars are such interesting spaces — at the end of the day, they are businesses, but can feel like an extension of home. And just like every house has its own rules, there are a few tips and tricks for guests who really want to fit in and have the best experience possible (at least, when you’re at Leonore's, where I manage the bar).
1. FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS BE...
walk in, that’s what you and I are: friends. I might be at work, but I’m a person, too. When someone sits at the bar, I love it when they respond to my greeting with, “Great! How are you?” instead of responding with their drink order.
soup you made for dinner last night, your new job, your recent engagement; and I can’t wait to meet the friend that’s coming to visit for the first time since you moved, or the second date that you hope goes really well.
moments, and I’ll lock away all the
PHOTOS BY FLORENCE CADELLA
12TH ANNUAL SMALL WORKS EXHIBITION
NOVEMBER 8 THROUGH DECEMBER 2 0, 2025
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY 11AM - 3PM
THURSDAY - SATURDAY 11AM - 6PM
little details you share with me and save them for the next time you come sit with me (instead of sitting at a table).
Tl;dr — if you treat me like a person, I’ll treat you like one, too.
2. YOU’RE SETTING THE TONE, I’M MEETING YOU THERE
Being a bar guest is all about give and take. How much of yourself are you willing to offer, and how much of myself am I willing to give in return?
If you’re looking to make a new friend, or get some relationship advice or debate the best brand of store bought hamburger buns, I’m so down. If not, that’s fine, too!
My go-to icebreaker is asking guests for their Peach, Pit & Papaya (something good, something bad and something unexpected that has happened to them that day or week). It’s a fun, low stakes way to get to know the minutiae of someone’s life while allowing them to keep you at arm’s length if they want.
Tl;dr — make e ye contact, be present and the conversation will flow from there.
3. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
There’s this thing at a restaurant called the service well — it’s where the bartender making drinks for the entire restaurant is stationed. Sometimes, though, that person is also the one helping the bar guests, which involves a lot of creative timing.
Every guest drinking or dining is equally important, but unfortunately there is a line sometimes. Just because you’re sitting at the bar doesn’t mean that you get to skip ahead.
The kindest thing you can do when a bartender says, “I’ll be with you in just a minute,” is reply to the effect of, “No worries, I can see you’re busy,” especially if it’s obvious they have a massive queue of drink tickets.
When I was little, my grandma would always say, “Patience is a virtue,” and though simple, it’s potentially the best advice I’ve ever been given. Patience translates into every aspect of restaurant work, but when executed, allows magic to happen.
Tl;dr — I see you, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can!
20 W. MAIN STREET CLIFTON SPRINGS
PHOTOS BY FLORENCECADELLA
4. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
I want to make y ou a drink you’ll like. I actually crave that. I love to be creative and pair unexpected things, to expose guests to new spirits and ingredients. If you can communicate to me — clearly — what you’re looking for, I (and any bartender worth their salt) will make you something off-menu that fits the bill.
If you’re willing to answer the 12 million questions I ask you about what you want to drink, I’ll take just as many steps to deliver it to you. The worst thing you can do after insisting on the bartender’s attention is to be unprepared with your order, especially during a rush.
Tl;dr — get to know your palate and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
I love it when someone asks what nights I work so they can come back when I’ll be there. It makes our entire interaction more authentic and makes me feel like I am in the right profession, after all.
Tl;dr — becoming a regular is an honor, and you should strive to achieve it at least once in your life.
*P.S. This is a title that can only be bestowed by a staffer and cannot be self-assigned.
6. DON’T MAKE ME CUT YOU OFF
It’s my job to make sure you’re having a good time, but it’s also my job to make sure you can still get yourself home.
While you’re sitting at my bar, you’re under my care. That can unfortunately mean sometimes I have to take your keys away or deny you service. Cutting someone off is never fun — it is almost always incredibly awkward, both for me and for you. So while I love making a fun round of shots and I adore encouraging you to try something new, I want you to do it safely (and maybe while having a snack).
5. BE A REGULAR
Regulars make a restaurant or bar. A regular* is someone that comes in almost ritualistically, and is basically inducted as an honorary member of staff. They get to try new drinks before they hit the menu, hear all the restaurant tea and, most of the time, get what I refer to as “princess treatment.”
A regular is special, sacred and treasured — a familiar face that has decided to adopt an environment I’ve helped hone and make it their third place.
Tl;dr — drink responsibly and make good choices.
Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to see you sitting at my bar so soon. <3
( Tip your bartender!)
High stakes in High
BY BRIAN SHARP BSHARP@WXXI.ORG
There is, as yet, no clarity on the long-term future of Genesee Brewing after its parent company FIFCO sold to Heineken in late September.
That $3.2 billion deal should close early next year. But it expressly leaves out FIFCO USA based in Rochester.
And other than an initial statement that the local operation would be “business as usual, with no immediate changes expected,” the company has offered little for those trying to read the tea leaves - or the hop cones - on what’s to come.
Except, maybe, this: “We just negotiated a good contract,” said Tim Barbeto, president of Teamsters Local 118, referring to a new four-year labor pact boosting wages and benefits for its roughly 300 warehouse, packaging, bottling and some maintenance workers. “That tells me they’re not super concerned. I’m not sweating it.”
The labor contract was being finalized as news about the sale first broke in late September, he said. Negotiations with smaller units representing sheet metal workers, plumbers and pipefitters, electricians and operating engineers are ongoing.
FIFCO agreed to sell its beverage, food and retail businesses in Central America and Mexico. But the domestic business? That’s “not the part we’re interested in,” Heineken CEO
In the wake of FIFCO’s sale to Heineken, the future of Genesee Brewing is unclear.
Falls
Dolf van den Brink told investors in mid-October, as reported by the trade publication “Beer Marketer’s Insights.”
“Our strategy in the U.S. is focused on premium, and we have no interest in getting exposure to the mainstream segment in the U.S.,” he said.
The local brewery — which produces such brands as Genesee, Labatt and Seagram’s Escapes — is one of the largest in the nation and has made significant investments in recent years, including a new can line. But beer sales have been sliding in the U.S. and Europe, with FIFCO USA down more than 12% year-to-date.
In a letter to wholesaler partners reported by trade publication “Beer Business Daily,” FIFCO leadership used phrases like “actively exploring opportunities” and spoke of seeking out “strategic alliances” and integrating the Rochester facility into a broader ecosystem.
“This is the oldest brewery in New York state. It’s 150 years old,” Barbeto said. “We can’t let this leave.”
He has been speaking regularly with Congressman Joe Morelle, D-Irondequoit, he said, “and all the powers that be.” A spokesman for Morelle did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
PHOTO BY ROBERTO F. LAGARES
PHOTO BY ROBERTO F. LAGARES
When the party’s over
CULTURE
BY GINO FANELLI GFANELLI@WXXI.ORG
It’s a clear early autumn night as crowds of revelers make their way down East Avenue to the slew of watering holes and eateries that dot the strip. Before the weekend party begins, each must make a pitstop at a gated barricade, empty their pockets and get frisked by a security officer. People under 21 are banned, and cars can no longer pass down the strip on Saturday nights.
While Mayor Malik Evans touted the district as a remedy for violent crime, some business owners in the district see it as more harm than good. Some are rethinking their long-term business plans. Others are divesting.
Swan Dive, the popular eatery and bar on Alexander Street known for pizza slices and late-night DJs, has called the district home for eight years. It is expected to close at the end of the year, when its lease is up.
Nick Ryan is co-owner of Swan Dive, a part of the Swan Family of Restaurants. He pointed to changing tastes, new nightlife destinations like The Cannery in Fairport and the barricades in place on Saturday nights among the reasons for the restaurant’s planned closure.
Ryan said he is not opposed to the idea of a locked down district, but rather the manner it was implemented.
“If you go down Sixth Street in Austin (Texas) by the University, they have that, and it's good,” he
A barricaded ‘entertainment district’ in the city’s East and Alexander neighborhood
is driving popular businesses to close.
said. “It makes sense, right? And no one cares about it, because they're all out for the same thing. They want to be safe; they want to have a good time. I think maybe it was kind of a rash reaction from the city to immediately just be like, ‘there was one more incident,’ and then that just sparked the change immediately.”
The changes to the East End were made in September 2024, after a spate of shootings in the East and Alexander corridor and after meetings between business owners in the district and officials in the Evans administration. The barricaded district was created through Evans' Gun Violence State of Emergency and did not require approval by Rochester City Council members.
A city spokesperson said there are no immediate plans to change the barricades and that the number of people entering the district has rebounded since its implementation. The city only was able to provide data for the past three months, however, showing an average of 2,300 entries on Saturdays in August, 3,600 in September and 3,700 for the first two weeks of October.
Citing these figures, Mayor Malik Evans said that business in the East End is faring well.
“Not one violent incident there since we have put that into place,” Evans said, during an October appearance on WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson. “And the vast majority of businesses are doing extremely well and are extremely successful. We will never sacrifice public safety for entertainment.”
Five businesses have opened in or near the district in the past year, the city noted, including Albunn Coffeehouse, Habibi hookah lounge, Fool’s Gold Saloon, and Lina’s. Also, the music venue Anthology reopened during that stretch.
But some business owners said their meetings with the city have been unable to solve the core issues they see as brought by the barricades.
Over the summer, Beau Warren, owner of the axe throwing bar
Axes and Ales, announced the establishment would be closing. He directly blamed the barricades, calling it a “police state.”
“ We were asked to have a meeting with the mayor and to put forth all our financials, like how much money we're losing, which we were happy to do,” Warren said. “The mayor is kind of like, he looks at you, he listens, but he doesn't hear.”
Warren provided weekly financial records for Axes and Ales between September and December 2022, '23 and '24 to CITY. Those records show rising revenue in 2023, with October of that year being the best-performing month. Revenue fell by 44% in October 2024 compared to the same month in 2023.
In total, Saturday revenues for Axes and Ales in the latter months of 2024 fell 15% from 2022 and 27% from 2023.
“This is bad,” Warren said. “This is bad for business. This is bad for publicity, for anybody that comes in from out of town, this is not good.”
Just down the street from Axes and Ales, Don Swartz, the former owner of the building that housed Veneto’s Italian Restaurant and Wall Street Bar & Grill, agreed. He sold the building in March. The final straw was the creation of the entertainment district.
“I can tell you this — the mayor should get the key to Fairport,” Swartz said, referring to business he thinks is being driven from the East End to Fairport’s nightlife scene.
Swartz claimed a similar trend as Warren did. Wall Street, the stock market-themed pub on East Avenue, typically averaged 400 to 500 patrons on a Saturday night, he said. It dropped to under 100 after the clampdown. That bar is now closed and has been replaced by Habibi.
“We put (in) about $100,000 and got a liquor license and just saw the writing on the wall,” Swartz said. “People are just avoiding that area like crazy. They don't want to be frisked. They don't want to be patted down. They don’t want to have to show papers to just walk down the street.”
Swartz has long been a critic of both the perceived lack of public safety in the East End and, previously, of business closure orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latter he described as his “Libertarian streak,” and likened it to the entertainment district.
The major difference, he said, is that he doesn’t think the district has done much to actually address crime to begin with. Those who are lawabiding will still go out but are more
PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH
Nick Ryan is co-owner of Swan Dive, a bar and restaurant that has called Alexander Street home since 2017. It plans to close at the end of the year.
PHOTO BY GINO FANELLI
It’s not entirely clear how much the entertainment district has affected violent crime in the neighborhood. No shootings have occurred within the entertainment district’s boundaries this year, according to Rochester Police Department data. One shooting took place in September on nearby Savannah Street, on a Wednesday. Last year, prior to the barricades being erected, four shootings took place near the district’s boundaries. One of those occurred during the time the barricades are now erected.
Overall, shootings have dropped precipitously since the pandemic citywide. The most recent figure, at the time of this article’s writing, was 176 between October 18, 2024 and 2025, compared to the peak of 426 between March 4, 2021 and 2022. The recent number is about in line with the annual count of shootings in early 2020, a period when violent crime had already been at a low point.
Prior to the entertainment district’s implementation, serious incidents in the area had trended up, said Michael DeSain, commander of RPD’s patrol division. For example, he pointed to the four weapons charges filed against people in the area in 2024, up from one in 2021.
There is a balance to be struck between public safety and meeting the needs of the businesses in the district, he said.
“Our number one job is public safety,” DeSain said. “The interest of the bar owners, we weigh those at the same time and try to make it good for all. Why do some bars do well and others do not? I don’t know the answer to that.”
likely to be deterred by the barricades and police lights. Those who are up to no good will just move down the street.
“I asked the mayor himself, and the deputy mayor, why don't we, the next shooting, why don't we shut that neighborhood down?” Swartz said. “Can you imagine shutting the road down on Jefferson Avenue or Clinton? Can you imagine shutting that road down, saying it's an emergency, and
then patting down every single person walking down that street and forcing them to show papers? Can you imagine the outrage on Clinton Avenue if that happened?”
The city has wielded the Gun Violence State of Emergency to shutter spaces and businesses across the city. Some, like the closing of a makeshift nightclub in a garage on Hollenbeck Street, were deemed
as directly contributing to gun violence. Others, like the early closure orders to businesses on North Clinton Avenue on the last day of the Puerto Rican Festival, were meant as pre-emptive measures.
The latter was met with widespread outrage this past summer among the business community on North Clinton.
Ryan and Swartz both agreed that one of the core issues feeding moves like the entertainment district, and the increasing unwillingness for people to patronize the establishments in the East End, might not be safety itself, but the perception of safety. It also puts pressure on an industry already facing constant waves of change.
“I think with the area in general, everything shifted after COVID,” Ryan said. "People's habits have changed. People got older. People had kids. The college bus lines stopped running down there. I think these are major factors of kind of what the area’s evolved into.”
Cars and people under the age of 21 are barred from the district on Saturdays between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH
Heads of state
AGRICULTURE
BY PATRICK HOSKEN PATRICK@ROCCITYMAG.COM
Betsy Brightly’s daughter plays college basketball alongside some team members from Spain. The foreign students don’t like coleslaw — or they thought they didn’t. Then Betsy made them a homemade batch.
“They love it,” Brightly said. “I have to make them bowls of it for the holidays because they don’t go back to Spain.”
It doesn’t hurt that she uses fresh cabbage harvested from the 450 acres at Brightly Farms, which the family owns and runs in Hamlin. Now, in the eyes (and appetites) of the athletes, there’s simply no substitute for Brightly slaw.
Behold the power of cabbage. Alongside squash, the crop is a mainstay of New York agriculture. The state is one of the largest producers of cabbage in the United States with more than 10,000 acres harvested, according to Farm to Institution New York State, a nonprofit dedicated to getting New Yorkgrown food into institutions. Farms across the state collectively yield nearly 15% of the country’s total cabbage. Only California produces more. Though shiny apples may get all the Instagram glory, leafy cabbage helps define the agricultural identity of the region.
Brightly’s boasts over a million cabbages on the farm. Every single one is cut by hand. Many go to cold storage rooms waiting
Apples may get all the glory, but cabbage remains foundational to New York agriculture.
for order fulfillment from fresh markets and distributors. Some become KFC coleslaw; others end up inside egg rolls in the New York City area.
“People think, ‘who’s buying cabbage?’ Well, just the egg rolls alone, right? And pierogies,” Brightly said. “There’s a lot of different food that you don’t think about that cabbage is in.”
Many companies prefer the cabbage grown in New York to crops in the southern states, she added, because of its particular profile. Hard frost and cooler weather makes Empire State cabbage white inside, with a crisp texture that gives it crunch.
In the past two decades, the state’s Cabbage Research and Development Program has undertaken studies on pest control; in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension, other issues like crop rotation and the use of nitrogen in fertilization have also been studied.
Christine Smart has been working with cabbage growers in the state since 2004. Her car even boasts an “I love New York cabbage” magnet.
As such, the scent of sulfurrich cabbage is a hallmark of Western and Central New York. The village of Phelps in Ontario County was formerly known as the sauerkraut capital of the world. The odor characterized communities like nearby Shortsville, meanwhile, for decades before a major processing center closed in 2018.
Chlovia Loomis remembers the scent.
“I grew up out here in Hilton and I remember driving past cabbage fields. You smell it,” she said. “It smells sulfury outside.”
Now in her late 20s, Loomis is a visual artist whose striking paintings of everyday objects use color in bold ways. Many of them are inspired by her work managing the organic Growing Family Farms on Peck Road in Hilton — including plenty of cabbage.
“ We’re not storing cabbage for a super long time,” she said of the farm’s smaller scope. “We’re focusing on selling it as fresh as possible.”
For Loomis, the relatively small-scale 2,000 to 3,000 cabbages at Growing Family Farms aren’t as pungent as the acres on larger operations elsewhere in the region.
“It’s not fields and fields
of cabbage, but we’re growing caraflex or tiara or specialty varieties and then making sure we harvest them early in the morning so they taste their best,” Loomis said.
Chefs often come calling. If a restaurant wants to make bulk sauerkraut in the fall, GFF can grow an extra few dozen plants for that purpose. Usually, Loomis said, her operation varies week by week, focusing on CSA members and local hubs like the Brighton Farmers Market. Recent fare included brilliant green and purple napa cabbages, perfect for kimchi dishes.
“The cool weather cabbages taste sweeter because the plants produce more sugars,” Loomis said. “Summer would be the hardest time here [for cabbage], so then you get them a lot in fall, because then they head up around this time of year when the light cycle starts tapering off.”
This year’s lack of rain has led to smaller yields, felt by both Loomis and Brightly. And pests remain a particular problem for cabbage.
As par t of the brassica genus, cabbage plants attract many unwelcome guests, most prominently the invasive cabbage moth. Crop damage leads to fewer crops, so naturally, addressing pests and weeds is a high priority for field researchers.
Smart, who now heads up the research initiative Cornell AgriTech, said cabbage is “foundational” to New York agriculture. As such, the research aims to help farmers adapt their methods for better yields.
“It’s really fantastic because the growers actually make a list of their priorities. What are the issues that they’re facing?” she said. “It really becomes this partnership between the researchers and cabbage growers to solve the most important problems.”
The future of cabbage just might be varieties like caraflex, a cone-shaped head that tastes sweeter. Both Loomis and Brightly grow it, and Brightly even visited Holland to do trials with a seed company.
“In Europe, that’s in every grocery store,” Brightly said. “That’s what they like to eat. It’s amazing grilled.”
Back at home, though, coleslaw is still the standard for her and her husband.
“Every restaurant we go in, we have to order coleslaw because he’s got to taste it to see if they make good coleslaw,” she said. “And it just doesn’t pan out to be good.”
Brightly slaw remains hard to beat, thanks to homegrown cabbage.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Message in a bottle
BY MAIAH JOHNSON DUNN
The same headline has been resurfacing for years: wine is in trouble. These stories are nothing new, but part of the cyclical nature of the beverage industry (and humanity in general). History always repeats itself.
Recently, the articles have been fast and furious — quick to cast blame, suggesting younger consumers are the cause of a wilting industry.
The truth is: things aren’t great, but the cause is multifaceted. The Silicon Valley Bank 2025 State of U.S. Wine Industry Report notes that sales began declining in 2018, and even longer ago in Europe. This worldwide slump offers an uncertain landscape. Producers in Washington are dropping fruit, and vines are being pulled from the ground in California and Bordeaux. The unpredictability of climate change also continues to thrash growers, causing devastating frosts in cool climate regions like the Finger Lakes and cementing wildfires as an expected part of the growing season in California.
And as Baby Boomers are sunsetting, Millennials and Gen Z bring a new kind of energy to consumerism. They exercise the power of choice. Ready-to-drink cocktails and a robust seltzer market dominate shelves. With cannabis legalization spreading, marijuana has
Global alcohol sales may be dipping, but industry eyes are on the Finger Lakes wine region.
FLX
permanently entered the chat as well.
Non-alcoholic options are also gaining ground, especially after a 2023 World Health Organization report found that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe.” Many sources later revealed the study was driven by antialcohol groups pushing an abstinence agenda. Despite that addendum, the effects of reduced foot traffic and sales continue to be felt.
Here at home, the turbulent tariff rollout is also painful.
“We’re particularly hurt by Canada,” said Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery vice president Meaghan Frank of the northern neighbor’s retaliatory ban on U.S. wine. Frank is the fourth generation to run the family winery positioned on the steep slopes of Keuka Lake.
Though she speaks fondly of the multi-generational relationship her family has fostered with their Canadian distributor, it currently can’t translate to sales.
“It means that all of the momentum built is lost right now,” said Frank. “Everything is in limbo.”
The uncertainty impacts more than just exports — the cost to make wine evolves by the minute.
“Even the barrel companies won’t give us invoices until they are docked on U.S. soil,” she said. “How can we make any plans?”
As a result, many local producers are weathering the tariff costs themselves rather than transferring the cost to consumers.
“Our prices are set, and we can’t raise them from one day to the next,” said Frank. “(The tariffs) are negatively impacting small businesses in a way many people don’t realize.”
Layer on an unsteady labor force that is hard to maintain in a seasonal industry, and it’s a recipe for disaster — or change.
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
In the same SVB report, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s wine division Rob McMillan wrote, “The wine industry is undergoing a significant reset, marking the first demand-based correction in three decades.”
Beer and spirits are feeling the pinch, too. Local breweries and distilleries are closing alongside wineries. Some owners are reaching retirement age, and all are thinking about how they want to spend their next years. The economic decline
can feel like a natural exit point. And as the economy continues to flatten, so will the industry.
“Let’s face it, you don’t need wine,” said Matt Yaeger, co-owner of Pinnacle Wine & Liquor in Brighton. “It’s an easy line item in your budget to remove.”
Yaeger is well-versed in the ebbs and flows of consumerism; his family has been selling wine and spirits for decades. He is also adept at finding the silver linings.
“It’s hard, but two things can be true,” he said. “We can have part of the business that’s declining, and part of it that’s growing.”
Yaeger highlights the influx of new producers taking over existing properties, or crafting something small of their own. He mentioned groups like Wineries Without Walls (a collective of microproducers without brick-and-mortar tasting rooms) as an exciting addition to the region. Different faces are breathing new life into the Finger Lakes. Perhaps the reset is needed — Yaeger, for example, sees this as the perfect time to introduce his customers to new makers.
“People want to drink less but drink better,” he said. “Instead of three $15 bottles during the week, they’re choosing one or two special bottles in the $30–$50 range. Those are typically wines that we’re really proud to talk about: paying a fair wage and farmed sustainably.”
Wines like those crafted by husband and wife team Ria D’Aversa and Mike Penn of Ria’s Wines. Their property is the former Bagley’s Poplar Ridge Vineyards, which they purchased in 2024. News of the sale received much speculation on social media.
“Perhaps we don’t know everyone’s story,” D’Aversa said. “[The Bagley family] did a great job at our property, and they were ready to move on. To have the ability to choose something new is really cool.”
She and Penn did the same, moving to New York from Napa Valley where they met and started their first line of wines while also working full-time. Opening Ria’s was their opportunity to jump in feet first. In almost two years, they’ve done a lot, but the goal is a regenerative agriculture certification by 2028.
“We removed herbicides and reduced the chemical outputs by half,” said D’Aversa. “The vineyard looks wild right now, but that’s on purpose because we’re just exploring the habitat and biodiversity of our land.”
Yaeger is encouraged by the evolution of the industry — a sentiment echoed by “Wine Enthusiast,” which in October named the Finger Lakes the 2025 American Wine Region of the Year, as part of the magazine’s annual Wine Star Awards.
“We’re living in an incubator of creativity and potential,” he said.
OBSTACLE OR OPPORTUNITY?
Though the path forward may seem unclear, the importance of wine is not. It is more than an alcoholic beverage — it is a snapshot of a moment in time, captured in a bottle.
“When everything feels so digital and disconnected, wine remains something deeply human and rooted in tradition,” said Yaeger.
Like the pressurized winegrowing process, D’Aversa is optimistic the stress felt currently will produce an even more exceptional industry.
“I feel like we can weather it,” she said.
In the SVP study, McMillan suggests revised marketing plans to attract new consumers. Dr. Frank Winery, along
with a few other savvy Finger Lakes wineries, currently offers four tiers of tasting experiences designed for a wide range of visitors, alongside highly personalized tastings and larger ticketed events. The estate plans to expand these offerings in the coming years, a key strategy for staying relevant over the decades.
“Things are changing all the time with guest preferences and trends, so we try to change along with them,” said Frank. “We’ll never stop. It’s a constant evolution, but that’s what makes it fun.”
But while wineries can make all the changes in the world, without the continued support of guests, it is all for nothing. One of the best ways to support these small businesses directly is to take a day trip or plan a long weekend on one of the lakes. Don’t have the time or budget for that? Visit Yaeger and his knowledgeable team at Pinnacle and let them help you find your next special (Finger Lakes) wine, then share it with a friend.
Pinot Noir grapes at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery. PHOTO PROVIDED
Let them cook
BY LEAH STACY LEAH@ROCCITYMAG.COM
It’s just before 5 p.m. on a Wednesday when the cutting boards come out. Then, the kale — big fluffy piles of it, fresh from a vendor at the Westside Farmers Market, ready to be destemmed. The leafy vegetation was picked up earlier that day by a member of Roc Food Not Bombs, which meets twice weekly to cook at the Flying Squirrel Community Space on the outskirts of Corn Hill. Roc Food Not Bombs is just one chapter of the international, allvolunteer movement that recovers food from being discarded and prepares free vegan and vegetarian meals to share with the hungry. It’s grown to such lengths that some larger cities, like Philadelphia, have three chapters. Here, it’s operated by a core crew of approximately 10 members — a term the group prefers to "volunteers" — who anchor the twice-weekly cooks (Wednesday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.) and subsequent meal serves at the RTS Transit Center on St. Paul Street.
The member numbers tend to swell higher in the late summer and early fall, as college students from Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester regularly show up before the semester gets too busy. Then, there’s a dip in attendance during the holiday season and colder weather. One of the core members, Vas, has been attending cooks for almost four years, and said attendance numbers rose to
nearly 30 people per week right after the 2024 election and presidential inauguration in January — that’s when RFNB added a second weekly cook on Wednesdays.
“It’s simple,” he said. “Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to help their community, to give back and be involved.”
Members trickle in throughout the 90-minute cook on that Wednesday, eventually reaching 12. They all seem to know one another, and their ages range anywhere from early 20s to late 30s, though it’s hard to tell with facial hair and the face masks worn by some. Age isn’t a factor regardless — Vas said elementary-age children have accompanied their parents to cooks. RFNB is non-hierarchical, and many members use alternate first names to remain anonymous. (For the purpose of this article, CITY agreed to respect that anonymity by only quoting Vas and keeping photos free of member faces.)
As each member finds a way to help during the cook, the banter is friendly and frequent. In the corner, a duo rummages through a bag of donated baked goods.
“Should we do PB and J on everything rolls?”
A laugh from the other.
“Yeah, probably not.”
Vendors like Lagoner Farms at the Westside Farmers Market and the Flower City Pickers, who are based at the Rochester Public Market, donate leftover, fresh food twice weekly, and the donations are never the same. (A recent gift from the Westside Farmers Market, for example, was a new-to-the space stainless steel fridge.) Other one-off donations come in from restaurants, libraries and friends of the members.
This week, there’s a large amount of donated peppers and onions, so the enterprising cooks in the kitchen use them to make sauce for a vegan chicken and rice dish.
Back in the corner of the community room, a hand emerges with a bag of nebulous rolls.
“We might have a tough time selling spinach and feta rolls.”
much lower at the former serve base in Nathaniel Square Park. Roc Food Not Bombs calls the Flying Squirrel’s kitchen home and has dedicated storage in the basement, but the building itself is a community space that anyone can reserve for rehearsals, meetings and more.
Five members station themselves in the kitchen to portion, sautee and stir. A sink fills with dishes as someone washes; another member adds a knife and a pot to the pile and the goodhearted banter continues.
“Behind, sharp, hot!”
The dishwasher, without missing a beat: “All things I am, yes.”
Within about an hour, the Wednesday cook is finished and a handful of volunteers line up compostable to-go containers: spooning rice, vegan chicken (donated by a company that had copyright issues and tons of fresh product they couldn’t sell), sauce, fresh fruit and kale assembly linestyle. About 50 to-go containers are packed up, and then the members each grab one and sit down to eat.
“We like to say, ‘solidarity, not charity,’” said Vas. “The idea is that we’re all in the same boat, and working toward successful liberation means you don’t draw thick lines between you and the folks you’re helping.”
ccording to a May 2025 “Map the Meal Gap” report from Feeding
population in Monroe County alone hovers at almost 100,000. These are households without access to enough food due to a lack of money and other essential resources. While local organizations like Foodlink
specific gaps, the work is not done until everyone is fed. Put simply,
lying Squirrel is located away from the former site of the The Pythodd Room, a prominent jazz club that operated from 19421973. The city recently erected a commemorative plaque for the club, which was on the Chitlin’ Circuit — places where Black musicians could safely work during the Jim Crow-era of discrimination — and hosted such famous names as Stevie Wonder, Alice McLeod (Coltrane) and George Benson.
As the sun sets beyond the Pythodd plaque, RFNB members pack the to-go containers into several cars, along with bags of sandwiches, apples, assorted baked goods, a carafe of hot coffee, water bottles, sanitary items and a bin of clothes. Within 25 minutes of parking, unloading, setting up and serving outside the Transit Center, everything is depleted. Members tell disappointed latecomers they’ll be back Saturday, pack up their tables and drive back to Clarissa Street.
“This crowd was pretty representative of a typical Wednesday night,” said Vas.
The serve went so quickly that the remaining members at The Flying Squirrel are still cleaning up. As the members dip out into the twilight, up and down the ramp to help unload the empty boxes and bins from Vas’s vehicle, a few reluctantly say goodbye.
“See you next cook.” rocfnb.org
PHOTOS BY ROBERTO F. LAGARES
A
We have Greece at home
BY ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES BERTO@ROCCITYMAG.COM
During my recent travels between Athens, Santorini and Paros, I was often greeted in Greek before the host realized they’d mistaken me for a local. I like to refer to myself as “ethnically ambiguous,” as my identity is often assumed based on the environment. Once in a while, it comes with perks — one host informed me my outward appearance might get me a fair price for a taxi (until I spoke). Because I don’t speak Greek, and in fact, I know zero people who do. My inability as a polyglot came to the forefront as my wife and I embarked on our trip to the country of Greece, from which the town of my teenage adolescence received its namesake. Yes, the town of Greece in Monroe County is not so named out of coincidence.
Originally a part of Gates, Greece was partitioned off and named in solidarity with the then-ongoing Greek Revolution of 1821.
Traveling internationally is not necessarily new to me. As a child, I visited family in El Salvador. While I was far from bilingual then, today I understand and speak enough
A blue dome church in the village of Pyrgos Kallistis on Santorini.
PHOTOS BY ROBERTO F. LAGARES
Spanish to get by. This recent trip to the Mediterranean, given the aforementioned linguistic concerns, could’ve been different, but most signs featured both the Greek and English spelling, so navigating public transit was straightforward. Everyone we came into contact with spoke English, and restaurants offered dual menus.
It was the many restaurants and tavernas — small, often family-run Greek restaurants — that captivated me more than beautiful vistas. This is where, despite how you looked, the opportunity to eat like a local presented itself to anyone. Sure, English menus were still provided, but unlike some of the more touristy hubs (Plaka in Athens), the options rarely bent to the comfort of the traveler. Unique dishes like squid carbonara from Kapani Market — a deli by day turned vinyl spinning, natural wine joint by night — where the tentacles cosplay as noodles. Then there
was a seabass ceviche with kiwi, jalapeno and an avocado cream that took my tongue on a rollercoaster of sweet heat, capped off with a banana rum cocktail that ensured a second visit before our departure back stateside at Anthes Restaurant.
The small traditional me zes at Τ' Ανείποτα , a small family owned taverna run by a motherdaughter duo which operates as a cafe in the early hours of the day. At night, it’s a dinein experience akin to coming home from a long days’ work as the evening color palette spills into the narrow alleys of Paros. A basket of warm pita is served sidecar to a small bowl of fava, a traditional dip that renders uncanny similarities in flavor to a dish close to my native home, arroz con gandules. Savory dolmades, dense layers of mousaka, feta wrapped in philo and blanketed in honey — we gladly welcomed the tetris challenge that came with fitting the many small plates on our
quaint outdoor table. I expected to enjoy exploring the local food scene, but the reintroduction to a cuisine I thought I understood is something I heavily overlooked.
B ack home, I am a local, gifted with the opportunity daily to dine like one (wallet permitting). The aforementioned Greek dishes, and others I haven’t had time or allotted space in this column to dive into, ignited my desire to seek out Mediterranean and Mediterranean-adjacent cuisine in my own backyard and step outside my comfort zone as I so willingly do on foreign soil. Currently, I have my eyes (and fork) set on places like Chortke in Village Gate and their grilled eggplant with black tahini
yogurt and a kalamara glaze. The iconic, longstanding Sinbad’s on Park Avenue (which I must shamefully admit I have never visited, despite hearing neardaily praise from my father when we commuted together for over three years). Or digging into a gyro from Voula's while sitting on the patio at their new home on Merchants Road. And lastly, El Greco in East Rochester, to reacquaint myself with the ways Greek wine dances with grilled octopus. The list on this side of the pond reflects that of the other; no shortage. Only this time when I walk in, I am truly a local.
Dining area inside Kapani Market in Athens, Greece PHOTO PROVIDED
The Squid Carbonara from Kapani Market. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH N. LAGARES
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
todo DAILY
Full calendar of events online at roccitymag.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3
MUSIC
Jackson Cavalier
The Little Cafe, thelittle.org/music
Known regionally as a veritable oneman band, Jackson Cavalier has never needed much to make a performance apart from his voice, a guitar and a harmonica (and sometimes a kick drum). Whether solo or with other musicians, the music is Americana, sometimes fuzzy and always studied and astute. Catch Cavalier at the Little Cafe every Monday in November, beginning with this 7-9 p.m. set. No cover charge. PATRICK HOSKEN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
MUSIC
Haunted Like Human
75 Stutson Street, 75stutson.com
The Nashville folk duo Haunted Like Human are concerned with folklore, ghost stories, tall tales and fables. The pair has named its releases accordingly. For its latest song, “Growing Pains,” Haunted Like Human has turned its eye on modern history, calling the tune “a protest song about the myth of American exceptionalism.” For the full experience, catch the group at this 8 p.m. show. Tickets start at $23.18. PH
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
FILM
Anomaly: The Rochester Genre Film Festival
The Little Theatre, anomalyfilmfest.com Cinephiles and wandering travelers are invited to step beneath the canopy and experience a hand-picked grove of genre cinema as Anomaly returns for its seventh year from November 5-9. Dedicated to showcasing independent genre films — horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, dark comedy and the indescribable — from around the world, the festival hopes to broaden audience minds (and maybe awaken some forgotten demons). In five days, experience 15 programs, 13 feature films and 34 short films at The Little, with a special one-off showing at the Dryden Theatre on November 6. Individual tickets are $13 ($11 for students); full festival pass is $130 ($85 for students). LEAH STACY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
THEATER
“In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play”
Blackfriars Theatre, blackfriars.org
Sarah Ruhl’s cheeky masterpiece is set at the dawn of the age of electricity in a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, where scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating “hysteria” in women: the Chattanooga vibrator. Winner of the Tony Award for Best New Play in 2010 and nominee for the Pulitzer Prize that same year, “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play,” was chosen as the second of six shows in the 76th Blackfriars subscription season and is directed by Patricia Lewis Browne. It runs through November 9; tickets start at $20. LS
The Power of Hybridity: Joining Letters, Ideas,
and People
RIT Wallace Library, rit.edu/carycollection
Type designer Liron Lavi Turkenich comes to RIT’s celebrated Cary Graphic Arts Collection for a conversation on, in the words of the organizers, “utopian letterforms, observing life and identifying opportunities.” More specifically, Turkenich will address the hybrid writing system Aravrit, which combines elements from both Hebrew and Arabic letters in a hopeful attempt at shared communication. The 5 p.m. talk is free, but those interested are asked to register in advance. PH
GAMING/ART
“Esc to Leave” Games by Droqen
Visual Studies Workshop, vsw.org Toronto-based artist droqen, or Alexander Martin, is doing more than playing games. They’re making them. The artist creates experimental, often 2D game installations that are fully playable and designed to create an immersive artistic experience for the viewer, or in this case, gamer. The pop-up arcade has two lives remaining, giving those interested opportunities to hit start from 6-9 p.m. on November 6-7.
ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES
MUSIC
RPO presents “Jaws”
in Concert
West Herr Auditorium Theatre, rbtl.org
When John Williams wrote the theme to “Jaws,” he may not have expected the ominous notes that approximate a stalking shark to have become such a cultural force. Or maybe he did, who am I to say? But when the RPO strings bow those first notes, I bet a chill passes through the crowd. The concert and film screening starts at 7 p.m. Ticket prices vary based on the seat. JEREMY MOULE
VISUAL ART
“Coming Home” & “Mx. Media”
Flower City Arts Center, flowercityarts.org
Two different exhibitions see their openings from 6-9 p.m. One of them is “Coming Home,” a quietly powerful collection of film images taken over six months by photographer and journalist Rob Bell that aim to reflect the warmth and love of being at home. “Mx. Media,” meanwhile, is a “multimedia, salon-style show” that focuses on the strength and creative talents of the region’s queer community, in collaboration with ImageOut. A charity raffle is included. PH
VISUAL ART
TOP TV PICKS FOR NOVEMBER
NOVA “Operation Space Station”
Wednesdays, November 5 and 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This two-part series recounts the personal stories of ingenuity and international teamwork from the people behind the scientific feats of building, operating, and conducting research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over the last three decades.
Credit: Courtesy of PBS
Breaking Enigma: A World War II Game Changer
Sunday, November 9 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This film reveals how British mathematician Alan Turing and his team at Bletchley Park cracked Germany’s “unbreakable” Enigma code — a breakthrough that may have shortened the war by two years and saved millions of lives. Filmed in England and the U.S., the documentary weaves together interviews with historians, veterans, and scientists to tell this extraordinary story.
Credit: Courtesy of APT
The Great Escaper on Masterpiece
Sunday, November 23 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Masterpiece tells the true story of Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine), who made global headlines in the summer of 2014. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary.
Programming that celebrates
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
America ReFramed: Daughter of a Lost Bird
Thursday, November 6 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD
Kendra, a Native adoptee, is a thriving woman who grew up in a loving, upper-middle-class white family and feels no significant loss with the absence of Indigenous culture or family in her life. And yet, as a Blackfeet/Salish woman, director Brooke Swaney could not imagine that Kendra could be content or complete without understanding her heritage. Together, they embark on a seven-year journey featured in the film.
The Electric Indian
Monday, November 17 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Henry Boucha's story can break your heart if you don't look hard enough. His story is one of struggle, tragedy, and triumph. The film follows Boucha's journey from high school hockey standout to Olympic medalist; from professional stardom to crushing defeat; and from struggle to healing.
Local, USA Firelighters: Fire is Medicine
Monday, November 17 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD
For centuries, most landscapes in North America were shaped by fire between lightning strikes and Indigenous burns. Indigenous people had deep knowledge of the art of using fire, and still do today. Follow the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share indigenous practices and create policies to take back indigenous burning rights.
Monday, November 24 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Directed by Daniel Glick and Ivan and Ivy MacDonald, a brother and sister filmmaking team who are members of the Blackfeet Tribe, this film tells the powerful, urgent story of the Blackfeet Nation’s decades-long effort to return wild buffalo (“iinnii” in Blackfeet) to their ancestral lands, and with them, a critical part of Blackfeet identity, spirituality, and sovereignty. Photo credit: Thunderheart Media
THREE RADIO SPECIALS TO ENJOY ON THANKSGIVING DAY
The Splendid Table’s Turkey Confidential
Thursday, November 27 at 12 p.m. on WXXI News (FM 105.9)
Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table, comes to the rescue of Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers, and dinner guests during the biggest cooking day of the year with advice and answers to many questions. Francis is joined by special guests Samin Nosrat, Evan Kleiman, Vivian Howard, and Yossy Arefi. Ahead of the show, you can submit your questions by recording a message on The Splendid Table hotline, 800-587-5252.
Songs of Thanks
Thursday, November 27 at 3 p.m. on WXXI Classical (FM 91.5)
WXXI Classical is pleased to bring listeners an innovative new production by Cantus. Through their signature narrative programming, the acclaimed octet weaves together stories and songs celebrating gratitude and community. Don't miss this special broadcast, designed to uplift the human spirit and honor the season. Photo by Nate Ryan
Alice’s Restaurant
Thursday, November 27 at 11 a.m.
The iconic folk song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" by Arlo Guthrie, a satirical, 18-minute story about a real-life incident involving illegal trash dumping that inadvertently helped Guthrie avoid the Vietnam War draft. Dave Kane, of the former "Breakfast with the Beatles" show, hosts.
FOODIE FAVORITES
In honor of CITY’s November Food and Bev issue, we’re spotlighting four of our top cooking shows and offering two of our favorite holiday recipes.
America’s Test Kitchen
Saturdays at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV & Fridays at 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE
Hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison head into the test kitchen to bring viewers equipment reviews, taste tests, and recipes for the home cook. The skilled duo lead a team of test cooks that viewers have come to love and trust as they deconstruct recipes and reveal the test kitchen’s secrets to foolproof cooking at home. *Fun fact: Julia was born and raised in Rochester!
Cook’s Country
Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Cook’s Country is where family recipes from every corner of America are re-imagined for home cooks everywhere. With the same practical, no-nonsense food approach that has made Cook's Country magazine successful, this series, hosted by Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison, features the best regional home cooking in the country.
Lidia’s Kitchen
Saturdays at 12 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Daytime Emmy-winner Lidia Bastianich conjures simple, seasonal, and economical dishes with grace, confidence, and love. She teaches viewers to draw on their roots, allow for spontaneity, and cultivate a sense of home in the kitchen.
Pati’s Mexican Table
Saturdays at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV & Tuesdays at 4 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE
Mexican chef and cookbook author Patricia Jinich embarks upon an exciting and entertaining journey, where each dish serves as a point of departure into Mexico’s rich history and culture, Pati’s personal experiences, her family life, and her ongoing conversations with cooks in both Mexico and the US.
NPR’S SUSAN STAMBERG’S CRANBERRY RELISH
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (red is a bit milder than white)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Grind the raw berries and onion together. (I use an old-fashioned meat grinder. I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.)
*One of NPR’s “founding mothers,” Susan passed away last month at the age of 87. She was the original co-host of “All Things Considered” and the first U.S. woman to anchor a nightly national news program. She leaves behind years of her great interviews and an annual, love-it-or-hate-it recipe for her family’s “cranberry relish.” Credit: Allison Shelley/NPR
THE YULE MULE
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice
3 oz. ginger beer
5 - 10 cranberries
Lime wedge
INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, lime juice, cranberry juice and shake. Pour into a rocks glass or copper mug filled with ice.
Top with ginger beer and garnish with cranberries and a lime wedge. Enjoy!
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Oscars Season Picks & Little Favorites
It's that glorious time of year for awards season hits, fan favorites, and hidden gems at The Little!
Wicked: For Good
(opens Thursday, Nov. 20)
The Little is the spot to watch the year’s most anticipated musical blockbuster. Set in the Land of Oz, before and after Dorothy Gale’s arrival from Kansas, Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship is put to the test as they embrace their new respective identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Sentimental Value
(opens Wednesday, Nov. 26)
Director Joachim Trier and star Renate Reinsve reunite (following the Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World”) for this intimate exploration of family, memories, and the reconciliatory power of art.
Hamnet
(Opens Friday, Dec. 5)
Prepare the tissues! The latest from Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao is for the weepers. The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
The Disinvited
SCREENING + IN-PERSON Q&A WITH ROCHESTER NATIVE FILMMAKERS
Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7pm
Tickets available at thelittle.org and in-person at the box and business offices
When Carl crashes a wedding among old friends and flames, what begins as an earnest attempt to reconnect quickly spirals into paranoia, betrayal, and humiliation – turning a hopeful desert weekend into a surreal, violent nightmare. THE DISINVITED is a genre-bending psych thriller/dark comedy with horror tendencies that’s been described as “David Lynch remaking Swingers.” A film that’s disturbing, relatable, funny, and scary. In the vein of Fresh and Barbarian.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
(opens Wednesday, Nov. 26)
Rian Johnson, The Little loves you and your Knives Out whodunnit mysteries! Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet. Sequel to Glass Onion (2022) and Knives Out (2019), both directed by Johnson.
Fantastic Mr. Fox FAMILY FLICKS
Monday, Nov. 24 and Wednesday, Nov. 26 (both at 7:30pm)
Tickets available at thelittle.org and in-person at the box and business offices
What the cuss?! The Wes Anderson stop-motion 2009 classic, based on the Roald Dahl story, returns to The Little. An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.
Angel’s Egg (4K restoration)
WORLD OF ANIMATION
Wednesday, Nov. 19 and Thursday, Nov. 20; both showings at 7:30pm
Tickets available at thelittle.org and in-person at the box and business offices
In an underwater city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms – a treasure that she believes is an angel’s egg. First released directly to home video in 1985, the film is a creative collaboration between internationally acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), and revered artist Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D).
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8
MUSIC
The Robert Zimmerman Philharmonic
Abilene Bar & Lounge, abilenebarandlounge.com
Sitting on the other end of the spectrum as Cat Power’s minimal, faithful takes on Bob Dylan’s catalog is the Robert Zimmerman Philharmonic, which brings the enigmatic troubadour’s work to life with a five-piece band and, as the group promises, “a repertoire that spans as many as 16 instruments.” This show will celebrate songs from Dylan’s revered late-career masterpiece “Time Out of Mind” from 1997. Doors at 7 p.m., music at 8. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 day of show. PH
THEATER
“The Amateurs”
MuCCC, outofpocketinc.com
A group of intrepid pageant players continue their craft amid a horrific plague while contending with the arrival of a mysterious stranger. This is the plot of the great novel “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, and it also applies to Jordan Harrison’s “The Amateurs,” which Out of Pocket, Inc. stages this fall at MuCCC. Because the TV adaptation of “Station Eleven” absolutely wrecked me, I’m excited to see another take on what happens when art and global catastrophe collide. There may be no more potent theme in our strange times. 7:30 p.m. performance. PH
CULTURE
Neon Wave
Fall Bash
237 High St Ext. in Victor, thisisneonwave.com/pages/events
Shredding waves shifts to ski slopes and fall fixings at the gnarly surf and snow lifestyle shop in Victor. Featuring an array of food trucks, live animals, snowboarding, skating, kids zones and more, the conglomerate is seemingly just as inexplicable as the entity itself. The 5 p.m. event is free to attend. RFL
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9
LITERATURE
Mimi Kennedy: Author Talk & Book
Signing
Writers & Books, wab.org
In her 1996 mid-life memoir “Taken to the Stage: The Education of an Actress,” Mimi Kennedy (best known for her roles in the TV sitcoms
“Dharma & Greg” and, most recently, “Mom”) chronicles her journey from a Catholic education in Rochester to the New York City stage and Hollywood screen. She was 12 when cast in her first play as Pippa in the Rochester Community Players production of “Spider’s Web.” In 1963, at age 15, her second show with RCP was “Take Her, She’s Mine.” Kennedy will join Writers & Books board member and former RCP managing director Mark Boylan in conversation, read from her book and take questions. “Taken to the Stage” will be available for purchase; Kennedy will sign copies. Tickets are $15. LS
VISUAL ART
“Laser Stranger Things”
Strasenburgh Planetarium, rmsc.org Laser light shows hit their peak in the 1970s, which means the “Stranger Things” teens would have absolutely spent time under their spell in the ‘80s. This hourlong show blends what makes the Netflix show so beloved: nostalgic tunes from that time, stunning visual displays and touches of spooky sci-fi elements. Tickets $11-$13. $4 for RMSC members. Showtimes depend on the date. PH
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10
MUSIC
Boz Scaggs
Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com
The name of Boz Scaggs’ most influential album, 1976’s “Silk Degrees,” doesn’t actually mean anything. But it’s undeniably a vibe. The music itself is breezy but consequential, brushing against disco and R&B with all the panache of Scaggs’ collaborators, some of whom went on to form Toto shortly after. And yet it’s just one highlight of Scaggs’ storied career, which he celebrates with this 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets $75+. PH
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
SHOPPING
Rochester Night Market
The Refinery, rochesternightmarket.com
The Rochester Night Market quickly developed a following this summer at The Refinery (18 Flint Street), with dozens of vendors including local art, vintage clothing, food and a wild array of secondhand things you can find across the way at Rochester Greenovation. Happily, the market
is now continuing into the winter, so you can do some holiday shopping or just get out and enjoy the festive, fun atmosphere 6-10 p.m. every other Tuesday. MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI
FILM
“The Disinvited”
The Little Theatre, thedisinvitedmovie.com Award-winning writer and director Devin Lawrence and writer/ producer Matt Mourgides return to their hometown for the debut of their psychological thriller film, “The Disinvited,” which won the Audience Award for Best Picture at the recent Dances With Films festival in Hollywood. The plot begins with Carl (Sam Daly, “The Office”) crashing a wedding among old friends and flames. What begins as an earnest attempt to reconnect quickly spirals into paranoia, betrayal and humiliation, turning a hopeful weekend in the desert into a surreal, violent nightmare. Tickets are $12 general admission. A 7 p.m. screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. LS
MUSIC
Billy Strings
Blue Cross Arena, bluecrossarena.com
The name William Lee Apostol isn’t suited for the technically complex, heavily soulful pickin’ the musician has made his specialty. Hence Billy Strings, the bluegrass virtuoso who has become an international superstar for his depth of songwriting and dazzling abilities on guitar, mandolin and
more. His talent takes center stage at this arena show with no opening act. 7:30 show. PH
The Eastman Brass Guild’s latest program takes its name from the witty song from “My Fair Lady,” meant to evoke the full range of brass instruments. Though that broad spectrum is not often taken fully advantage of, this show, however, dips into English brass music in all its complex splendor. 12:10 p.m. PH
MUSIC
Eastman School Symphony Orchestra
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, events.rochester.edu
Three pieces are on the program for this cinematic show, including John Williams’ “Adventure on Earth,” heard famously in Steven Spielberg’s film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 17 in G Major, K. 453 and Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 30, “Romantic” both follow. And as my colleague Mona Seghatoleslami points out, Williams’ “E.T.” music “borrows” pretty directly from Hanson’s second symphony — which was also famously used over the end credits for another sci-fi classic, “Alien.” Brett Miller conducts the free 7:30 p.m. concert. PH
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
MUSIC
John McCutcheon: A Golden Link Concert
Rochester Christian Reformed Church, goldenlink.org
Folk music’s renaissance man, John McCutcheon, has been called the “Bruce Springsteen of Folk Music” and “a national treasure” by “The Oakland Tribune” and is a singersongwriter, storyteller, activist and author. As a musician, McCutcheon is a master of a dozen different
traditional instruments, most notably the rare hammer dulcimer, and his songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. He’ll join the Golden Link Folk Singing Society for a one-night-only performance at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30. LS
THEATER
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
West Herr Auditorium Theatre, rbtl.org
As part of the 50th anniversary tour, a screening of the original, unedited version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” comes to Rochester, emceed by the original Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and featuring a live shadow cast, HOOPLA!, a memorabilia display with artifacts from the movie, a costume contest and more. The iconic cult classic conquered Hollywood to become the longest-running theatrical release in the world and stars Tim Curry as the devious and fabulous Frank-N-Furter; Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as everybody’s favorite nerdy couple Brad and Janet; Meatloaf as ex-delivery boy Eddie who dates a groupie; and Patricia Quinn as Magenta, servant to Riff Raff, played by the film’s creator, Richard O’Brien. The show is at 7:30 p.m., limited VIP meet-and-greet packages are available; balcony tickets start at $53.25. LS
Direct Impressions: A Discussion with Jim Mott
Memorial Art Gallery, mag.rochester.edu/events
Connecting brush to canvas is an artist, and connecting people to one another is art. Jim Mott, best known for the Itinerant Artist Project, is rooted in the connective tissue that his impressionist work has crafted. The moderated talk offers a discussion to dive into his work, the people along the way and the meaningful depth therein. Catch it from 6:30-7:30 p.m. RFL
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
THEATER
“Flies to Wanton Boys: An All the Devils Tale”
MuCCC, dvctheatre.com
The always-innovative Sav Sibs’ latest show by S.G. Wrathhaft is set in 1925, when a group of investigators
continues their quest to save the world from horrors, both cosmic and mundane. It runs at 7:30 p.m. November 14-15 and 20-22 and at 2 p.m. on November 16 at MuCCC, tickets are pay-what-you-can. LS MULTIDISCIPLINARY
General admission tickets are $30. $25 for students and seniors. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. PH
MUSIC
Alicia Esmeralda Barry
First Universalist Church of Rochester, rossings.org
The music, poetry and spoken-word tales of Mesoamerica are all on the program for this latest event from the Rochester Oratorio Society, featuring mezzo-soprano Alicia Esmeralda Barry and storyteller Stephanie Paredes.
The Rochester Bagpiper
ARTISANworks, artisanworks.net How do bagpipes work? You can learn from YouTube, but it helps to really feel the force of that powerful drone. Jake Kwiatkowski, the Rochester Bagpiper, knows. That’s why he’s sharing his knowledge with the community at this evening of education, storytelling and performance. 7:30 p.m. $20. PH
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
THEATER
“Gilbert & Sullivan’s Improbable New Musical: Less Miserable”
Downtown United Presbyterian Church, off-monroeplayers.org Rochester’s Gilbert & Sullivan
company offers a double bill for fall 2025. This show, penned by Susan Ellerby, reimagines “Les Misérables” through the songs of the famous theater team, while the subsequent offering, “Trial by Jury,” is a comic opera. Both performances feature the same cast and ensemble. The ASLinterpreted program begins at 7:30 p.m. PH
COMEDY
Legends of Laughter
West Herr Auditorium Theatre, rbtl.org What’s better than one stand-up set? How about an entire squad of comic performers bringing together their synergistic power? That’s what awaits at this show, featuring the comedy heavy hitters Sommore from Netflix’s
“Queen Chandelier,” Lavell Crawford aka “Breaking Bad”’s Huell, Arnez J and Junior from BET and Don DC Curry from “Next Friday.” Show’s at 8 p.m. Tickets $79+. PH
MUSIC
Donna the Buffalo with Driftwood
Water Street Music Hall, waterstreetmusichall.live
A Central New York double header turns Water Street into roots rock HQ. The mainstays in Donna the Buffalo return for a gig with Binghamton’s Driftwood, one of the bands that have kept the genre
thriving in recent years. Doors open at 7 p.m. Music’s $30+. PH
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
CULTURE
Haudenosaunee
Heritage Celebration
Memorial Art Gallery, mag.rochester.edu/events
In collaboration with Jeanette Jemison, Friends of Ganondagan’s program director, the MAG offers an all-day celebration of dancing and demonstrations by the Allegany River Seneca Dancers as well as storytelling with Ronnie Reitter. The free event runs 12-4 p.m. PH
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17
MUSIC
“Awake, My Soul, And Sing”
Beston Hall at Nazareth University, naz.edu/events
Conductor Sarah Staebell leads the
Nazareth Chorale in this performance inside the Glazer Arts Center on the university’s campus. The program features works by Gawthrop, Lauridsen, Hagenberg, Garrett, Parker, Shaw, Powell, Flaherty and Martin. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. PH
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
MUSIC
David Bowlin and Tony Cho
Hatch Recital Hall, boxoffice.esm.rochester.edu
In her work “Tocar” (Spanish for “to touch” or “to play”), Kaija Saariaho explores the ways in which two different instruments — the piano and the violin — can find ways to connect and touch each other musically, while remaining independent. Musical duo partners and spouses David Bowlin (violin) and Tony Cho (piano) will bring that challenging, playful encounter to life in their recital at 7:30 p.m. at Eastman, where they are both on the faculty. They’ll also be joined by another highly accomplished musical
couple, cellists Rosemary Elliott and Steven Doane, for the rest of the program including Gabriel Fauré’s luminous late Piano Trio and music by Beethoven and Schubert. $10/ ticket. MS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
ART/SHOP
Flower City Arts Center Garage Sale
Flower City Arts Center, flowercityarts.org
The saying goes, “See a garage sale sign, you must go.” These words of wisdom by Aristotle run deep, and they very much apply here, as this is the garage sale sign he was referring to. More specifically for the photo enthusiast, this garage sale is as if the Kodak building turned upside down and shook for all its cameras, darkroom equipment and more. The sale runs November 19-22 with the first day reserved for members-only
FILM
“Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story”
The Theater at Innovation Square, eventcreate.com/e/corkylee
Asian Pacific American Public Affairs (APAPA) of Rochester presents a screening of “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” a feature-length film by director Jennifer Takaki that honors the late Corky Lee, a selftaught photojournalist who dedicated over five decades to documenting the Asian American experience. His work, known as “photographic justice,” challenged stereotypes and reshaped the visual record of American history — from the Vincent Chin protests to the recreation of the 1869 Transcontinental Railroad photo. Tickets are $10 general admission, free for students with school ID. LS
MUSIC
War on Women, The HIRS Collective
The Bug Jar, bugjar.com
The first time I heard War on Women, the music gave me the same excited rush as the first time I heard Bikini Kill — I was 16 or thereabouts and my friend loaned me the CD, which I borrowed for way too long. The Baltimore-based hardcore punk band’s songs are loud, catchy and packed with righteous rage directed at the powers that oppress women and marginalized groups of all kinds. The HIRS Collective — a Phillybased queer punk musical collective — is of a similar mindset, but their music veers into grind/powerviolence territory. This will be a high-energy show — think of it as a group catharsis for the times. Rochester’s Comfort Object rounds out the bill. Doors at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $18 at the door if you are 21-plus. Admission for 18-20 year olds is advance-sale only.
JM
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
LITERATURE
Devin Kelly: Author Talk
Writers & Books, wab.org
Poet, essayist and high school teacher Devin Kelly returns to the home of his youth to talk about the release
of his debut novel “Pilgrims,” which is partially set at the Abbey of the Genesee, as the plot follows a monk who leaves the monastery to search for his teenage brother, who has run away from home in the middle of a high school cross-country race. (CITY readers may remember Kelly from a March 2025 profile in the magazine.) The NYC resident will be in conversation with CITY editor Leah Stacy. 7 p.m. event; tickets are $20 suggested or pay-what-you-can. LS
FILM/ANIMATION
“Angel’s Egg”
The Little Theatre, thelittle.org
This haunting, darkly beautiful, animated movie from the director “Ghost in the Shell” (Mamoru Oshii) with art direction by Yoshitaka Amano (of “Vampire Hunter D” fame) is a dream-like story set in an underwater world. “Angel’s Egg” has achieved cult status over the past 40 years since its initial release in 1985, and it is now getting to finally make it to the big screen — in a 4K restoration supervised by the director. Catch it in one of its only two screenings in Rochester at The Little at 7:30 p.m. MS
MUSIC
ROC Record Swap
Strangebird, wnyshows.com
Musical omnivores are welcome to bring a crate of records to sell or trade, or go digging for rarities or classics to add to their collections. One of my recent faves? Milt Jackson’s 1963 vibraphone jazz album “Invitation,” which sounds absolutely bangin’ on vinyl. You never know what you’ll find at a record swap. The free event runs from 5-8 p.m. RSVPing is encouraged to secure a spot. PH
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
CULTURE
Flower City Tattoo Convention
Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, flowercitytattoo.com
Entering its fourth year, the Flower City Tattoo Convention is becoming a permanent staple for the tattoo community and industry. The event will feature over 400 tattoo artists, entertainment such as daily wrestling, MMA matches, appearances from tattoo experts from the hit show “Ink Masters” and educational seminars. Spanning the three days, the convention aims to leave a permanent mark on tattoo artists and fans alike. RFL
THEATER
“Miracle on 34th Street”
Roberts Wesleyan University Cultural Life Center, premiertheaterproductions.com
A national North American tour of Meredith Willson’s “Miracle on 34th Street the Musical,” will begin at Roberts Wesleyan University and run November 21-23 before moving to other cities. The holiday tour is presented by Rochester-based Premier Theater Productions. ARDA Studio, which specializes in creative concepts, narrative and production design for live entertainment, events, broadcast and film, will create special effects. Tickets start at $62. LS
MUSIC
Jason Ringenberg
Abilene Bar & Lounge, abilenebarandlounge.com
Can the cozy Abilene contain all the energy brought by the leader of the cult cowpunk act Jason & the Scorchers? Give the man a guitar and see what happens. With wonderfully lopsided folk and country tunes like
“God Bless the Ramones” and “John the Baptist Was a Real Humdinger,” Ringenberg has furthered a musical legacy that’s just as wild, raw and colorful as it was when his band began in 1981. Music starts at 8 p.m. $15 advance, $20 day of show. PH
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
FILM
November Nitrate Weekend
Dryden Theatre, eastman.org
Eastman Museum’s popular Nitrate Picture Show happens in June, but the celebration of vintage film prints continues into the fall with even more screenings. On the big screen are two films from the 1940s: director Cecil B. DeMille’s epic western “North West Mounted Police” and producer David O. Selznick’s follow-up to “Gone With the Wind,” the epic drama “Since You Went Away.” Tickets are $12 per screening, $9 for members and $5 for students with ID. PH
MUSIC
Yesterday: The Beatles Tribute
Fort Hill Performing Arts Center, forthillpac.com
Things I never want to do again: watch “Yesterday,” Richard Curtis’ dreadful movie about what if The Beatles never existed. Things I want to do immediately: watch Yesterday, the Fab Four’s Las Vegas tribute act which arrives not just with the talent and the studied dedication of the songs, but also in period-appropriate costumes. 7 p.m. show. $50-$61. PH
MUSIC
Sir Chloe
Anthology, anthologylive.com
Vermont’s Sir Chloe is, in fact, a band fronted by a talented singer-songwriter named Dana Foote who flexes a knack for bedroom-pop melodies. The group backing Foote helps without drowning out the sparseness of the tunes or the emotional atmosphere. With notes of slowcore and legacy indie rock, it’s the kind of style that sounds great at Anthology. With special guest Telescreens. 8 p.m. show, 16+. Tickets $34.85. PH
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS
PUZZLE ON PAGE 62. NO PEEKING!
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
MUSIC
Eddie Barbash from The Late Show Band, chambermusicrochester.org
Saxophonist Eddie Barbash’s regular gig (playing with the band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”) is coming to an end soon, but he continues to make his mark with Jon Batiste and jazz and pop luminaries. He comes to Rochester to team up with some Rochester musicians for a show that includes jazz standards and some classical music, including a quintet version of French composer Darius Milhaud’s 1920s jazz-infused ballet “Creation of the World,” and lyrical chamber music by Rochester’s David Temperley. 3 p.m. at Nazareth University’s Glazer Music Performance Center, with a pre-concert talk at 2:30. $35, free for kids and students. MS
MUSIC
Laraaji
Asbury First, ambient.church
In collaboration with Ambient Church — a multi-city, deep listening experience featuring visionary performances of sound and light — music pioneer Laraaji will perform at Asbury First to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno, “Ambient 3: Day of Radiance,” an that album remains a cornerstone of ambient and new age music. Accompanied by longtime collaborator, sound healer and reiki master Arji OceAnanda, Laraaji will revisit this seminal work alongside selections from his vast and luminous catalogue. The historic sanctuary performance will feature immersive architecturally mapped projections, transforming the space into a living audio-visual environment. Show at 7:15 p.m.; tickets start at $19.99. LS
Abstract paintings, floral collages, watercolor renderings of leaves and linoleum prints are just some of what’s offered at this year’s annual sale held by the Irondequoit Art Club. Note cards, hand-crafted jewelry, sculpture, stained glass and ornaments make for perfect early holiday shopping. Through November 30. Free. The site is accessible to all. PH
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
KIDS
“Elmo & Friends Say Hi”
Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com
Elmo’s dog Tango wants to play hide and seek, and Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and their pals are going to help. Because this is “Sesame Street,” there will be singing. There will be dancing. And you’re going to learn a thing or two. The 6 p.m. start time means you and the little ones should be home before bath and bed — if you don’t hit traffic. $29 and up. PH
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
THEATER
“Emmet Otter’s JugBand Christmas”
OFC Creations, ofccreations.com
In 1977, Jim Henson brought Russell and Lillian Hoban’s book “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” to life with an unforgettable television special featuring his patented puppet work. In 2025, OFC Creations produces the theatrical adaptation
of that beloved holiday tale, running through December 7 and featuring former Disney Channel host Vivian Bayubay McLaughlin. The show premieres at 7:30 p.m. Tickets
$46.80-$51.80 including fees. PH
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27
WELLNESS
Webster Turkey Trot
Webster Park, runsignup.com/Race/ NY/Webster/WebsterTurkeyTrot
The tradition is puzzling for those who’ve never done it. Wake up early, run four miles in the cold, embrace your fellow humans with high fives and hugs, then go eat some great food. But as the saying goes, don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Why not give it a go now, during the 54th annual edition of this local institution? Race begins near the Parkview Lodge, with 2.5- or 4.4-mile options. And do me a favor: don’t run without a bib. PH
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28
MUSIC
Start Making Sense
Water Street Music Hall, waterstreetmusichall.live
David Byrne recently came through upstate New York and performed in both Syracuse and Buffalo, skipping Rochester entirely. This happens all the time, so we must not take it personally, but it’s still a bummer. Luckily, the great northeastern Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense will help ease the pain with this 7:30 p.m. gig. $30. PH
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29
CULTURE
Nightmare Before Christmas Shopping Event
ARTISANworks, artisanworks.net
The internal conflict of Jack Skellington would be sated the moment he entered the doors on 565 Blossom Rd., where he’d find themed vendors (Halloween vs. Christmas), tarot card readers, a cash bar and more. The event will host over 100 local vendors, an opportunity to get a headstart on the holiday shopping that will likely still end up last minute anyways. The two-day ticketed event runs 12-4 p.m. from November 29-30. RFL
DANCE
“The Nutcracker”
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, rochestercityballet.com/the-nutcracker Rochester City Ballet’s annual tradition returns to Kodak Hall for six performances from November 26-30. Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Evening performances begin at 7. If you’ve never treated yourself to the majesty of Tchaikovsky’s music mingling with the dazzling choreography “The Nutcracker” requires, now’s the time. Tickets begin at $21. PH
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30
MUSIC
Mark McGrain’s “NOROC” Quartet
Bop Shop Records, bopshop.com
Originally from Rochester, trombonist and composer Mark McGrain relocated to New Orleans but keeps his roots alive with the NOROC quartet, made up of the Western New York musicians Mike Kaupa, Dave Arenius and Rob Varon. They’ll all stop by for this $20 show at the Bop Shop where the stage is just a few feet from the shelves (hence the great sound). Doors at 7 p.m., music at 8. PH
HOLIDAY
Santa Trains to the North Pole
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, rgvrrm.org
The best part of “The Polar Express” is the train ride, right? The indulgent hot chocolate, the excitement as the cabin rushes through the icy forests, the hype surrounding Kris Kringle. In Rush, restored vintage cabooses will help recreate the experience, which also includes meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus and getting a special candy cane from an elf. Listen and you might just hear the bells jingling. $28 per person. Ages 4 and under ride free on laps. PH
RIDGE DONUT CAFE WORKS TO RISE ABOVE THE COMPLEXITIES BAKED INTO RUNNING A DONUT SHOP.
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES BERTO@ROCCITYMAG.COM
A
line forms outside Ridge Donut Cafe each morning well before the sun makes its daily appearance. The demand for donuts remains strong, and the longstanding donut shop is only one of two (the other being Donuts Delite on Culver Road) in the area still making them by hand “the old fashioned way,” without automated equipment. But a commitment to tradition, a workforce spread thin and a public fanbase that made the third-generation family run business a local household name has led to a current state almost as complex and complicated as the baking process itself.
In September 2018, the global coffee and baked goods chain
Dunkin’ dropped “Donuts” from its name, pivoting to an onthe-go, beverage-forward brand. The writing was on the wall back in the late '90s and early '00s, when the rapid growth of the company led to a shift away from donuts being made in-house. That change in the industry had ripple effects on local donut shops like Ridge Donut Cafe, not only through undercutting costs, but also diminishing a specialized workforce.
“ Twenty or 30 years ago, it would be a rotating cycle of bakers,” said Joseph Olles, general manager and bakery manager at Ridge Donut Cafe. “You don’t have that anymore.”
Olles compares making donuts to learning welding.
“ You’re not going to walk out on day one knowing how to make donuts,” he said. “It’s such a complex thing. Out of all baked goods, donuts are probably the hardest thing to make.”
Part of that complexity stems from Ridge Donut Cafe’s commitment to tradition for the sake of consistency and quality. Behind the scenes, everything is still made by hand; a stark contrast to what Olles calls the “thaw and serve” approach at places like Dunkin’ and Tim Hortons. Of the two donut types — frycakes and yeast — the latter is the most complex and most in-demand. These donuts are time critical, with a dough that must be mixed, set, cut, set again, cut again, proofed and finally fried, all before any specific varietal finishings can begin. Frycakes, on the other hand, cut the process down to a dough that is put into a cake donut depositor and hopper to be fried and flipped by hand.
Ridge Donut Cafe was started by Thomas and Josephine Marcello on East Ridge Road in 1977, and moved to the current location on Portland Avenue in 1996. Thomas first learned how to make donuts at Dunkin’ Donut University, a program created to teach franchisees how to run the business and make donuts. The Marcellos ran a Dunkin’ Donuts until they decided to open
their own shop using a family recipe that remains unchanged to this day.
In 2015, their granddaughter Jacquelyn Marcello, now general manager of Ridge Donut Cafe, joined the family business for a change of pace from traditional college and what she thought were flexible hours. That quickly changed after the death of her grandfather and Ridge co-founder, Thomas, and a series of other health concerns within the family that have led Jacquelyn to take the helm.
“My dad said, it has to be you — you and I are gonna run the show,” she said.
The challenges of r unning a business have been ever-present but hit a new high in September, when a social media post about staffing difficulties went viral. The post was an attempt to pull back the curtain and set expectations “because we’re really struggling right now.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 50
Criticism of the shop’s inability to keep staff and pay a living wage were among some of the more common responses to the post.
“I take accountability for that post,” said Jacquelyn. “It’s not that people don’t want to work, I should never have worded it that way.”
As for employee retention, much of Ridge Donut staff has been with the company at least five years — and some as long as 18 years — with the exception of a few new members within the last year. The scramble to fill positions came on suddenly when one of the shop’s longest tenured bakers, William Johnson, had to step away due to health complications that ended in a lost battle with cancer. Johnson was a baker for 30 years, and worked the night shift fulfilling the role of baking and frying.
“That’s why we started looking for a baker in the first place,” said Jacquelyn. “It’s more that few people are interested in this field or have no idea how labor intensive it really is.”
Although the shop is open to the public during set hours, Ridge Donut Cafe is a 24-hour operation in order to meet demand. The shop also lacks any automated equipment, outside of the ovens and fryers.
“ When you go semi-auto you start to lose quality,” said Olles. “(Making donuts by hand) is what sets us apart. We are still making donuts like they did 30 or 40 years ago. Nobody is doing that anymore and that’s why we have such a great product.”
For Jacquelyn, the commitment to continue her grandparents’ legacy and remain a part of community traditions is at the forefront of her mind. Whether it’s stories of guests who associate their donuts with a loved one who passed, the postpartum mothers from the nearby hospital requesting a Boston cream or donating leftover inventory to the Open Door Mission at the end of each business day, the memories made are a reminder for Jacquelyn.
“It’s those little moments that, in the bigger picture of things, make it worth it,” she said. “We’re gonna do whatever we can. We’re gonna fight. Right now, it’s legitimately day by day.” ridgedonuts.com
MUSIC REVIEWS
“FLIGHT MANIFEST”
BY EINSTEIN’S DREAMS
For most seagulls, it is not flying that matters most, but eating. So begins Richard Bach’s 1970 philosophical novel “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.” But the titular bird loved to fly more than anything else.
Jonathan’s passion for flight separates him from the rest of the flock and eventually pulls him into a higher plane of existence. His adventure and yearning are recalled by name on “Mount Aerie,” a potent approximation of flying from folk group Einstein’s Dreams.
As one of the key tracks on the band’s debut “Flight Manifest,” “Mount Aerie” typifies the group’s specialties: chamberpop swells in the vein of early Sufjan Stevens, a naturalistic and perhaps even pantheistic point of view and music that presents as easy listening but reveals hidden depths. Indeed, the band calls its genre “environmental indie folk.”
Led by musician Eric Heveron-Smith (who plays about a dozen instruments), the band features contributions from vocalist Julia Weatherholtz, banjoist Benny Bleu, Mambo Kings’ Tony Padilla on congas and, frankly, too many other talented musicians to list here. The cumulative effect is palpable and striking — “Flight Manifest” is a highly considered document that remembers to have some fun in the arrangements.
The looser moments, like on the exploratory “Don’t Go to Mars” and the breezy “Crane Song,” make an exceedingly pleasant listen. Heveron-Smith’s voice is smooth and gentle, pairing nicely with flugelhorn and yacht-friendly percussion. “Crane Song” could fit snugly on Nick Drake’s “Bryter Layter.”
“Mount Aerie,” propelled by a circular acoustic guitar riff, conveys the complexity of flight best. There’s anticipation and stillness and perhaps even trepidation. But the wonder overwhelms.
— PATRICK HOSKEN
“HAPPY DREAMY”
BY PAINLESS PAINLESS
Taylor Swift recently borrowed the chords from “Where Is My Mind?” to diss Charli XCX. This did the Pixies a favor — the song’s back in the cultural zeitgeist, with more than 1.1 billion streams on Spotify alone.
That chord progression is eternal, and the influential Pixies continue to be a source of creative inspiration. Listen to Rochester band Painless Painless for proof.
The group, made up of members of The Living Room and The Fox Sisters, makes spindly, laid-back rock music filtered through decades of alternative and indie pioneering. The influence of the Pixies hangs over its songs in the blaring guitar lines, nearcaterwauling vocals and slight tinge of surf rock.
Two recent EPs bear this out. “Happy Dreamy,” with its collage artwork, is indeed both of those modifiers. Swinging from the mellow alternative of “In Our Heads” to the supermarket milk odyssey “Vitamin D,” the collection is bound by a modicum of detachment, like the group doesn’t take itself too seriously even as it presents tight song constructs.
It turns out to be a winning formula, especially when the band weaves in a bit of retro soul-punk on “Baby Lawrence” and daydreaming on the title track. Even a lark like the pepped-up instrumental “Surf Tits” arrives with high intensity.
On the other release, which is self-titled, Painless Painless showcases less of a dynamic range with more traditional song arrangements and fewer surprises. But on closer “Shiny,” the group utilizes a tried-andtrue indie rock formula, alternating between frantic vocals and buzzing moments of leadguitar bliss.
Perhaps none are more blissful than the long, loping melodies on “Hot Potato,” a Built to Spill-style rocker that shouts out Lord Byron and Lady Caroline Lamb. It reinforces the best of Painless Painless: music that seems stream of consciousness but could only be heavily considered.
—
PATRICK
HOSKEN
“YIN” BY SIENA ROSE
What if there was a magical world one could travel to without having to pick up their feet? Siena Rose, a Baltimore-based singer, writer and podcast host, has created an ethereal dreamscape with her new album, “Yin,” which was recorded in one live performance and written in Rochester.
From the first line, Rose casts a spell that pulls listeners in, ears involuntarily leaning towards the magic of her voice. Auditory travelers meet her in the quiet, mystical world “Yin” fosters and succumb to the enchantment.
Rose opens the album with “Blue,” an invitation into a dreamy landscape by a tender voice and graceful piano. “Meet me in the chances never taken,” she sings with sweet melancholia, driving a soft pang through the heart. The third track, Bob Dylan cover “Just Like a Woman,” is a highlight. The heart-wrenching song inspires tears in the eyes, and Rose’s powerful vocals serve as the most notable instrument.
Another highlight, “(come back in),” provides a lullaby for the restless and serves as a call to one’s mother for guidance in navigating girlhood. Compelling vocals lift listeners up and poignant lyrics bring them back down; balanced highs and lows are an overarching theme of the album. Rose expertly uses emotional delivery to cut into listeners, opening their chests and forcing them to assess the forgotten cracks in their hearts.
Rose’s triumph closes out with “is this the year?,” an awe-inspiring finale to the work of art that is “Yin.” The singer transfers her power to the listener, reminding us that we are enough and we are here to pick each other up when one falls. Listeners leave Rose’s world feeling inspired, invigorated and ready to face our tumultuous world once again.
— LEAH JOY
“WORKS
FOR PIANO TRIO BY SCHUBERT & RIHM” BY
TRIO BRONTË
Trio Brontë is the recently minted ensemble of cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins (who got her start in Rochester before making a name for herself everywhere from Austin to Berlin), German-Italian violinist Chiara Sannicandro and Bulgarian pianist Lili Bogdanova.
This international trio takes its name from the literary Brontë sisters, inspired by their passion for fervent storytelling. Just months after starting to play together, Trio Brontë started winning competitions around Europe, including one that garnered them a record deal. That competition bears the name “Franz Schubert and Modern Music,” two things heard on this debut album.
The music by Franz Schubert is his Piano Trio in B-flat Major, D. 898, written in the last years of his life. Schubert is bestknown for his Unfinished Symphony and for haunting songs such as “Die Leiermann (The Hurdy-Gurdy Man),” used to great effect in the movie “In Bruges.” That songlike quality comes through with this piano trio, and each line melds together in lovely, lyrical style in the hands of the Brontë Trio.
The modern music half of this equation, which starts the album, is that of prolific and often challenging modernist composer Wolfgang Rihm (1952-2024). While his music is grounded in the 19th century romanticism of composers including Robert Schumann, most would more likely notice how different it sounds.
In Rihm’s “Fremde Szene III (Distant Scene)” from 1983, there is a base of precision and clarity, as the musicians express strong emotions through extreme highs and lows; the cello sometimes even growls as the trio plays with almost unearthly intensity.
The music on this album sounds as fresh, and as intimate, as a recital in a living room or a small music hall, even as it exists in two seemingly completely different worlds. Both are worth exploring.
— MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI
Music meets the wild
RECREATION
BY SYDNEY BURROWS
When Joe Hurley and his son Chris first dreamed up Backwoods, they weren’t just trying to build another live music venue. Beyond the food, drink and music scene, they wanted to create an outdoor gathering place where people could slow down and explore. As the father-son team behind Kettle Ridge Farm in Victor, they’re already known for turning the natural world into a source of connection — through maple syrup, honey and pancake breakfasts. Backwoods, on 30 wooded acres in the Hamlet of Egypt, is their next chapter: a rustic, outdoor venue where music meets the wild.
Four years ago, the Hurleys purchased the land with their vision for Backwoods in mind. As they neared opening this year, they expected the usual new business hurdles — finalizing permits, tracking down vendors and other detailed logistics that come with opening a space on historically zoned land. What they didn’t expect was for Backwoods to take off before they could even consider an official launch.
After quietly opening at the end of August 2025, word spread fast and popularity grew, boosted
Backwoods brings 30 acres of nature to the foreground.
by an internal Instagram video that went viral and a stretch of unseasonably warm weather.
“The public acceptance has been so amazing,” Joe said. “We’re getting a large number of people coming out — more than we expected. Everybody is raving about their experience here and recommending it to their friends and family.”
The Backwoods following has grown so quickly that the Hurleys’ biggest problem isn’t finding guests, but rather finding space for them to park. The original 50-car parking plan has ballooned to 170, and visitors are now encouraged to reserve spots in advance. Even then, arriving early is wise.
What draws people isn’t the open-fire menu or live music, but the charm of the land itself. String lights and firepits are spread throughout two connected clearings in the woods, creating a magical treehouse vibe. A covered stage is centered in front of Adirondack chairs and picnic tables and, during peak hours, audiences are also encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. The bar is fashioned from a repurposed shipping container, stocked with local craft beer, cider and nonalcoholic options. Families can easily find a home at Backwoods — a natural playground made of tree trunks and sandboxes invites kids to climb and explore while parents relax nearby.
During its soft opening season this fall, Backwoods has featured live music each night of operation, often hosting two bands a night. Joe, a longtime supporter of Rochester’s live music scene, tapped familiar groups for this year’s lineup. Next season, music fans can expect a
wider range of bands.
“ We’ve already been contacted by over 200 groups who are interested in performing,” he said. “Next year, we’ll be filling the schedule with music from all over Western New York.”
While the cleared area houses the stage, bar and openfire cooking space, the venue extends over 30 acres, complete with a large network of walking trails. The parking area and trails will remain open to the public throughout the year, welcoming anyone who wants to cross-country ski or snowshoe during the winter months. The Hurleys are also in the process of renovating a 200-year-old house on the land, which they hope will eventually include a commercial kitchen.
But nature will always remain the centerpiece.
“Everything we do involves saving the native trees and controlling the invasive species,” Joe said. “We’re positioning things so that people can enjoy the wildflowers and native shrubs and trees.”
Sustainability is paramount not only to Backwoods but also to Kettle Ridge Farm, the duo’s first project in Victor. From a “Save the Bees, Please!” campaign to raise awareness of threats to honeybees and encourage native planting to producing honey, maple syrup and mead without any chemicals or fillers, the farm has kept the environment at the heart of its mission since its inception in 2010.
Beyond offering natural products for purchase, Kettle Ridge Farm is a special events venue and bed and breakfast. From January through March, visitors from all over attend the popular Sunday
Saturday brunches. The farm consistently creates offerings with guests’ interests in mind, and Backwoods is an extension of that community-focused mission.
The focus on local connection includes other business partnerships. One of their earliest collaborators, Bristol-based Noble Shepherd Brewing, has worked with the Hurleys for years.
Each March, Tony Moringello and his team at the three-barrel brew house produce a mapleinfused IPA, “Kettle Juice,” to sell onsite at the farm’s annual Maple Weekend in March. It’s become a seasonal favorite, and Moringello is now brainstorming a new signature brew just for Backwoods.
In addition to a signature drink, 2026 guests can expect tented areas for rainy Rochester evenings, expanded parking and a growing calendar of music events. Beyond their delicious offerings and lively musical performances, Moringello said the growing success of Backwoods is largely due to its natural and thoughtfully planned atmosphere.
“ When Chris told me about the property in Perinton, I thought it was a home run idea,” Moringello said. “It’s just different, the environment that’s created. It’s not a bar. It’s not a loud music venue. You can feel comfortable bringing your kids, and it’s a great spot to hang out.”
backwoodskrf.com
PHOTOS BY ROBERTO F. LAGARES
In good spirits
BY PATRICK HOSKEN PATRICK@ROCCITYMAG.COM
If bootleggers famously cooked up speakeasy hooch in tubs, where might nonalcoholic cocktails be mixed a century later?
Shelley Elkovich and her husband, Jeff, found a former vanilla extract factory on Rochester’s northwest side this year for their business, For Bitter For Worse. It helps that the building has possible ties to Prohibition-era booze.
“It dates back to the 1800s when it had a very shady reputation,” Elkovich said, “first [with] whiskey that was being sold as patent medicine, and then through Prohibition. There’s a big vault that indicates that there was a lot of, you know, ‘vanilla cash.’”
The founders recently relocated their personal and professional lives from Portland, Oregon, partly to be closer to their daughter in New York City and partly thanks to the $250,000 For Bitter For Worse received from the Grow-NY investment competition in 2024. The new chapter, via the turnkey vanilla factory, affords the company four times the production capacity of its former operation, allowing its fruity, fizzy fare to proliferate on the East Coast.
The timing seems right. Though beer, wine and spirits together generate nearly $70 billion in tax revenue annually,
the non-alcoholic market is steadily rising; it’s expected to top $1 billion by the end of 2025, according to the global research firm NIQ. In the Rochester area, sober-friendly spaces and retail shops continue to open and remain in business, mirroring trends that see a decrease in alcohol consumption in the United States.
In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that just 54% of American adults self-identified as drinkers, a new all-time low.
But those numbers don’t tell the entire story. NIQ’s data reveals that 92% of those who purchase nonalcoholic drinks also purchase booze, and the term “zebra striping” — the practice of alternating between alcoholic and NA drinks — has entered the lexicon.
This is in line with what Elkovich said helps drive the success of For Bitter For Worse.
“One of the things that we know is that this trend is not a fad. It’s a lifestyle change that’s here to stay, and that has to do with moderation,” she said. “More people are moderating their alcohol consumption and have steadily been decreasing their consumption since before COVID, even though there was a spike during COVID.”
With more moderation comes more moderation-friendly third spaces, including local stores like AltBar, For Bitter For Worse’s very first Rochester account.
AltBar began in 2021 as a series of pop-ups featuring NA beer and wine and zero-proof spirits and opened a brick-and-mortar bottle shop on East Main Street in June 2024. The full bar followed in October.
Co-founder Bob Hartman said AltBar’s successful first year has proven that there is a need for places where alcohol is not at “the center of the experience.”
“We’ve had a good year, and not just from a business perspective,” Hartman said. “I keep calling it the ROI of joy. Just something about having people come in and have a good adult beverage that doesn’t have alcohol in it and have a look of joy on their face, or relief, or gratitude,
where they didn’t think that that was going to be possible for them.”
Hartman began AltBar with his wife, Meg; the pair have had the same staff since the shop opened. That team also helped tend bar at For Bitter For Worse’s grand opening in October.
AltBar is not a music venue, but the space has hosted open mic nights and acoustic shows as well as craft nights and book clubs. Hartman said he views the opening of new NAfriendly spaces in the area as a rising tide with the potential to lift all boats.
“I can foresee a future where there’s a half a dozen spaces in Rochester that are totally sober,” Hartman said, “as people continue to experiment with moderation, or drinking less, or zebra striping.”
The newest of those spaces is the restaurant and music venue formerly known as Flour City Station on East Avenue. In September, its owners announced the immediate pivot to an all-ages NA space, with plans to become “Rochester’s first non-alcoholic music cafe, functional beverage bar, full dining experience, hemp shop and local merch/art hub.”
The plan is to operate under the new name FLOWR, with a grand opening slated for early 2026.
Down the line, it might even be a place to sip For Bitter For Worse. Right now, Elkovich said her company’s NA cocktails — vegan, gluten-free and containing no “lab-derived” ingredients — can be found in retail shops, bars and restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as at West Coast music festivals like Coachella and Bumbershoot.
Given the company’s move, a growing number of the locations will soon be in Rochester.
“ We’re a national brand that also wants to have strong community ties,” Elkovich said.
“That goes from supporting local nonprofits to sourcing ingredients from local farmers through hospitality venues and arts performances and music studios.”
PHOTO PROVIDED
Shelley Elkovich, founder of For Bitter For Worse.
PHOTO PROVIDED
AltBar's Meg and Bob Hartman.
PHOTO PROVIDED
‘Sancocho’
THEATER
BY PATRICK HOSKEN PATRICK@ROCCITYMAG.COM
Mphysical labor. Corn must be shucked. Yuca must be chopped. Peppers, onions and broth must be added at the right times. And then ther Sancocho requires patience.
Luckily the play “Sancocho,” Christin Eve Cato’s simmering family drama based around the dish, needs neither labor nor patience on the part of the audience. Its tender, realistic approach to topics like intergenerational trauma and unconditional love gives rise to a complex flavor profile that allows it to transcend the baggage of being a “family drama” in the first place.
“Only someone who has a connection to these root vegetables is willing to understand the work,” Cato wrote in the show’s program notes. “It’s an ultimate symbol of love and survival.”
The play Theatre through November 23, primarily concerns those two topics and how they inevitably mingle even when secrets, betrayals and indiscretions seem to put them at odds. As the play’s only characters, Puerto Rican sisters Renata and Caridad, circle a conversation about their dying father throughout the 100-minute runtime, they stay busy with their hands. The sancocho they prepare sits on a stove for the entirety of the
Christin Eve Cato’s savory family tale runs through November 23 at Geva Theatre.
BY
action, filling the theater with a warm, rich aroma.
Like Colman Domingo’s “DOT,” which Blackfriars Theatre staged in 2024, “Sancocho” centers a kitchen table and the various secrets and insecurities unspooled there. But unlike “DOT,” “Sancocho” rests entirely on the weight of its dual anchors: sisters from different generations and tax brackets who love each other despite vastly different experiences.
Younger sister Renata (played by Ashley Alvarez) balances a law career with the impending birth of her first child, as well as the duty of caring for the family’s ailing patriarch. Elder sister Caridad (played by Cindy Peralta), meanwhile, spends much of the play wielding a knife — for cutting through both tough root vegetables and her sister’s bullshit — while embodying the complex emotional palette at the heart of the text.
Peralta is both light on her feet (especially during an unexpected salsa dance number) and visibly burdened by the weight of her family. In character, she makes a home so lived in with both love and grief — not to mention the sancocho — that it’s easy to want
to stick around long after the end of the show to grab a bowl and hear a few more stories.
As the more idealistic Renata, the bright Alvarez creates plenty of internal conflict via the many times she shifts a wide smile into a furrowed brow. Both performances are distinct and wonderful, especially considering each character’s respective balancing acts. How does one convey strength and vulnerability?
“Sancocho” is a gripping show. The unseen familial characters feel just as lived-in as Renata and Caridad, thanks to their conversations. There’s a set of far-from-perfect parents whose failings are bemoaned even as reconciliation attempts waft up like steam from a stew pot. There are husbands and children, distant possible relations and departed abuelas.
As much as “Sancocho” is about healing, it likewise presents opportunities for examination. Parents might’ve done their best or they may have failed as protectors. Children grow up trying to avoid those mistakes — and then maybe make them anyway with their own kids. Terms like “gaslighting” and the concept of being “triggered” are
mentioned, with the requisite amount of sincerity (and mild skepticism) that characterizes this kind of sisterly dynamic.
To that end, profanity is used frequently, which is fine and fitting, but occasionally it’s deployed less than convincingly. This may be an issue with the dialogue more than the performers. Frankly, it might be the only issue with the play.
Cato’s work is thoughtful, wrangling several big ideas into a show that maintains a coziness throughout difficult conversations with no intermission. Alvarez and Peralta essentially complete an emotional half-marathon during the performance, making their grace and honesty even more impressive.
The scents of garlic, cilantro and bouillon that dance in the air seem to symbolize the spirits evoked by these two performers in Cato’s story. They’re patient. They labor. And they survive.
“Sancocho” runs through November 23 at Geva Theatre. Ticket information and show schedule is available at gevatheatre.org/ show/sancocho.
Ashley Alvarez and Cindy Peralta. PHOTOS BY JOHN SCHLIA
PHOTO
JOHN SCHLIA
The Dish
WHET YOUR PALATE
Just in time for pie season, Crust Pie Co. has opened a brick-and-mortar at 133 Gregory Street serving sweet and savory pies and pastries. The woman-owned Crust Pie Co. began in the Rochester Commissary kitchen incubator and had been popping up at Brighton Farmers Market and other events. And this opening was teased a few months ago, but now it’s official — The Revelry has rebranded to Rev BBQ, with a renewed focus on Carolina and Texas BBQ and will continue to serve dinner and Sunday brunch. Next door is Rev BBQ Outpost, which will serve up counter service lunch Monday through Saturday. And after 14 years on Monroe Avenue, Voula’s Greek Sweets has relocated to the North Winton Village neighborhood— right around the corner from their new coffee shop, Little House — inside the former Morningstar Greek American Restaurant at 850 Merchants Road
GATHERINGS CURATED BY LEAH STACY
(pro tip: there are fries on the menu).
Two of Rochester’s culinary talents — executive chef Greg Johnson and chef de cuisine Cassidy Broman — who partnered at the now-closed The Cub Room, have rejoined forces at Bonnie & Clyde in Fairport.
Chef Liyam Ezer, who started his career in Los Angeles then cooked around the globe (notably Bar Brutal in Barcelona and, most recently, at Piccalilli in LA) has relocated to Rochester to become head chef at Bevy, the newest addition to the Swan Family of Restaurants. Bevy is slated to open by end of the year.
Caphein Coffee, a mobile cart specializing in phin drip Vietnamese coffee, is one of the newest members at downtown kitchen incubator The Commissary, popping up weekly at local markets and events. Aldaskeller Wine Co., formerly an all-
natural wine shop in the South Wedge, has undergone an ownership change and rebrand as of mid-October, reopening with expanded selection and price points. And Comedy @ the Carlson has opened The Carlson, an adjacent limited-hours lounge and bookable event venue.
FOR THE LOCAVORES
The Finger Lakes region has been named 2025 American Wine Region of the Year by “Wine Enthusiast,” as part of the magazine’s annual Wine Star Awards. The honor recognizes two centuries of world-class winemaking, sustainable practices and collaborative community that have helped define the Finger Lakes as one of America’s most dynamic and collaborative wine regions, where family-owned wineries and regional partners continue to shape the story of New York wine. (New York State, as a whole, previously received a Wine Star Award for Wine Region of the Year from “Wine Enthusiast” in 2014.)
In mid-October, the Foodlink
Community Farm on Lexington Avenue celebrated 15 years with more than 160 new raised beds (bringing the total to over 220) that now serve approximately 100 local families; a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse for year-round growing, and the brand new 2,800-square-foot Edible Education Center, which will host nutrition education workshops, school field trips, community events and benefits navigation resources.
Lake Hour, a Livingston County-
based ready-to-drink cocktail brand co-owned by filmmaker Rich Peete and actor Wyatt Russell, has debuted a tequila-based Passion Fruit Tangerine spiked seltzer. The flavor will be available in 16-ounce cans and only distributed in the Rochester area and a few select markets across upstate New York.
FOOD FÊTES
Food Fight, the Rochester chef throwdown series that began at Jackrabbit Club, 40 Anderson Avenue last fall, is off and running for year two. The third round between James Revels of Pizza Wizard and Kelly McDonald of Jack’s Extra Fancy/ Easy Sailor takes place on Sunday, November 23; doors at 8 p.m., competition at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public.
The next installment of the Memorial Art Gallery’s hoMAGe culinary series, which blends art, wine and gastronomy takes place Friday, November 14. This four-course experience is inspired by the exhibition “Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum,” which opens at MAG November 2. Tickets are $180, more info at mag.rochester.edu.
The Lake House in Canandaigua and Ravines Wine Cellars will host a fivecourse pairing dinner on November 20, with each Rose Tavern dish highlighting the distinct character of the winery’s award-winning Finger Lakes wines. Tickets are $150, more info at lakehousecanandaigua.com/events.
The Genesee Country Village & Museum will bring back their 19thcentury dinners November 14-15 and 21-22. Guests enjoy a historically inspired seven-course dinner served family-style and play parlor games in one of the village’s charming buildings. Ages 16+ only, $90 for members, $100 for non-members. More info at gcv.org.
Iwant to enrich my life with things outside of work and relationships, but I find perfectionism always gets in the way. If I want to engage in a hobby just for the sake of joy and fun, but find myself constantly struggling with not doing things “right” or “correct” from the beginning, how do I silence my inner perfectionist critic?
—Seeking Joy and Fun
Dear Seeking Joy and Fun,
A few years back, I woke up in the middle of my life, buried under a pile of unread work emails and back-to-back Teams meetings, and realized I was not having fun. Somewhere between the “quick check-ins” and “circling back,” I had quietly slipped into autopilot, spending my spare time doom scrolling and falling asleep by 9 p.m. to the sound of a true crime show on TV. I wasn’t living. I was just getting through the day.
So, what did I do? I finally started trying the hobbies I’d always said I wanted to. You know, the vague list we give people at dinner parties when they ask what we do in our “spare time.” Or the things you put in your Hinge profile to make yourself seem more interesting (the phrase “loves hiking” was doing some heavy lifting for me).
I took sewing classes and made two lumpy, misshapen pillows. I got really into building miniature sets
NEED ADVICE? EMAIL MAGGIE@ROCCITYMAG.COM
(don’t ask). I tried to make bread, and every loaf could have been used as a cinder block. I was objectively terrible at all of these things. Yet I hadn’t been that happy in years.
One study on hobbies and mental health performed by the American Psychosomatic Society found that people reported lower stress, better moods and overall improved wellbeing after engaging in hobbies — regardless of skill or outcome. That means that just trying, whatever it is, does more for your happiness
and overall health than whether your latest attempt at sourdough is edible or not.
Today, everything we do must be “productive.” We’re conditioned that if you’re not monetizing it, recording it or turning it into your
personal brand, what’s the point? That mindset turns the concept of taking a break into something that resembles work and not fun.
You say you want to enrich your life? Well, in order to do that, you have to live it. Stop limiting yourself by trying to “win” at things that are supposed to bring you happiness. Instead, feed the part of you that’s curious, playful and a little imperfect.
Silence your inner critic by asking it: “Why does this hobby need to be productive or impressive or efficient? Why does it have to be perfect?”
The answer: it doesn’t have to be.
And if you are seeking enjoyment… Well, is there really a wrong way to do that?
xoxo, Maggie
(We’ll write about it!)
Off Label Use
BY S.J. AUSTIN & J. REYNOLDS
1. Pleasant sound
6. Burlap containers used for field day races
11. Watery shade of blue
15. Prefix with practice or content
18. Shoot for
19. Dallas suburb that is home to Frito-Lay
20. Replica, informally
21. Where LL Cool J ponders going back to in a 1988 hit single
22. ** Voting bloc in favor of the “High School Musical” films?
24. Fibber
25. Neural transmitter
26. Hang in the balance
27. Genetic messenger
28. ** Extra tranquilizer pills set aside for turning to powder?
31. In the thick of
34. The Jonas Brothers or ZZ Top, e.g.
35. Irish patriot Robert
36. Short yardage NFL ball carriers, for short
39. Mini albums
40. Org. that fought Napster
42. French aunt
45. Operatic moments to shine
47. Physique, slangily
48. Critics’ suggestions, informally
49. ROFL alternative
53. ** Late ‘90s web search about a crashing percussion instrument?
58. Fine points
60. Environmental sci.
61. River in the D-Day invasion
62. Auto executive Lee who developed the Mustang
64. “What’s _____ to like?”
65. Solid, as an argument
67. One half of a Citi Field mascot couple
68. Subscription unit
70. ** Where your most anxious neighbor lives?
75. Threaded fastener
78. Palindromic speed trap device
79. Not claimed
83. Minecraft resource
84. Brand name for antiviral med oseltamivir
87. Potter’s oven
89. Prefix with church or byte
90. Star Wars hero portrayed by Harrison Ford
92. ** Cry uttered by the captain of a cargo ship full of painkillers?
95. Double reed wind instrument 96 Word you don’t want to hear from your hairdresser
98. Kylo Ren, to 90-Across
99. First name in cosmetics
100. Starbucks order
102. Whole lot
104. First language for a CODA
106. Orch. section
107. Made like Betsy Ross
110. Blade used for scoring bread
112. Get cozy under a blanket, say
115. ** Baseball cap made of semi-synthetic opioids?
119. Sch. with the cheer “Geaux Tigers!”
120. Romantic interest to 90-Across
124. “Right now,” in an OR
125. Gross!
126. Unintended result of taking a medication-and the wacky theme of this month’s puzzle, as indicated by the answers to the starred clues
129. They may be fine or graphic
130. List-ending abbr.
131. Calendar listing
132. Play the fool
133. “Who ___?” (informal question)
134. Get pitch perfect
135. Furniture store staples
136. Sporty car roof options
PUZZLE
1. Funny papers surname 2. Bring on staff 3. “That’s my cue!” 4. MX-5 and CX-50 maker
Google Maps estimation 6. Doesn’t save
Italian luxury cars, familiarly 8. Railroad unit 9. Gelatin brand since 1896 10. One of 32 for Beethoven
1950s politico Stevenson
Fictional hero on a horse
_____ the crack of dawn
Unaccompanied
Maker of chocolate truffles
21. Tony Soprano’s wife 23. Gang member associated with the color blue
29. Controversial org. that filed for bankruptcy in 2021
