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Editor: Leah Stacy
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Contributors: David Andreatta, Sydney Burrows, Katie Epner, Gino Fanelli, Johanna Lester, Joe Morrell, Matt Passantino, Jessica L. Pavia, Abby Quatro, Mona Seghatoleslami, Katherine Varga, Ryan Yarmel
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Best of the best: A ripple effect
EDITOR'S LETTER
BY LEAH STACY LEAH@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM
This month, one of my dearest friends will save someone’s life. Through a kidney match program, he’s undergoing surgery to donate so another friend can receive a transplant. And in the midst of national news heralding anti-heroes and would-be villains, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that heroes — indisputable, unsung heroes — walk among us every day. My friend may be directly saving one life, but his decision will indirectly impact so many others: the man’s family, friends, perhaps even someone reading this right now. There is a ripple effect to every choice we make.
In our January 2024 Best Of Rochester issue, freelance contributor Abby Quatro wrote a piece about the bagels at Fox’s Deli: “Friends, there is a new bagel in town that’s rocking my world. So, here’s the tea. Fox’s Deli has recently started making bagels, and the quality is top-notch,” she wrote. Inspired by that 400 words, last month, owners Jason and Alex Rheinwald opened The Bagel Shop by Fox’s on Park Ave. Ripples.
My December editor’s letter touched on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which is, essentially, a movie about how one life impacts so many others. That letter resonated with readers and a dialogue unexpectedly opened. Many of you love “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Many others notice the burned out ‘D’ in the KODAK sign. (I’m happy to report it’s fixed!). But I’d like
to share part of one email, in particular, that made me emotional:
“i have enjoyed the evolution of CITY. every month, when i snag the new issue, i get this little buzz about this town…it’s nice to read folks words that aren’t complaining about the weather or the grey or the violence.
as just a reader out here in the same city as you, thanks for spending your time on this place.
rochester has given me everything i could have ever hoped for. it’s nice to have and to hold a multi page manual every month produced by people who have given this town the same level of commitment as i have.”
I kept re-reading that one line: “rochester has given me everything i could have ever hoped for.”
Ripples.
That, my friends, is the Best Of Rochester summed up. That’s the outlook that keeps building a city (ours, or any city). Will there be days when you don’t believe it? When it’s cloudy and the news is tough and it all seems small and tiring? Of course.
But let’s remember the ripples. Everything we do — in a city this size, especially — affects someone else. That recommendation you make. That
nomination you write in for Best Of Rochester. The dollars you spend on a local bagel, a night out at the theater, supporting public media (wink) or at the ballpark. It all adds up to a thriving local arts and culture economy that make Rochester #15 nationally (backed by real data! See my ‘hope’ on page 5).
The ripples are real. Don’t stay on shore.
L
HOPES N' DREAMS OUR for'25
I hope we’re all less online in 2024. It’s easy to say (with a little snark), but hard to put into practice. Why? There’s a list of bummers — the decimation of so-called third places, Big Tech’s continued death grip on every aspect of socialization, homogenized mass culture, et al. But the solution is simple, and evergreen: Stay local. Chat up your neighbors at coffee shops. Go to shows and buy cool things from local makers. Be vulnerable and share stories. If you’re burned out on performing your personality online, just stop and be a person for a while. See you out there.
—PATRICK HOSKEN
I hope the roof flies off and I get sucked up into space.
—RYAN WILLIAMSON
In early December, Southern Methodist University in Dallas released “The Top 40 Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2024,” an annual data study “drawing on 13 unique measures which cover aspects of supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture, which are adjusted for cost of living and population.” Rochester ranked #15 on the list, just below Milwaukee and above New Orleans. We often talk about what a great arts community we have here, but it’s reaffirming to see data back that up. A further dive into the Top 40 shows
something even neater: Ithaca, Auburn and Syracuse all made the list as well, which means the (greater) Finger Lakes region makes up for almost a tenth of this year’s top communities. That's significant! My hope for 2025 is that we remember moments like this. That we don’t take for granted the incredible region we get to call home — and that we invest our time, talents, money and energy into making it a better place for ourselves and future generations. See the full study at culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2024
—LEAH STACY
I hope more people do things they enjoy for the sake of joy itself. Try things. Pick up the hobby, drop it, pick up another. Do something you like whether it makes money or not. Don’t let someone convince you to go commercial. Do it even if you’re bad at it. Social media has convinced itself that happiness is rare, lame or flat-out unattainable. It’s not ‘cringe’ to have fun. The world is a better place not when we do the bare minimum to stay alive, but when we do the things we live for (shout out to the “Dead Poets Society”). Laugh loudly in public, sing your heart out at the red light, pick up a camera, put your thoughts on paper, draw, paint, cook. Do what you love and not just what you’re good at.
—ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES
Best Indian Restaurant
Thali of India
3259 S. Winton Rd, thaliofindia.com
FINALISTS
Tandoor of India | Amaya Hyderabad Biryani House
Best Mediterranean Restaurant
Aladdin's Natural Eatery
646 Monroe Ave., 8 Schoen Place, Pittsford, myaladdins.com
FINALISTS
Cedar | Voula's Greek Sweets | Sinbad’s
Best French Fries
Strangebird
62 Marshall St., strangebirdbeer.com
FINALISTS
Good Luck | Petit Poutinerie
The Playhouse//Swillburger
Best Chicken French
Pasta Villa
1313 East Ridge Rd., thepastavilla.com
FINALISTS
Papa Joe's | Monroe's | Edibles | Perlo’s
Best Gluten-Free Menu Options
The Red Fern
283 Oxford St., redfernrochester.com
FINALISTS
The Owl House | Playhouse//Swillburger
The Classic Kitchen & Cocktails
Best Bagel
Balsam Bagels
288 Winton Rd. N., balsambagels.com
FINALISTS
Bagel Land | Fox's Deli
BrownStein's Bagels
Best
Brunch
Jines
658 Park Ave., jinesrestaurant.com
FINALISTS
Radio Social | Owl House | CRISP
Best
Server
Jaime Brennan (Vern's)
696 Park Ave., iloveverns.com
FINALISTS
Mike Bailey (Cure) | Kethry Bruce (Jack's Extra Fancy) | Bailey Lusk (Bitter Honey) | Marisa Ammerata (Branca Midtown)
Best
Wings
Jeremiah's
Multiple locations, jeremiahstavern.com
FINALISTS
Bar Bill | Strangebird | Windjammers
Best Vegan Menu Options
Red Fern
283 Oxford St., redfernrochester.com
FINALISTS
Owl House | Voula's Greek Sweets
Natural Oasis
Best Sushi
Poke
682 South Ave., pokesushiroc.com
FINALISTS
Umai | Velvet Belly | Shema
Best Restaurant to Dine Solo
691 Monroe Ave., dogtownhots.com
FINALISTS
Strangebird | Vern's
Petit Poutinerie | Jines
Best Noodle Pull: Seasons’ Noodle
Seasons’ Noodle doesn’t do gimmicks. It’s a tiny takeout spot in the Columbus Building downtown with a singular focus: noodles. Chef Yan pulls each one by hand — silky, chewy ropes of perfection with a bounce that’s borderline hypnotic. These noodles don’t just soak up sauce; they fight back a little, springing against your teeth in a way that reminds you why food matters.
There’s something primal about a place like this. The slap of dough hitting the counter, the clatter of woks, the heady smell of garlic and spice — it’s not polished, and better for it. These noodles aren’t just a vehicle, they’re the moment. Built to be drenched in chili oil or tangled up in deeply savory broths. Each bite hits you with layers of texture and flavor: the heat, the chew, the slickness of sauce clinging to every strand.
Yan’s noodles are messy, unapologetic and deeply satisfying in a way that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with shortcuts. Every bite is a little celebration of tradition and craft, practiced in a way you can somehow taste. Seasons’ Noodle is the real deal. Yan doesn’t care if you’re snapping pictures or hunched over a to-go container on the sidewalk. He only cares that the noodles are unforgettable—and they are. Skip the fluff. Get lost in the slurp. seasonsnoodle.com —ABBY QUATRO
Best place to pho-get your troubles: Saigon Pho
The broth is the thing. Clear as glass, but with layers so complex you’ll feel like you’re chasing ghosts with every sip. There’s no overload of salt or clumsy sweetness — just the perfect balance of roasted bones, star anise and charred onion — all coaxed into submission over hours of patient simmering. It doesn’t just sit on your tongue, it grips you. A slow, deliberate burn, whispering of smoke and sweetness while dragging you under its spell.
This isn’t just soup — it’s a reckoning. Feeling less like a meal and more like an exhale, this is the kind of bowl you keep crawling back to. Hungover? Sick? Soul-crushed? Saigon Pho delivers. That broth wraps itself around you, seeping into the cracks and warming you from the inside out, reminding you that you’re still alive (even if barely).
What makes Saigon Pho special is its restraint. It doesn’t pander or overreach. Everything is deliberate, balanced and maddeningly precise. The smoky backnotes linger just long enough. The sweetness is soft, never cloying. It’s borderline criminal how perfect it all feels, like someone engineered it to make you question why you’ve ever settled for less. This is the pho you measure all others against. It’s the cure for whatever ails you. Saigon Pho doesn’t want your admiration (there’s not even a website or social media presence to speak of). It wants you to show up (1384 Lyell Ave), shut up, order the large. Let it fix you. —ABBY
QUATRO
Best edible reason to visit the Finger Lakes: The Big Ass Pretzel at Iron Heart Coffee
Few things hit like a hot pretzel. Is it simply nostalgia that makes me want to take a meandering walk through a cavernous mall, Auntie Anne’s (or Hot Sam if you’re Of A Certain Age™) in one hand, Orange Julius in the other? Give me that sidecar of melted-yet-somehow-still-cold cheese or yellow (never honey) mustard. With the arrival of breweries on seemingly every corner, it’s no wonder that the communal interest in a hot pretzel is on the rise. Enter the pretzel at Iron Heart Coffee, located within Three Brothers Wineries and Estates in Geneva — better known as “literally the best pretzel I have ever eaten in my life.” It’s described on the menu as Big Ass Pretzel (which it is, but I think we can all acknowledge that size doesn’t necessarily matter) and accompanied by queso (good) and mustard (better). It was an hour’s drive and back — which is also a great excuse to enjoy the gorgeous Finger Lakes scenery, and I would do it again just for this pretzel. (And have offered to do as much with several people since then.) It’s so easy to make an inferior pretzel. We’ve all had them. They’re dry, they’re cold, somehow both mushy and rock-hard. Here, the crisp, expertly crafted exterior gives way to a lush, plush, bready interior. That the majority of this pretzel was consumed in the car on the drive home and still warrants this accolade is nothing short of a miracle. It will run you the cost of a medium pizza but I can’t imagine a better addition to “snack dinner” or a happy hour. This pretzel is made for a group, but absolutely no judgment if you want it all to yourself. The Big Ass Pretzel™ will keep your secret. 3brotherswinery.com –
JOHANNA LESTER
Japanese Restaurant
As an active participant in the Rochester restaurant scene, I can confidently say there are many great spots for every palate. We have adventurous foodie destinations, beloved classics and goto neighborhood joints. With such a vibrant dining landscape, it's easy to fall in love with our city's bustling restaurant scene. But sometimes, we crave that hidden gem; the place where we can go (possibly in sweatpants), alone or with friends, for a no-fuss, relaxed and delicious meal.
The first time I went to SHIKI, I turned to my friend and asked, "Should we just do this once a week?" Located on the corner of South Clinton Avenue and Beaufort Street in a cozy building that, I would estimate, seats no more than 30 people, SHIKI is an absolute gem — especially during Rochester’s gray months. The restaurant has been around since 2004 and is led by Chef Tanaka, a Japanese-trained chef from Hokkaido. Tanaka opened SHIKI after an eight-year stint in New York City, where he was invited to work after honing his skills in Japan. My "base order" (a term I use when ordering with friends that refers to the must-haves) includes a large Tokkuri (warm sake), an order of tempura, a roll or two and Tonkotsu ramen. This is no-fuss dining where I can enjoy great food in peace, away from the typical hustle and bustle I typically lean toward within the industry. I love to sit with a view of the sushi counter, watching as perfectly cut pieces of sashimi are prepped. The atmosphere feels like a time capsule from the early 2000s — nostalgic, in the best possible way. SHIKI is delicious, consistent, affordable and could very well become your new favorite hidden gem for snowy days and no-fuss dining. shikirestaurantrochester.com —JOE MORRELL
Best a la carte food + wine pairing: Pintxo
Pintxo doesn’t ask for your attention. It demands it. Owner Julian Plyter has built something here that shouldn’t work: no hood system, no sprawling kitchen — just a ruthless focus on doing more with less. And somehow, it’s brilliant.
This is what happens when Sommelier Thera Clark drops in with vision and zero tolerance for mediocrity. She’s built a wine list so razor sharp, so unapologetically Spanish, it makes you question every glass of Pinot Grigio you’ve ever settled for. It’s bold, it’s precise, and works so well with Chef Pam Cecere’s food that each pairing feels like a conversation.
Cecere is pumping out dishes so tight, so damn good, it’s almost insulting. Tinned fish that hits with the elegance of caviar. Jamón that dissolves like it knows it’s the star of the show. These plates aren’t precious, they’re a celebration of simplicity done with impossible precision. Pintxo nails that casual tapas magic: one plate turns into four and one glass of wine turns into a bottle, until you’ve accidentally had the best meal of your week. They make it look effortless. It’s not.
Canandaigua needed this place. Hell, you needed this place. Pintxo isn’t just good — it’s a reminder that pairings can (and should) be fun. pintxo.wine
—ABBY QUATRO
Best Comfort Food
691 Monroe Ave., dogtownhots.com
FINALISTS
Petit Poutinerie | The Saucey Chef | Red Fern
Best Asian Restaurant
600 Monroe Ave., hannoodlebar.com
FINALISTS
Szechuan Opera | Chen Garden | Leonore's
Best Mexican Restaurant Neno's
642 Monroe Ave, nenosmexican.com
FINALISTS
Tavos Antojitos y Tequila
Monte Alban | Bitter Honey | Dorado
Best Italian Restaurant Fiorella
5 Rochester Public Market, restaurantfiorella.com
FINALISTS
Vern’s | Pasta Villa | Rocco
Best Ice Cream
Multiple locations, pittsfordfarmsdairy.com
FINALISTS
Hedonist | Abbott's | Countertop Creamer
Best Global Foods Market
Multiple locations, rubinos.net FINALISTS
Asia Food Market | International Food Market | Namaste Grocery | Joy Mart Best Donuts
Ridge Donuts
1600 Portland Ave, ridgedonuts.com
FINALISTS
Donuts Delite | Schutt’s
Golden Harvest | Scratch Bakeshop
Best Breakfast Sandwich
739 Park Ave., @cafesasso FINALISTS
Melo | Hydra Coffeehouse | Pearson's
Chef
24 Winthrop St, reddrochester.com FINALISTS
Nate Stahl | Liam Jacobs
Steven Lara | Rob Wygal
Best Caterer
Dinosaur BBQ
99 Court St., dinosaurbarbque.com
FINALISTS
Red Fern | Madeline's Orange Glory | Root Catering
Jack's Extra Fancy | Marshall Street Vasko’s on Park
Best Plate Dogtown
691 Monroe Ave., dogtownhots.com
FINALISTS
Nick Tahou Hots | Charlie Riedel's Red Fern
Best pop-up experience of 2024: The Miscela Project
As someone who plans their social time judiciously, I’m always intrigued by a multi-faceted experience. And often, if my chosen itinerary doesn’t inherently offer that, I’ll create it. Drinks at REDD before popcorn dinner and a movie at The Little Theatre? Done. A Reformery pilates class followed by a gelato stop at Forno Tony? You betcha.
That’s part of why I enjoy The Miscela Project pop-ups so much. The other part is because they are the brainchild of former CITY intern (and occasional contributor) Joe Morrell and his friend (a past CITY contributor who is always welcome back) Natasha Cotrupi. The two met while working for the Swan Family of Restaurants and pitched Jon Swan on testing a pasta-making class and dinner pop-up at the recently opened Pearson’s off Park Ave. (formerly Glen Edith) this past spring. Seven sold out pop-ups later, they’re quickly becoming a fixture in the local food and bev scene.
I’ve attended two of the pop-ups, and both began with an Aperol spritz mingle followed by a pasta-making class led by Cotrupi (if I can do it, anyone can) and then a sit-down, four-course dinner with generous wine pours featuring the pasta we made an hour before. There are thoughtful touches throughout, like wooden paperclips for your wine glass nametag and neatly pressed aprons for attendees to keep their dinner duds flour-free.
But my favorite aspect is the leisure of it all. Each event lasts almost three hours (so go with someone you like talking to). But in all seriousness, this is how dinners were meant to be. Not timed to 60-90 minutes, but savored with friends old and new. Miscela’s tagline says it best: “Mix. Eat. Drink. Enjoy.” themiscelaproject.com —LEAH STACY
Best NY (in Rochester) Happy Meal: Roux
Around 2023, the phrase began to crop up online: the NY Happy Meal. And to know it was to love it: a martini (prepared your way) and fries (prepared, hopefully, in any way that wasn’t crinkle cut or a steak fry, because no thank you.) The precursor to girl dinner, and the best way to pre-game a movie or recap a night out, the NYHM became ubiquitous. So simple, yet so brilliant … Or so it seemed. In reality, it was much harder to execute. A good martini didn’t necessitate the presence of good fries — and, it should be said, vice versa. For me, the best place to satisfy this craving — no, need — in Rochester is Roux. A Park Avenue mainstay since 2015, Roux deals in French classics like steak au poivre, escargots and a pocket-sized, lightly warmed baguette (another post for another time) as well as craft cocktails. But time at Roux is best spent by grabbing a seat at the bar with a pal (or solo) and ordering the iciest martini (dirty, vodka — we can still be friends if you’re here for the gin) and a plate of le frites. The fries at Roux are the closest Rochester has to the platonic ideal of a French fry: McDonald’s. I can hear you scoffing, but if you think about it for more than five seconds, you know I’m right. The perfect crispexterior-to-soft-interior ratio. Not so short you have to spear them with a fork, not a wedge that requires a knife to appear civilized. You can “make ‘em bougie” per the menu with truffle oil and parmesan, but stick to the aioli instead. I love New York for so many reasons, and Roux’s take on a now-classic is at the top of that list. rouxparkave.com
—JOHANNA LESTER
Best animal-shaped desserts: Seoul Drop
Icannot resist good kimbap, and you shouldn’t, either. Seoul Drop, in the Shoppes at Lac De Ville plaza, can handle all your rice and seaweed roll-up needs, with plenty of veg-friendly options to boast about. The shiitake mushroom and yubu varieties are particularly notable, as is the spicy tuna.
But here’s where I get myself into trouble. I always assume I can handle more spice than I actually can, and when this happens, I need something cool and preferably sweet to remedy my inflamed mouth. Enter Seoul Drop’s secret weapon: delectable animal-shaped desserts that always bring a smile to my (heat-ravaged) face.
The staple is the strawberry-cat panna cotta that jiggles on the plate, though Seoul Drop has also added some Pokémon flair with the Psyduck coconut mango pudding. (He, too, jiggles while being 100% vegan, gluten-free and dairy free.) Also silky is the chocolate bear cheesecake, which arrives with the titular ursid lying down on a bed of Oreo crumbles.
In addition to tasting bright and rich, these dessert favorites are as good on the table as they are on Instagram — and they look fantastic on Instagram. They also provide a great hack for dining with toddlers who still haven’t embraced more exploratory eating just yet. With a pink cat, a yellow duck and a cocoa bear promised at the end of the meal, the journey is just as fun as the destination. instagram.com/seouldrop_ official —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best place to say “I’m lactose intolerant, but I don’t care”:
LuGia’s Ice Cream
One thing about a person who is lactose intolerant (me), they’re going to tell you they are lactose intolerant. It does not matter the setting, and it frequently comes at a time where you may think to yourself, “Why are you ordering that, if you’re lactose intolerant?” You can question their (our) life choices, but to be lactose intolerant means to be intolerant of fear itself. To willingly welcome a world of harsh consequences and relish in your decision that created it. To live in a world of mac ‘n’ cheese, milkshakes and — the king of them all — ice cream is to be brave, to be a warrior.
The battlefield in this case? LuGia’s, 4719 Lyell Rd. in Spencerport, sporting enough lines outside in warmer months to make you think you’re a horse awaiting your turn at the Kentucky Derby and featuring more flavors than colors available from Crayola. And let us not forget the cone size chart that has your inner dialogue fighting to decide if you should swallow your pride and order the kiddie because you can’t handle the “small” (three sizable scoops).
Certainly, with a menu longer than the Declaration of Independence (paws off, Nicolas Cage) there are non-dairy options. But the lactose intolerant individual cannot be contained. They know no bounds. A dairy-free menu is but a suggestion and, to some, an insult. The flavors that beg to be eaten and topped to your heart's content live beyond the confines of any milk alternative. It is on the front lines of this westside establishment that you are most definitely to hear (like a whisper in the wind), “I’m lactose intolerant, but I don't care.” lugias.com —ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES
Rumble + Stir
62 Marshall St., strangebirdbeer.com FINALISTS
Jon Mervine (Fifth Frame
Eric Salazar (Strangebird) Micah Krichinsky (Strangebird)
Distillery (ROC or FLX)
1344 University Ave., blackbuttondistilling.com
FINALISTS
Iron Smoke Distillery Hollerhorn Distilling | Woodlawn Distilling
247 N. Goodman St., carnegiecellars.com
Branca Midtown | Vine & Tap
Shomari Smoak (Living Roots) Alyssa Johnson (Patron Saint)
efore I met Rumble + Stir owner Kyle Olson IRL, his local Instagram fame preceded him. It’s a slick, curated feed of cocktail photos and recipes, all in what appeared to be professional studio lighting. There were very few selfies or tagged photos, so it was hard to tell who was behind it all. But as the producer of Rochester Cocktail Revival, I keep an eye on this sort of thing. Rumble + Stir is a mobile bar pop-up, available for hire at public and private events, and started by Olson after he moved to Pittsford from New York City during the pandemic with his wife Cat, a Rochester native, and their two young children. While I won’t completely expose the “man behind the curtain,” I will say that Olson is a mad scientist, and his cocktails — especially of the tiki variety — are *quite* good (and very strong). His crew of freelance bartenders hails from different backgrounds and day jobs, but you won’t find any of them working in popular local bars. They’re in living rooms, in wedding venues and at country clubs. They’ll teach a cocktail class or consult on a menu. Olson himself works a few shifts at the Country Club of Rochester and deejays the tiki-focused “Sirens’ Floating Radio Hour” at 6 p.m. Tuesdays on WAYO 104.3FM, in addition to a full-time job in human resources. If you ever meet (or hire) him in the wild, ask him to make you a mai tai — and maybe about his time as a touring drummer. rumbleandstir.com. —LEAH STACY
FINALISTS
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery
Three
Best locally produced N/A drink: Kind Hopped Water
I’ve been writing about beer for over a decade, and at a certain point, you feel a compulsion to keep doing it. I don’t really drink anymore. I’m afraid my party days are over. I’ve played “STALKER 2” for like 80 hours this month and the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in recent memory is coming across an 18-pack of cotton washcloths for $3.99 at Ollie’s DiscountWarehouse. (Unbelievable deal, folks.)
Anyway, for the second time in the past couple months, I’m going to tell you about a saving grace: Kind Hopped Water. Three Heads’s sparkling water hopped with the same bill as the flagship The Kind IPA truly scratches an itch. Rochester is not short of great beer. Throw a dart at the map of breweries and you’re going to hit at the very least a decent one. A place where five months of the year are spent in a bitter cold darkness is going to be conducive to a good drinking environment. Non-alcoholic options though? Not so much.
But I would wager I’m not alone in trying to make healthier choices while still craving something bitter to sip on. Kind Hopped Water does that. It’s a drink that gives a sense of inclusion to us getting older and less reckless. It makes Three Heads, a place undoubtedly guaranteed to show up in the Best Of finalists, continue to be a place where every Rochesterian is home.
I’m not waxing poetically. Three Heads is not the first place to make hop water. But what it does well is replicating something as synonymously Rochester as The Kind in a nonalcoholic package. I love these things. threeheadsbrewing.com —GINO FANELLI
Best Wine Bar Living Roots Wine & Co.
1255 University Ave., livingrootswine.com
FINALISTS
Apogee | Flight Wine Bar | UnWine’d
Best Sports Bar Ziggy's
127 Railroad St. Suite 120, ziggysroc.com
FINALISTS
Marshall Street | Jeremiah's | The Distillery
Best Juice Bar
Just Juice
4 Life
710 University Ave., @justjuice4life
FINALISTS
Pearson's | Body Fuel B+ Healthy Food Market
Best Craft Brewery
Strangebird
62 Marshall St., strangebirdbeer.com
FINALISTS
Three Heads Brewing | Rohrbach Rising Storm at the Mill
Best Coffee Shop Ugly Duck
Coffee
89 Charlotte St., uglyduckcoffee.com
FINALISTS
Cafe Sasso | Equal Grounds Hydra Coffeehouse
Best Cidery (Alcoholic) Blue Barn
928 Manitou Rd., Hilton, bluebarncidery.com
FINALISTS
OSB | Seed + Stone | Oak and Apple
Best Bartender Matt Grillo (Lux)
666 South Ave., lux666.com
FINALISTS
Maria Stojanova (Vern's)
Patrick Stetzel (Ziggy's) | Sabine Bradley (AltBar)
Flo Cardella (Leonore's)
Kim Brozic (Angelina's)
Best Barista Rory Van Grol (Ugly
89 Charlotte St., uglyduckcoffee.com
FINALISTS
Tina Sciarratta (Hydra Coffeehouse)
Josiah Ball (New City Cafe)
Chiara Sapia (Cafe Sasso)
Best Bar to Drink Solo LUX
666 South Ave., lux666.com
FINALISTS
Playhouse//Swillburger
Jack's Extra Fancy | Skylark
Best LGBTQ+ Bar ROAR
621 Culver Rd, roarroc.com
FINALISTS
LUX | Bachelor Forum | Avenue Pub
Best Dive Bar
666 South Ave., lux666.com
FINALISTS
Swan Dive |
Best new place to be: The Cannery
The East End has been a nightlife destination for as long as anyone can remember, especially among people who don’t trust anyone over 30.
But it is the entertainment district known as The Cannery, roughly 10 miles east in the Village of Fairport, that is generating the most buzz in Rochester nightlife these days.
What had been a ghastly assemblage of vacant brick warehouses and factory space occupied by the American Can Company before that business went belly up in 1993, has in a few short years become a sprawling and vibrant “place to be.”
With three breweries, a distillery, a healthy mix of upscale and casual restaurants and a pickleball center (because ... of course), the complex offers something for most anyone every night of the week.
During the daylight hours, the place is kept hopping by a popular coffee shop, a sewing store, a fitness center and office space that reliably draw enough foot and vehicle traffic before the evening revelry to fuel the feeling that something is always happening there.
If The Cannery has a drawback, it’s parking. It’s hard to believe that 250 spaces aren’t enough most nights of the week, but that’s how hot the place has become. Still, the village is walkable enough to accommodate most patrons willing to hoof it.
When its first businesses opened — beginning with Iron Smoke Distillery in 2014, the bare-bones Triphammer Bierworks in 2016 and the German-inspired Faircraft Brauhaus in 2020 — the complex was very much a “Fairport thing.”
As The Cannery’s nightlife grew with additions like Compané Trattoria, Tin Cup Social, the streamlined Preservation Beer Company and the Nashville-themed Country Roads, locals became hellbent on guarding it like a state secret.
But the word is out, and this place now belongs to all of Rochester, including people who don’t trust anyone over 30. rocwiki.org/The_Cannery —DAVID ANDREATTA
Best Pet Adoption Services
99 Victor Rd., Fairport, lollypop.org
FINALISTS
Verona Street | Operation Freedom Ride Pet Adoption Network | Ridge Rescue
Boutique
215 Park Ave., parkleigh.com
FINALISTS
Archimage | Peppermint | Figgy Shop Statement
Charity/Nonprofit
99 Victor Rd., Fairport, lollypop.org
FINALISTS
Foodlink | Genesee Land Trust | Al Sigl
Best unassuming grocery store: Herrema’s Market Place
T1100 Jefferson Rd., marketviewliquor.com FINALISTS Pinnacle Liquor | Aldaskeller Wine Co. Schuber Liquor Store
his is an ode to shopping really, really local. If you’re from Rochester (or have ever lived here; or visited here; or talked to someone who once stayed here overnight) you’ve likely had a conversation about grocery stores. It’s practically in our DNA. Take one step inside Herrema’s Market Place, located on Pattonwood Drive in Stutson Bridge Plaza, and you’ll understand why it’s been successfully serving Irondequoit and Charlotte for over 60 years. Yes, it’s small and unassuming — it’s far more navigable than, say, a Baby Gap — but what it lacks in physical space, it more than makes up for in local pride and availability of product. On a recent trip, I easily counted more than two dozen locally or regionally made items — many of which I’d never heard of or seen in any non-specialty store. A standby favorite like Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters was shelved next to Hoyser coffee out of Buffalo. An entire endcap dedicated to making the perfect plate (if that’s what you’re into) offers at least six different local sauce options, including Jones Bones BBQ out of Webster, Bill Gray’s hot sauce and Zweigle’s relish and meat sauce. Andy’s Candies has its own shelving unit. The freezer section takes you to Lake George with Adirondack Creamery ice cream, and you can scoop up River Rat cheese from the Thousand Islands a few paces away in the dairy aisle — not far from Rollers cocktail sauce. The find of the day was perhaps the frozen Cheesy Eddie’s cheesecakes and Amazing Grains salty bread — a true win for the west side. It can be difficult to shop local, but Herrema’s does what any great neighborhood store sets out to do: It brings the world at large (or, in this case, the best of Rochester and New York) a little bit closer to home. herremas.com
–JOHANNA LESTER
BOA Editions is a sort of “if you know, you know” situation. Concealed, appropriately, inside a building adorned with a humongous mural of a young boy reading a book with red flowers bursting from an opened page, there’s a small, yellow circular sign outside. If you blink, you’d miss the independent publishing house that’s been putting together incredible poetry collections and chapbooks since 1976 when it was established by poet and translator, A. Poulin, Jr., a Brockport native.
And maybe that’s the way poets and writers like it: hidden away, nestled into a cozy corner where no one can interrupt what Joan Didion called the “hostile act” of creating and writing that wrenches around in someone’s mind. I first learned about BOA Editions while at graduate school for creative writing, a few hours (OK, maybe six) away from home. The name showed up on the Lucille Clifton publications I was studying; more recently, a friend from undergrad had their book released after winning the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize. Li Young Lee was published by the press and spoke at another friend’s father’s funeral, so when I visited her we read through each slim book, careful not to break the spine.
Ultimately, I was shocked that, despite growing up in and writing in and around Rochester, it took stepping outside of the city to discover BOA — despite the fact that, throughout their years in existence, they’ve published over 300 books. Their collections of American poetry, short fiction and translation win awards and push boundaries, playing with language in a way that has kept the publishing house relevant and expanding. To think of Rochester as an arts and culture city is true. But we could do more to include the literary arts in that conversation. Knowing BOA is here is one step, recognizing their importance is another. boaeditions.org
—JESSICA L. PAVIA
Best errand you’ll run all week: United States Post Office, Brighton Station
OK, hear me out. Allegedly, no one likes the post office, not even the postal workers — at least, that’s what pop culture will tell you. And for a lot of local post offices, that rings true. Just a few weeks ago, headlines read that Trump is considering a privatization of the United States Postal Service, and postage has been rising in costs for years.
Growing up in a small town, I used to love going to the post office with my mom. There was something about the smell of paper and tape, the slots that sent my mail away to far-off lands and the baskets full of packages, boxes and bags behind the counter that activated my little imagination. Now, I trudge to the post office to mail returns (I’m an ardent online shopper for certain locally hard-to-find items) and Poshmark orders (long live secondhand). I probably visit the Brighton Station on Winton Road at least once a week.
And if I don’t — they notice. Because let me tell you about my USPS faves David and Evan. I don’t know their last names, but these are two of the nicest postal workers I have ever met. With them, I actually believe “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” as the USPS slogan goes. It seems there’s always a line at this post office, and regardless of the customer attitudes or complicated requests, the staff will have a dry joke (David) and a chipper dialogue (Evan) at the ready. They never fail to make my day, even if I’m just listening to them interact with the others in line. Civil service at its finest.
—LEAH STACY
In Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that my...children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
We salute the following students for the example they have set with their lives in school and in the community by living the ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King Recipients 2024
#2 - Shamarii Robinson
#5 - Nathanial Mishiyev
#7 - TaMahj Bolling
#8 - Alianna Holmes
#9 - Mianelys Rivera Valentin
#15 - Anastasia Clark
#16 - Lari Bostick
#17- Emma Lynn Villalobos
#23 - Jeremiah Bembry
#25 - Bintou Diatke
#28 - Jaydiel Valazquez
#29 - Harlow Trammell
#34 - Carneley Jenkins
#39 - Nala Greene
#42 - Giovanni Rivera
#45 - Oz’Cyana Singleton
#46 - Mia Colon
#50 - Ning Clay
#52 - Kingston Jenkins
#53 - Liana Crosby
#58 (Elementary) - Ashton Worth
East Lower School - Andre Cleveland
Frankin Lower School - Donte Powell
Northwest Junior High - Uriah Shaw
Rise Community School - Jordyn Brandon
Rochester International Academy (Elementary) - Yo Nay Say
#58 (Secondary) - Anthony Diaz
East Upper School - Ervin Wiggins Jr.
Edison Career & Technology
High School - Saraiyah Hutton
Franklin Upper School - Quausha Davis
Monroe Upper School – Julieann Falu
Northeast High School – AriAnna Walter
Rochester Early College International High School – Taranee Jean-Baptiste
Rochester International Academy Secondary – Neema Wilondia
School of the Arts – Righteous Buggs
School Without Walls – Lah May Paw
Wilson Magnet High School –Wanlee Irizarry Pacheco
Home/Hospital Program –Franchellys Otto Fernandez
The 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute awards ceremony will be held at School of the Arts, on January 16, 2024 at 6:30 pm. The Public is invited.
Rochester Teachers Association Human Relations Committee
Celebrating 41 years of outstanding students!
Best place to wax nostalgic: Scott’s Photo
Gone are the days of walking into a Blockbuster on a Friday night to browse the three-day rentals. The lost cathedrals that stood tall are but ancient ruins leaving behind fragments of what once was. Such is also the case for the days pre-dating digital cameras and cellphones; when memories were captured first and brought to life later by photo kiosks or camera stores. Where you eagerly dropped off your finished roll of film or Kodak Funsaver that reached its final frame. What if I told you that experience still exists, even today? Located at 1755 East Ave., Scott’s Photo is a small store that still develops, scans and prints photographic film.
The local film photography community will echo how critical Scott’s has been for keeping film alive here in the Photo City — we are so fortunate to have a dedicated place where this process still exists. Going as far as to provide restoration and conversion services for those old negatives, faded prints and videos captured on long forgotten mediums such as 16mm film reels, Super 8 cartridges and VHS home movies. I have lost track of the number of times I’m out with one of my classic film cameras and someone stops to ask if film is still made, and if so, where do I buy it — to which I respond, “yes it is” and “you can both buy and have (the film) processed locally here in Rochester.” So dust off that old film camera, or become reacquainted with the rush of nostalgia that is a disposable camera and head to Scott’s. You know what they say… Everything old becomes new again. scottsphotobyrowe.com
—ROBERTO felipe LAGARES
Agiant wizard costume is summoned by a Ouija board and turns a teenage girl into a pizza. An ad featuring the Little Caesars mascot “dude” attacking kitchen staff. Spinning pizza graphics overlaid on (seemingly) AI-generated video footage of a cartoon cat. Add to that rambling emails with random discounts, t-shirts that almost definitely violate the “Brokeback Mountain” copyright, several photoshopped posts featuring Buffalo Bills MVP Josh Allen, an ongoing “recipe feud” with Strangebird and captions that call out Monroe County Executive Adam Bello…
Welcome to the mind of Brian Van Etten: co-owner, chef and marketing strategist (?) behind Pizza Wizard. Since it opened in October 2020 (a bold move in itself), the South Clinton spot has been dishing up square pan pizzas, “nickel-thin” rounds, wings, salads (dubbed “food to prolong life” on the menu) and more. It’s also known for some of the best vegan, gluten-free non-dairy options in town (no surprise, considering Van Etten cut his chops at The Owl House before this). The marketing may be unhinged but ultimately, it doesn't matter.
Cheese pull photos and a legitimately delicious menu will always reign supreme — and “Piz Wiz” is really, really good at both. Pizzawizard.pizza —LEAH STACY
Best go-to shop for gourmands: Lombardi’s Gourmet Imports and Specialties
To walk through the door of Lombardi’s Gourmet Imports and Specialties in Fairport is to awaken the senses.
Visitors are greeted by Old World aromas of freshly baked bread, sauces and pastas made on the premises. Those who come hungry have been known to leave stuffed from the samples. Then there are the visual delights in the shop’s vast selection of Portmeirion pottery and fine English china, crystalware, teapots and gift baskets.
When the store opened in 1985, it was about half the size it is now and was more of a deli. Today, it sells pretty much everything you need to set your table for a superb culinary experience in the European tradition.
And if there’s something you can’t find, sibling owners Mary, Anthony and John Lombardi will see that you get it. The service runs in the family. Their father, Elviro, had a shop of the same name in the Calabria region of Italy. When the family emigrated to the United States in the 1950s and settled in Central New York, the eldest sons eventually opened a Lombardi’s in Syracuse in 1970 that is still around and renowned for its gift baskets.
In the Rochester area, there isn’t a better selection of Italian foods in the way of pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, cheeses, cured meats and homemade sauces than at Lombardi’s in Fairport — and its prepared foods surpass the gourmet-market standard. Impress someone you love with Lombardi’s signature heart-shaped ravioli and a homemade cannoli or imported chocolate for dessert. lombardisgourmet.net —
DAVID ANDREATTA
Best shot at destiny: Craft Bits & PIeces
The years surrounding 2024 are at the heart of a crafting renaissance. Thanks to algorithmically charged outlets such as Pinterest and TikTok, there has never been a better time to attempt to make something beautiful, even for the most “aesthetically clumsy.” Martha Stewart walked so #crafttok could run.
And while enriching your life with peaceful hobbies could hardly have a downside, the upfront cost and subsequent waste can quickly pile into a problem. Thankfully, Craft Bits & Pieces in Fairport Village Landing has been making crafting affordable, sustainable and charitable to boot since 2001.
Their inventory is a crafter’s curated fever dream, amassed entirely by donation and graciously priced so that items have their best shot at destiny. Fabrics, patterns, yarns, books, jewelry, silk flowers, decorations, candles, picture frames, pottery … the list runs as long as there are ways to repurpose a mason jar.
The operation is entirely volunteer-run and all profits from the store support the Senior Options for Independence (SOFI) and Elderbus Transportation programs. (An equally inspiring storefront a few doors down, Tool Thrift Shop, also supports these organizations.)
So, go nuts! Make that wreath. Bedazzle that candlestick holder. Crochet that balaclava. Because nothing is standing in the way of you proudly declaring, “I made that.” fairportcraftbitsandpieces.com
—KATIE EPNER
Best of WXXI
Now in its second year, WXXI shares what it believes to be the “best of public media.”
Best streaming service: PBS Passport
Dive into 1200+ current and classic shows, binge watch entire series, and even watch new episodes of your favorite dramas before they air. Passport brings you thousands of hours of Masterpiece, Great Performances, Antiques Roadshow, Ken Burns documentaries, local WXXI productions and so much more, any time and anywhere
Best new PBS KIDS show: Carl the Collector
This new animated series for children ages 4-8 follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. Available weekdays at 8:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV, every day at 11 a.m. on WXXI-KID 24/7, and streaming on the PBS KIDS app.
Best show not to miss on WXXI-TV this month: RIT Shorts: Musicals
A collaboration between RIT and WXXI, RIT Shorts is a biannual series that showcases student-made films. It airs Friday, January 24 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV. Read more about it on the following pages.
Best staffer INSTAGRAM account: WXXI Classical’s Steve Johnson
Who says Classical music isn’t cool? We suggest you follow WXXI Classical host Steve Johnson on Instagram at @stevetomjohn, where Steve shares interesting facts about composers and breaks down the music.
Best talk show duo: Connections’ Evan Dawson & Megan Mack
This dynamic team produces a two-hour, live call-in show five days a week, covering topics that are important to you. From the environment and education to politics and art, Connections invites you to be part of the conversation. Catch the show weekdays from 12 - 2 p.m. on WXXI News (FM 105.9) and WXXINews.org, where you can also find the Connections podcast.
Best radio station to hear local musicians: The Route
Tune into the Route any weekday morning or afternoon and you’ll most likely hear a local band speaking with hosts Scott Regan or Hannah Maier. The Route is dedicated to bringing new voices to the giving airplay to local and regional artists.
Best place for a first date: the Little Theatre
We’re bringing back this category, which was part of CITY’s “Best Of” a few years ago because The Little really is the best place for a first date. Watch a movie, share amazing buttery popcorn together, and after the movie head to the café for some dessert and live music.
In the U.S.
today, one in four people have a disability, yet only 3.1% of characters in the media are disabled. Increasing the inclusion of disabled actors and creators in media is essential to fostering empathy, and understanding, and to presenting a more accurate reflection of society.
That’s the mission behind “Dialogue on Disability,” WXXI’s annual initiative with Al Sigl Community of Agencies that works to increase representation by presenting programs that showcase the lives of diverse people with disabilities. By doing so WXXI and Al Sigl hope to encourage dialogue about people of all abilities and promote a more inclusive community.
Connections with Evan Dawson
Weekdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on WXXI News
Throughout the week, Evan Dawson will host several conversations with guests who provide expert and personal insights about policies, programs, and community issues related to disabilities.
Classical Musician & Composer Vignettes
January 13-19-28, Times vary on WXXI Classical
Now in its second year of production, WXXI Classical presents vignettes that highlight musicians and composers with differing abilities. The segments air throughout the week, and are also available online at WXXIClassical.org.
Carl the Collector
Weekdays at 8:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV and daily at 11 a.m. on WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7
This PBS KIDS series follows Carl, an anthropomorphic raccoon who is autistic, and his neurodiverse animal friends as they tackle social interactions and everyday challenges. WXXI & Al Sigl will be hosting a special Carl the Collector event on Saturday, January 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Al Sigl’s Golisano Campus at 1000 Elmwood Avenue. For details visit WXXI.org/events.
Below are just a few programs that are airing during “Dialogue on Disability” week (visit WXXI.org/dod for the full list). But programs like these don’t stop in January, WXXI is dedicated to promoting disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media all year long through its Move to IncludeTM initiative, which is rooted in “Dialogue on Disability.”
“Dialogue on Disability” is part of the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series and is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from the Golisano Foundation.
Understanding Autism
Monday, January 13 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Speaking to autistic people across the spectrum, filmmaker Scott Steindorff aims to discover more about his own autism by seeking to reframe the perception of autism by focusing on the identification, diagnosis, and treatment.
Travels with Darley “Empire State Trail”
Saturday, January 18 at 5 p.m. & Sunday, January 19 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE
Darley travels along New York’s Empire State Trail, which stretches from New York City to the Canadian Border, and makes a stop at Letchworth State Park Autism Nature Trail.
Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan
“Judy Woodruff”
Friday, January 17 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV
Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff reflects on her perspectives on the changing American political landscape and raising a child with spina bifida.
Hosted by comedian and disability activist Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, the annual awards ceremony honors artists and film and television projects that are inclusive of disabled talent in front of and behind the cameras. The show marks the first fully accessible awards show in history with heartwarming and empowering moments from stars including Michael J. Fox, Selma Blair, Marlee Matlin, and more.
POV: Eat Your Catfish
Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD
Paralyzed by latestage ALS and reliant on round-the-clock care, Kathryn clings to a mordant wit as she yearns to witness her daughter’s wedding.
Shot from her fixed point of view, this film delivers a brutally frank and darkly humorous portrait of a family teetering on the brink, grappling with the daily demands of disability and in-home caretaking.
American Masters: Renegades
Watch on-demand on WXXI.org
3+3 Podcasts Books
For your media consumption, here is a short list of podcasts and books by disabled podcasters, writers, and activists who share their stories.
The Dark Room
Two legally blind cinephiles discuss movies and the wonders of entertainment while giving listeners a better understanding of how people with low vision experience the world.
The Accessible Stall
A disability podcast hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau that keeps it real about issues within the disability community. They each have different disabilities and mobility levels, and approach everything they talk about with two unique viewpoints.
Unseen: Life as a Blind Immigrant
Most people dream of a better future. Pedro, an aspiring social worker, is no different. But as a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces political restrictions to obtain his college degree, secure a job in his field, and support his family.
Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judy Heumann
This series of five 12-minute short films showcases the lives of diverse, lesser-known historical figures with disabilities, exploring not only their impact on and contributions to U.S. society but also the concept of disability culture, which honors the uniqueness of disability. Each episode is available captioned, open captioned with on-screen American Sign Language (ASL), an extended audio description, and large open captions.
A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn’t built for all of us and of one woman’s activism—from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington.
Disability Visibility by Alice Wong
A groundbreaking collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience.
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau
An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and what not to do) and how you can help make the world a more inclusive place.
Met Opera
Saturdays at 1 p.m. on WXXI Classical
Enjoy listening to full-length opera performances transmitted live from the stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. This month, enjoy:
Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann • January 4
Verdi: Rigoletto • January 11
Puccini: Tosca • January 18
Verdi: Aida • January 25 • Soprano Angel Blue (pictured) makes her long-awaited Met role debut as the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country, one of opera’s defining roles. This is also part of Met at The Movies where the live broadcast will be screened at 12:30pm on Saturday at Tinseltown, Eastview, and Webster.
World Café
Weekdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on The Route
Known by artists, audiences, and the music industry as an influential source for music discovery, World Café features a mix of artist interviews with in-studio performances by both established and emerging artists. The music selection encompasses singersongwriters, classic rock, indie rock, Americana, alt-country, blues, world music, R&B and soul.
The Score
Saturdays at 10 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. on WXXI Classical Movies present listeners with the most common musical experience, and host Edmund Stone (pictured) , a trained Shakespearean actor from England, presents a musical experience with timely box office tie-ins and themes.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW TO LISTEN TO THAT WILL MAKE YOU THINK?
Here are four radio shows on WXXI News (FM 105.9) worth a listen. They are also available as podcasts, and you can subscribe to them wherever you get your podcasts.
Connections with Evan Dawson
Daily from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Evan Dawson talks about what matters to those living in Rochester and the Finger Lakes, covering an array of topics including art, the economy, community affairs, politics, religion, and health.
Hidden Brain
Saturdays at 4 p.m.
Explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world.
It’s
Been a Minute
Sundays at 10 a.m.
Host Brittany Luse takes the things everyone’s talking about and, in conversation with her favorite creators, tastemakers, and experts, gives you new ways to think about them.
This American Life
Sundays at 6 p.m.
Each week This American Life producers choose a theme and then anything can happen. They are true stories that unfold like little movies for the radio.
Friday, January 24 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
WXXI continues to put a spotlight on the work of Rochester Institute of Technology film and animation students by presenting a series of shorts biannually. This second edition of RIT Shorts is a musical theme as all five films are song-centric.
In A Better Place by Eddie
Mead and Kimmie King
An employee tries to convince her boss to improve their traditional ways.
The Chaos Clover by Devin Grover
When a man finally gets an elusive four-leaf clover, its magic isn’t quite what it seemed.
Stuffy: The Musical by Colin O’Brien
Jamie can’t wait to leave for college. But when on the morning of his departure, he discovers his childhood stuffed animal has mysteriously gone missing, he can’t leave without him.
Under the Mountain God by Grace Park
A girl follows a mysterious stranger through a mirror into a different world.
Fungeon by Derek Gieraltowski
FUNGEON: fun·geon | \ ˈfən-jən.
(1) A fun dungeon???
(2) Purgatory but with a gift shop.
(3) Your best nightmare.
(4) Dinner and a show! ...without the dinner.
(5) My senior capstone film at RIT.
(6) A dungeon............. but fun.
RIT Shorts repeats January 25 at 5 p.m. and January 26 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7
Wednesday, January 15 at 7:00pm
Tickets available at thelittle.org
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.
Sharpen your razor and slip on your black gloves as we celebrate this classic crime and mystery horror subgenre with the January Giallo series all month long!
Lineup details at thelittle.org
Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30pm • Tickets at
Craft Night details: The auditorium lights will be left on throughout this screening, so you can craft during the film! Bring your own crafting projects, or purchase a kit on-site from our screening partner Little Button Craft. Concessions will be available for sale, including beer and wine.
You probably know what Twilight is about, but if not, here you go: When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward’s repeated cautions, Bella can’t stay away from him, a fatal move that endangers her own life.
“Giallo” refers to a style of Italian-produced mystery-thriller films which rose to popularity in the 60s and 70s. Filled with atmosphere, suspense, crime, as well as eroticism, psychological horror, and slasher violence, classic and contemporary Giallo films continue to surprise and terrify.
January Giallo is co-presented by Cinematic Void and Anomaly – The Rochester Genre Film Festival.
Best Local Landmark
Mount Hope Cemetery
1133 Mt Hope Ave
FINALISTS
Highland Park | High Falls
Susan B. Anthony House
Best Place to Make New Friends
LUX
666 South Ave, lux666.com
FINALISTS
Wegmans
Equal Grounds Community Cafe
Best Place to Dance
Vertex
169 N Chestnut St.
FINALISTS
LUX | ROAR | Bug Jar
Best Playground
Lilac Adventure
ZOne
One Manhattan Square museumofplay.org
FINALISTS
Strong National Museum of Play Rothfuss Park | Merriman and Atlantic Genesee Gateway Park
Equal Grounds Community Cafe Unwine'd | LUX Best Trivia Night
Best Idea for the Future
FINALISTS
High Falls State Park | Active transportation plan - bike spine network | Aqueduct
Roc Trivia
Various locations, gamenightroc.com
FINALISTS
Petit Poutinerie | Rising Storm at the
Rochester Jr. Americans
Notable sports publications over the years have labeled Rochester “the best minor-league sports town” in America for good reason. Tickets to the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, are just $15, and the most expensive seat to see the Rochester Americans, the feeder team to the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres, run $37. Not bad, considering the average MLB ticket last year was $53 and the median for the NHL was $94.
But the best sports entertainment value in town is the Rochester Jr. Americans. Not to be confused with the Amerks or the youth hockey organization of the same name (we’re patriotic around these parts), the Rochester Jr. Americans is the newest franchise in the North American Hockey League, one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States for prospects 16 to 21 years old.
The Jr. Americans play a 60-game season out of Rochester Ice Center in Fairport, so there are plenty of chances to catch a game. And tickets? They’re just $7, and kids under 13 get in free. But chances are good you won’t even pay that much.
The Jr. Americans is a side gig for hockey-loving Wegmans Chief Executive Officer Colleen Wegman and her financial investor husband Chris O’Donnell. More often than not, fans can get into home games free in exchange for participating in some sort of promotion, like donating canned goods or wearing “spirit” gear.
The junior hockey landscape in the United States spans some 200 teams across nine leagues. Of all the leagues, the NAHL is second in caliber only to the elite United States Hockey League. Many NAHL players have already committed to play collegiate hockey at the Division 1 level, and a handful of players from the league are taken in the NHL Draft every year. All of this is to say that NAHL hockey is strong, fast hockey on the cheap. jramerks.com —DAVID ANDREATTA
Connor“Big Cozy” Williams
Connor Williams stands 7 feet tall and weighs in at 360 pounds.
On the basketball court, where he plays center for the St. John Fisher University Cardinals men’s team, he’s as comfortable draining a three as he is leaning into his imposing stature. His unique physicality earned him the nickname “Big Cozy,” a moniker immortalized on t-shirts sold by both sports media empire Barstool Sports and local shop Crazy Dog.
All of this contributed to the young hooper going viral during his freshman season in late 2021. During an exhibition against the University at Buffalo, he tripped and fell, but still managed to launch a pass to teammate Dan Cook — who promptly dunked. This clip garnered love from ESPN, which helped lay the foundation for Williams’s return to social media feeds the following seasons.
Williams, who grew up in Victor, is now a senior, and remains a fixture of college basketball as he continues to put up numbers. In a late November 2024 overtime winner against Union College, he led his team in scoring with 20 points. The following game against Hamilton College, he landed 13.
What might be even more endearing than his stats, though, is his demeanor off the court. Big Cozy posing in Grinch-patterned pajama pants in front of a gigantic Christmas tree? Perfect holiday vibe. On the golf course? A summertime staple. Cozy is a year-round mood.
The Cardinals have games in the 2024-25 season scheduled through February, which means a few more chances to see Big Cozy in action. As he recently told Fisher’s “Cardinal Courier,” he’s taking it all in stride: “I just want to play and enjoy my time here and then see what happens.” instagram.com/connorwilliams50 —PATRICK HOSKEN
Durand Eastman | Hamlin State Park Ontario Beach Park
Local Sports Team
1 Morrie Silver Way, milb.com/rochester FINALISTS
Best Little Free Library: #3841 on Arbor Drive
There are 16 Little Free Libraries in the city of Rochester. At least, those are the ones documented and registered with the nonprofit of the same name, which boasts more than 175,000 across the world. You’ve probably seen a handful of them on your walks: small wooden houses of varying shapes and sizes, sometimes decorated, sometimes forgotten. The idea behind them is to provide a communal rotation of texts — you take one, you leave one (or two, or three).
And for that, all Little Free Libraries are beautiful.
But if I had to pick one, it’s the one on Arbor Drive, between Azalea Road and Laney Road. Not belonging to one house or another, the library is built like a small log-cabin with windows reflecting the bushes and trees that grow around it. This Little Free Library has been operating since 2012 and continuously stewarded by at least 20 surrounding neighbors since then. South of Highland Park, too, it’s easy enough to grab a new book, walk over to the reservoir and spend an afternoon lost amongst the ancient trees.
Of course, Little Free Libraries are only as good as their visitors. It’s easy to abandon these libraries; life gets busy, books are taken but not replaced, people cease stopping on their way to the park. And yet, there’s something special about this one. Neighbors can attest to its daily use — people on foot walking their dogs, cars that pull over and stop. The log cabin is stocked, thoughtfully, with books for both children and adults. No matter which free library you frequent, maintaining and loving on these things is important. Getting books into readers hands is important, especially for people who may not otherwise have such easy, abundant access to them. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll even start your own. littlefreelibrary.org/map
L&M Lanes | Bowlero | Okay Beer Co. at West Main Lanes | West Main Lanes
Best Biking Trail Erie Canal Path
eriecanalway.org/explore/cycling
FINALISTS
Genesee Riverway Trail | Tryon Park
Lehigh Valley Rail Trail
Best wingman for a date with Rochester:
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
in hand, my friends and I boldly ventured to where there was free parking and reliable expectations. My navigation between Aaron’s Alley, Village Gate and Star Alley was impeccable, but outside of that narrow triangle, I knew very little.
That is, until I got on a bike.
As far as dates go, Rochester isn’t the white linen, roving violinist establishment of, say, Amsterdam. We’re more like a well-operated barcade. Meaning — Rochester has pretty fantastic bike infrastructure where it exists, and it’s only getting better.
For a first date, you might ride south on the Genesee Riverway Trail. Thanks to improvements from the ROC the Riverway revitalization project, your departure from downtown will be smoother than ever. Cavort through the ivy-strewn paths of University of Rochester’s campus, get lost on the whimsical trails of Genesee Valley Park and find relics of industries past along the PLEX neighborhood.
You had fun, so you plan a second date. Something quieter, more intimate. You venture north, taking in the serene beauty of the Genesee River’s lower gorge. Discover new things together like the Middle Falls hydroelectric dam, “Zoo bridge,” Turning Point Park and El Camino Trail, all far from accessible by car.
Things are getting serious by now, and you’re thinking of going public. You take to the streets on your two-wheeled steed to get around, finding new alleyways and sidewalks to connect your destinations. Before you realize it, you’ve fallen in love with the fresh air and gentle curves of the city’s boulevards.
Years down the road, you’ll discover a new pocket park or private garden that reminds you of your first date all those miles ago, and you’ll fall in love all over again — all thanks to your wingman. —KATIE EPNER
Best urban explorer: Small Plots
“Hope this email finds you…”
“Let’s circle back…”
“Let-me-just shhhaaare my screen…”
WYho needs to drive hundreds of miles into the woods to go camping and prove their resilience in the great outdoors? Not Kevin Markis. The Rochester-based freelance animator and YouTuber has built a social media following by stealth camping near the parks and pathways of Rochester. Markis, who goes by “Small Plots” on his channels, can be found pitching a tent, hanging a hammock and soaking in, well, small plots found under the familiar bridges, bike trails and overpasses we take for granted in our everyday travels. Follow along as Markis stealthily makes camp, chats with viewers about the local flora and fauna, vibes by the campfire and gives updates on state history and lore. The goal is to be alone and out-of-view of residents and passersby, though the occasional hiker (and animal) has come upon the sneaky camper. So the next time you’re stopped at a light and see a fire burning underneath one of the billboards on 490, no you didn’t. instagram.com/smallplots —RYAN WILLIAMSON
ou’re one Microsoft Teams notification away from breaking your laptop into pieces. The clock says 4 p.m., but the darkness outside is giving 8 p.m. When it finally comes time to make the journey back to where it all began, you arrive at your sanctuary of solitude: your car. Blessed be the engineers that improved the soundproofing in hopes of reducing road noise. Unbeknownst to them, their innovative feats have provided you a chamber of screams. Or, perhaps a moment of silence before you “push to start” or turn the primitive key. You stare out into the distance, and your focus leaves you. You could’ve been anything. What if you hadn’t dropped that “Intro to Theater” class? “They” told you your original plan wouldn't make money, but at least you would've been happy. Scenarios spill into your imagination. Hit the road and keep going. Maybe you’ll win the lotto. Create an alias and start a new life. You could live in a cabin in the woods or a trailer on the beaches of the West Coast like Mel Gibson in “Lethal Weapon.” Alas, reality kicks in, and you’re reminded of the pockets of beauty in your life. The interactions you’ve encountered recently have restored your fleeting faith in humanity. The season of warmer weather, partly cloudy skies and fresh air are not as far as they seem. You take a deep breath, start the car and, as Dido said, “it’s not so bad.” —ROBERTO
Best hobbyist sports league:
FLX TOUR Golf
It’s hard to imagine any Jane or John Doe walking off the street and earning a spot on the Red Wings bench. And pending “Invincible”-style open tryouts for the Buffalo Bills, no one is replacing Josh Allen. But you could qualify to join the most prestigious local sports league in Rochester. (No, not the EZ Rollers Arm Wrestling Club.) We’re talkin’ the FLX Tour. Established in 2022 by co-commissioners Matt and Shane Driffill, this group of local golfers has grown from 8 members to 40 and hosts four major tournaments each year. Dedicated to ‘Growing the Game,’ the league hands out cash prizes to tournament winners (via giant checks.) So, if you’ve got that dog in you (and a qualifying handicap) and want to try out for pro status, visit flxtourgolf.com for more details. —RYAN WILLIAMSON
FELIPE LAGARE
CITY’s year in (music)
Agood way to measure the health of any arts community is to listen to what kind of music it’s making. Luckily, ours is as varied as ever — garage rock and contemporary classical exist side by side with folk and bluegrass and a thriving electronic and experimental scene. Local rappers drop more mixtapes than can be clocked.
Concerts dot every night on the calendar, if you’re game. It’s impossible to encapsulate the breadth of musicians in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region in a single playlist. But a quick primer will do. Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite tunes made locally in 2024.
—PATRICK HOSKEN
“Many Roads to Follow” by Rose & the Bros, from Ever Changing (Bandcamp/Instagram)
In Cajun-Zydeco, the practice of covering and adapting popular music for the dance hall is about as traditional as the music itself, allowing appreciating audiences more ease of move and groove on the floor. Joined by the Bros, Rosie Newton leads her darling pack through the Nerves classic, joining a club of diverse artists who lend their skills to the composition. Seated comfortably in the Southern dance hall tradition, the song showcases the Ithaca ensemble’s fiddles, triangle/scrubboard and dubby bass/percussion, setting its bumping treatment apart.
—RYAN YARMEL
“PMA Anthem!!!” by Therapy Gun from Different Forms of Miserable (Bandcamp/Instagram)
About a decade ago, calling a band “emoadjacent” became a convenient way of side-stepping that genre’s complicated legacy. But local group Therapy Gun doesn’t just embrace the label; it makes emo howl again. Thanks to a superstar performance from vocalist Shola, “PMA Anthem!!!” stage-dives toward clarity (its title stands for “positive mental attitude”) while somehow sounding like both the genre’s rough posthardcore roots and the mall screamo that defined a later generation. For four minutes, feeling bad feels pretty great. —PATRICK HOSKEN
“Eclipse” composed by Marc Mellits performed by fivebyfive, from Eclipse (Bandcamp/Instagram)
One of the coolest things to come out of the eclipse this past spring was a performance by the chamber group fivebyfive at the Strasenburgh Planetarium, where the musicians performed new music that they commissioned inspired by the celestial experience. That music is now out on their album “Eclipse.” The title track by composer Marc Mellits draws on the idea of hidden things becoming visible. There’s plenty of dreamy beauty in this music, and as the 15-minute musical expanse unfolds, fivebyfive grooves and rumbles a bit, too. Or as Mellits describes it: “The moon gleams in dancing rhythms and funky lines.”
—MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI
“Crossing Lake Riley” by Benny Bleu from Banjo Meditations (Bandcamp)
Crickets establish a prudential nighttime journey across Culver Road’s Lake Riley, a ghost of the Eastern Wide Waters, from when 490 was the Erie Canal.
A contemplative solo banjo offering, the tune sways royally, tempered melodically by dissonance and funk. Ben Haravitch, known as Benny Bleu, helps us imagine what might necessitate an evening trip across this local pond, in this gorgeous rendition of the G.E. Meixner (Wilderness Family) original. —RYAN YARMEL
review Local songs we loved in 2024
“Drove By Your Home,” by Chores, from Tender as a Wound (Bandcamp/Instagram)
Situated at the terminus of Rochester alternative trio Chores’s sparkling fulllength debut, “Drove By Your Home” reminds just how powerful a slow joyride past the formerly occupied house of a loved one is. Cosseted in the band’s altglam mayhem, the track’s opening electric bass trots are sleepover innocent, before explosive T. Rex headbanger hooks enter and a recitation calls to take us back to simpler times. —RYAN YARMEL
“A
Miracle in Legacy,” composed by Jasmine Barnes Chance, performed by Joshua Conyers and pianist Chelsea Whitaker, from A Miracle in Legacy (Instagram)
“Thief in the Grove,” by No Time for Caution, from Thief in the Grove (Bandcamp/Instagram)
Musician Ryan Crosby’s post-rock project No Time for Caution returned this year with “Thief in the Grove,” a twinkling voyage split up into three acts and an epilogue. The title track is its own cinematic adventure. Winding through atmospheric pinging guitar and world-building percussion, the instrumental song reaches a stillness that can only be described as amniotic. Then, of course, it explodes at the 5:42 mark, creating a goosebumps moment. Good things come to those who wait. —PATRICK HOSKEN
Joshua Conyers is a world-traveling opera star, and since last year, he’s also been a voice professor at the Eastman School of Music. In his debut album, Conyers’s rich baritone voice rings out in connections to painful pasts that are transformed into a more hopeful present and future — while acknowledging that the journey is still far from over. The standout selections on this album are music and words written for him by composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton. The writing is wise and lyrical, and these are artistic voices that we should be hearing more in the future. —MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI
“Pangea
(Wide Open Sea),” by trndytrndy, from Virtua(Bandcamp/Instagram)
"S
entimental uplifting feel good childhood dreams and friendships and future promises kind of music." Yes; Instagram commenter @haaa.raam is on to something. "Pangea (Wide Open Sea)" is the undeniable boot-up sound to trndytrndy's "Virtua" EP that really delivers on what the album art promises: a journey back to a simpler time when you'd stick a learning game CD into a PC tower and find yourself enmeshed in a tapestry of bass bends, MIDI mallet percussion and waves of digital synthesis. Absolutely nothing like it; welcome to the planetarium. —JACOB WALSH
Best Movie Theater
Little Theatre
240 East Ave., thelittle.org
FINALISTS
Cinemark Tinseltown | AMC Webster
Roc Cinema
Best Film Festival Rochester International Film Fest rochesterfilmfest.org
FINALISTS
ImageOut | Witness Palestine Film Festival Anomaly
Best Podcast Refined Taste with Dario and Chris instagram.com/refinedtasteroc
FINALISTS
Your Authentic Life | Anomaly Presents Getting Real with Bossy
Best Arts + Culture
Community Leader Shawn Dunwoody
dunwoode.design
FINALISTS
Reenah Golden | Bleu Cease Erich Lehman
Best Community Theater Company
795 E. Main St., blackfriars.org
FINALISTS
The Company Theatre
The Velvet Noose | Out of Pocket Inc.
Best Professional Theater Company
75 Woodbury Blvd., gevatheatre.org
FINALISTS
Rochester Broadway Theatre League Blackfriars Theatre | Cat + The Coyote
Best Published Literary Work of 2024
“Miles Davis & The Search for the Sound” by Dave Chisholm
davechisholmmusic.com
FINALISTS
'In This Moment Revolution, Reckoning, Reparation' Volume 3 by Multiple 'Log Off' by Kristen Felicetti
Best Festival Rochester International Jazz Festival rochesterjazz.com
FINALISTS
Lilac Festival | Rochester Pride M&T Bank Clothesline Art Festival
Best Museum
The Strong National Museum of Play
One Manhattan Square, museumofplay.org
FINALISTS
Memorial Art Gallery
Rochester Museum & Science Center George Eastman Museum
Best local Elvis historian: Gloria Korlou
From 9 to 5, Gloria Korlou works as a senior software engineer. But off the clock, Korlou lives and breathes her true passion: helping to archive the life and career of Elvis Presley — and the young women who laid that foundation before her.
Korlou has helped amass a collection of film reels, posters, autographs and clothing items from Presley, many of which have never been showcased together before. Energized in part by Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 epic biopic of Elvis’s life, Korlou calls the performer “the blueprint” for modern pop stardom.
But what’s an Elvis historian who has never lived in Memphis doing in Rochester? Korlou partly grew up here; her father headed up marketing at radio station 98 PXY before they left for another market. Korlou decided radio wasn’t her path, but she was drawn to music all the same, especially the stories of the young female fans who helped preserve Elvis’s story through photos and records.
Many of them waited at the gates of Presley’s Graceland estate in the 1960s and ‘70s for him to arrive, thus earning the nickname “gate girls.” Korlou’s operation, Gate Girl Records, aims to continue their work as a historical archive; the company, co-run with Korlou’s Nashville partner Layla Deacon, also provides artist management.
(Fellow Memphis musical legend Project Pat, known for his affiliation with Three 6 Mafia, is a client.)
With Korlou as creative director and Deacon as senior archivist, Gate Girl is in trusted hands. This is precisely why Priscilla Presley herself — Elvis’s widow — has given them her blessing. It makes sense that the path of their specialized mission routes through the Flower City. After all, one of Presley’s final tours took him to Rochester’s War Memorial in May 1977, just three months before he died. instagram.com/gategirlrecords —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best clowns around town: Katherine Marino and Ashley Jones
Whatever happens to be the magic ingredients needed to stir up an emerging clown scene in Rochester, Katherine Marino and Ashley Jones have found them. Both are seasoned performers and creators, having worked professionally for many years with PUSH Physical Theatre and numerous local artists. Their speciality is humor — using music, dance, acrobatics, mime and props in any way that might evoke laughter. Though always hilarious, both artists often have an additional layer of emotion and questioning in their creations, showing that clowning can be worth more than just a chuckle.
Marino’s work is clever and well thought through. She befriends every audience, making them feel special for having been invited into her world. With charm, talent and a knack for improvisation, Marino creates accessible characters that bring light and joy to the stage. Jones, who has trained extensively both in the United States and abroad in clowning, is also a master of physical theater. He uses his skillset of athletics and acrobatics to take the humor embedded in his creations to the next level. Jones is an engaging performer, with exaggerated facial expressions and comedic timing that make his characters even more ridiculous than written.
This year, Marino and Jones made concerted efforts to help establish a space for artists interested in physical theater and clowning in Rochester. They began with offering occasional introductory clowning workshops, and quickly realized the level of interest warranted a larger offering. They then established the inaugural RocHaha Festival in September, bringing in well-known clowning artists from all over to perform and teach. With Marino and Jones in the driving seat of the Rochester clown scene, we can expect to see more artists experimenting with humor and hopefully, many more shows that leave audiences grabbing their sides with laughter. rochaha.com.
—SYDNEY BURROWS
FINALISTS
"Conehead" Mural by Thievin' Stephen, WeTheHobby | Sound Source Mural by Flour Pail Kids | “SKETCHY!” by 1975 Gallery, RIT City Art Space | Avinash Kumar's "Illusionary Odyssey,” Memorial Art Gallery
Best bad screening: “The Room” at The Little Theatre
In April, The Little Theatre hosted a screening of “The Room,” a film that is largely considered “the worst movie ever made.” One of the film’s stars, Greg Sestero, was in attendance, which gave great context and behind-the-scenes scoops to writer-director-star Tommy Wiseau’s affectionately maligned cinematic experience.
So, why spend time celebrating something so terrible? It took being shoulder-toshoulder in a sold out screening at The Little Theatre to understand the magic of “The Room.” I walked into the showing having seen the movie once, but never with a crowd, and it was clearly filled with some of those who have helped elevate the movie to its cult status.
Those who have seen “The Room” countless times know it’s bad. In fact, it seems like everyone but Wiseau knows the movie is bad. From the stage at The Little Theatre, Sestero even told the audience he knows it’s a bad movie. But, no matter how bad “The Room” is, the auditorium was vibrating with excitement.
Like any cult flick, there’s a ritualistic aspect to watching Wiseau’s film. Everyone in the audience recited lines, laughing at the wooden delivery and inane dialogue, but nothing compared to the spoons. Throughout “The Room,” there are scattered pictures of spoons — when they are shown, everyone shouts, “Spoons!” and throws plastic spoons at the screen (a massive nod of respect here to the staff of The Little Theatre, who cleaned up this sea of spoons).
Yes, “The Room” is terrible. To call it a ‘movie’ might even stretch the definition of what makes a movie. But it is an experience that brings people together and packs theaters every time it’s shown. There’s something special about that. In its own way, “The Room” is a reminder of the importance of sharing movies with others.
—MATT PASSANTINO
Best home theater experience: Three Season Theater
Webster resident Rich Adams doesn’t have to go out to a movie theater ever again if he doesn’t want to. He’s got it all, just outside his back door: huge screen, surround sound, stadium seating, popcorn and hot nacho cheese machines (even a well-stocked beer fridge). What sets Three Season Theater apart from others who have installed a home theater in their basement or spare room is the people. Neighbors and friends from local running and beer groups become guest curators and “experience engineers” at this revival house theater focused on cult movies.
The pre-film activities, snacks and drinks are themed to each film, of course. Curators create preview reels with trailers, music videos and promos for each film; these play while guests find their seats. The theater even boasts its own end-of-the-year awards ceremony, handing out tiny gold statues for categories such as “Worst Film,” “Best Film and Food Pairing” and “Best Double Feature.”
This is a home theater, but fellow film nerds (this writer includes himself in that group) are encouraged to reach out and introduce themselves before attending screenings. More info at threeseasontheater.com.
—RYAN WILLIAMSON
Best ongoing feel-good music story: The Local Sound Collaborative
Music educator Ray Mahar launched the Local Sound Collaborative in earnest in 2022 with the goal of putting money in the pockets of Rochester-area musicians. Based on a universal basic income (UBI) model, the recipients of the nonprofit’s Local Artist Grants program get $200 per month for a year — to be used on new gear, groceries, childcare or any necessities.
This has been, perhaps unsurprisingly, a highly popular initiative. Mahar and his team receive between 60 and 80 applicants each year, and the community is willing to contribute to its success. The LSC’s first fundraiser yielded $14,000 in donations. When the group staged another benefit in September 2024, they ended up with a whopping $26,113, all earmarked for local music makers.
Such a boost in funding has let the LSC expand its cohort. In 2025, eight musicians — up from six — will receive artist grants, running the gamut from a percussion instructor and a music therapist to a rapper and a folk player. Mahar’s crew also promises more live events this year in order to better focus on the “collaborative” part of the startup’s name.
Zooming out, the Local Sound Collaborative represents a beacon of light in the challenging post-pandemic cultural landscape. With a bastion of community support behind them, Mahar and his partners are exploring other avenues for the LSC to dip into. What could a Rochester music scene look like if local players had guaranteed health insurance? If music education efforts were amplified? If community remained the focus? We just may get to find out together. instagram.com/ thelocalsoundcollaborative —PATRICK HOSKEN
djdarkwave.com
CHREATH | Brian Buttlett | Ben Frazier
Best up-and-coming choreographer: Amya Brice, Grassroots Dance
Performer and choreographer Amya Brice and her company Grassroots Dance Exploration made a clear mark on stages around Rochester in 2024. Brice, a 2021 Nazareth University graduate, presented their first evening-length work, “Hitsville, 1959,” a dedication to Motown music, at MuCCC in 2022. In 2023, “CHOREOMANIA” explored the concept of the uncontrollable urge to dance, giving space for release through movement.
Teagan Ward | Sarah Gebbie | Paul Strowe Best Cover or Tribute Band
Brice continued to create consistently provoking work in 2024, including an original solo at this summer’s Dances at MuCCC. The solo, which included a mocking exploration of forced joy to the tune of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, showcased the breadth of Brice’s technique and emotional artistry. During the 2024 Rochester Fringe Festival in September, she choreographed a piece with a cast of nine dancers as part of the School of the Art’s alumni show — a pure celebration of movement and rhythm.
In addition to creating with Grassroots Dance Exploration, Brice is the school administrator at Garth Fagan Dance and a frequent performer and collaborator with the dance theater company Cat + the Coyote. As a performer, Brice fully embodies movement by other artists as well as her own, translating advanced choreography to accessible interpretations.
7 Wonders | Hey Mabel | BB Dang
Side Eye | The Heroic Enthusiasts
dunwoode.design FINALISTS
Sarah Rutherford | Magnus Apollo Kasim Wallace
500 University Ave., mag.rochester.edu
ARTISANworks | Rochester Contemporary Art Center | Behind the Glass
Brice’s choreography combines modern technique with a groove that’s all their own. Their stylization of classic movements blended with cultural and improvisational inspirations gives Grassroots Dance Exploration a fresh, grounded feel. Brice’s talent, along with their approachability and earnestness has Rochester dancers eager to work with them. This up-and-coming choreographer has established themself as an artist to watch in Rochester, and if this year is any indication, we can count on seeing many more inspiring works from Brice in 2025. grassrootsroc.com
Best theatrical scenic designer: Allen Wright Shannon
When people rave about a play, they usually comment on the performances. And sure, actors are fine and all, but many artists who make a show great never get a curtain call. This year, I’m giving a standing ovation to one of Rochester’s most experienced and gifted scenic designers, Allen Wright Shannon. Whenever I walk into a theater and am wowed by the set, I’m never surprised to see it was designed by Shannon. As the play unfolds, it becomes clear every detail – from the tiles chosen to the color of the wallpaper – was inspired by the story. A great set may impress on first sight, but by the end of the play, it will feel as tangible as the air the characters breathe.
As the resident scenic designer at Blackfriars Theatre, Shannon’s sharp vision and keen understanding of story has transformed the intimate venue into locations ranging from a suburban American family home to the streets of gothic Victorian London. Whether a realistic set — like the decked out Pemberley mansion in “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” — or a more abstract set like the living room amidst a wintry landscape in “Mala,” Shannon’s designs give the audience a visual feast to unpack and the actors a world in which to play.
His decades of experience in both Minneapolis and New York City include designing for film and TV as well as teaching dance and costume design. In addition to Blackfriars, his scenic work has been seen locally at the JCC CenterStage, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and SUNY Brockport. Since 2010, he has worked as an assistant professor and resident scenic designer at Nazareth University, passing on his theatrical knowledge to the next generation of artists. Shannon, like his designs, is a gem hidden in plain sight. —KATHERINE VARGA
Rick Staropoli | Carl Del Buono | Kiefer Schenk
—SYDNEY BURROWS
BEST WRONG ANSWERS AND SOME BRIGHT IDEAS
Minnesota, eh?
BEST RECURRING WRITE-IN:
Our Paladar (which seems lovely but is located at 20 4th St SE, Rochester, MN.)
Tonight on “Cops”
BEST ACTOR:
Sandra Doorley acting like she was the victim
That’s just Lake Ontario
BEST ART GALLERY: the one across the street from Seabreeze
Spellcheque
BEST COMEDIAN:
Mate Barzgate
Does that guy own a restaurant?
BEST DJ:
Disk Jockey Charles Cerankosky
Cruelty free dance
BEST DANCE CO: Garth vagen dance
Isn’t every weekend Park Ave Fest?
BEST FESTIVAL: Bring back Park Ave Fest
I remember when I was in middle school
BEST FILM FEST: Whatever's playing at your mom's place
See page 26
BEST FILMMAKER: Pizza Wizard-Strangebird
Social Media Interns
I have many leather bound books, and my house smells like rich mahogany
BEST PUBLISHED LITERARY
WORK:
the menu at Jack's Extra Fancy
Bitcoin > bars
BEST BARTENDER:
Donny come back from Puerto Rico- we miss you!
Without a single cocktail on the menu
BEST COCKTAIL BAR: Apogee
They serve coffee?
BEST COFFEE SHOP: Dunkin’
He contains multitudes
BEST WINE BAR: Brian Hillier
Flour City suburbs
BEST BAKERY: Fairport
We called them and they do BEST DESSERT: Omg howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww to choose though???????? Does Cure still do their choclate mousse??
Motor city meltdown
BEST FOOD TRUCK: That baked potato one
The editor didn’t write this BEST FRIES: McDonalds
Our most voted on category (seriously)
BEST ICE CREAM: NONE!!! COME ON ROCHESTER- GET SERIOUS ABOUT ICE CREAM (IN THE CITY LIMITS)
When you’re sliding into first…
BEST PLATE: Home plate (Red Wings)
R.I.P.
BEST VEGAN MENU OPTIONS:
The Ghost of Thai Mii Up
Honestly, congrats to them
BEST LOCAL SPORTS TEAM: Rochester Kia Boys (for their winning record against the RPD)
IYKYK
BEST LOCAL SWIMMING: GVC after dark
Yes. Don’t fight it. Join the dark side.
BEST PICKLEBALL COURTS: No. Just no.
This sandwich tastes like justice BEST PICNIC SPOT: Monroe County Hall of Justice
Live your life with arms wide open BEST PLACE TO DANCE: Everywhere
Only the lonely BEST PLACE TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS:
i'm 40 and haven't made a new friend in years
See you at Tarjay BEST DAY SPA: Target (the smell when you walk in? The Starbucks? The Dollar section? You leave renewed.)
Too soon
BEST-KEPT SECRET:
What a full solar eclipse looks like…
• Affordable health care
• Better utilization of the Genesee downtown (I know we're working on it but newly finished areas get no attention or fanfare like other cities with water features. I.E. Canalside in Buffalo)
• Connect Genesee Riverway Trail to Charlotte Beach
• Do more to take advantage of waterfront
• Get rid of RG&E
• Have a "best of" for Sandwhiches
• Having a one-day parade for offroad vehicles so they don't plague the streets constantly!
• High line walk on inner loop
• Inner Loop North Project
• Pedestrian-only districts in the city
• Re-Water the 1842 Aqueduct
• Refund Peace Village
• State park at High Falls
• Suspend open container in entertainment district
• more food and brew tours!
•promote busking & tree planting
• real and transparent investment in arts
• More businesses on the river
• Money Tree in Downtown
• Make Park Ave Pedestrian Only (between Argyle and Vassar)
• Do something (anything) with the Monroe Historic Theater
Movie madness
PUZZLE
BY S.J. AUSTIN & J. REYNOLDS
1. Curses
6. Army cafeteria tent
10. Willis and Springsteen, for two
16. Landmark civil rights legislation of 1990, for short
19. What you might be thrown for when confused
20. Similar (to)
21. 2014 boxing documentary
22. Weather app symbol
23. Documentary about a group of friends who get lost on the way to the Warped Tour?
25. Documentary about a beagle who becomes a bestselling novelist?
27. "OK guys, break time"
28. Buys time
30. Clear a blackboard
31. Trade
33. Spanish article in many US city names
34. Part of a plowing harness
36. Lacking a key, musically
40. "Let's do this thing!"
43. Barnyard layer
44. AC30s, Fender Twins, Marshall stacks, etc.
48. Documentary about a supermodel who pivots to a second career as a professional drummer?
51. 91-Across or 111-Down, e.g.
52. Tolkien's ponderous tree creatures
53. Electricity mastermind Nikola
54. EDM dance parties
56. Fútbol cheer
57. Hoodie alternative at a merch stand
58. Bewildering ABC sci-fi/drama of the early 2000s
60. E. _____
61. "O Pioneers!" novelist Cather
63. Jolly Christmas character, familiarly
65. "Don't wait-we need an answer soon!"
69. Sleep aid on an airplane
71. Documentary about Cinderella's pumpkin coach?
74. Guacamole base
77. MLB ace Doc
78. Cared for a kitty, say
82. Indian home to nearly 17 million
83. Tirade
85. Agnes, in Argentina
87. Prominent elephant feature
88. Work locales for many RNs and MDs
89. Cafe order
91. "Merrie Melodies" foil for Bugs
94. No more than
95. A long, long time
97. Documentary about a religious revival among long haul truckers?
121. Documentary about a beloved zoo creature named after the Duke of Sussex?
124. Door slot through which mail can be pushed-or how to turn classic movies into wacky documentaries, as in six of the answers in this month's puzzle
