Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published April 25, 2019.

Where are you originally from? How did you end up in Rochester at this time in your life?

I’m from Rochester; I grew up in Gates and went to Spencerport schools. I attended Fredonia and became a teacher, and got my master’s at Fisher. I never really thought about leaving Rochester; it’s home for me. My family is here and I’m very close with them. I can’t imagine not being around them because they’re so important to me.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

• Roc and Soul Fitness and Body Fuel are great additions to Rochester. Brigitte and Bobby run Body Fuel and Joey and Melina run Roc and Soul Fitness. All four of them are truly genuine, passionate people operating great businesses. Brigitte and Bobby’s food at Body Fuel is full of flavor inspired by the Virgin Islands and Caribbean.
• Corbett’s Glen and the Perinton trails are some of my favorites. I love to get outdoors!
• Voula’s, Chortke, and Neno’s—we have such a diverse cultural food scene. I’m always surprised when people haven’t been somewhere. I encourage them to just go and experience these places! I especially love Voula’s; I’m Greek, and it can be so hard to recreate those foods at home. It’s just not the same!

What's the most unique or interesting event you've attended in Rochester?

• I’ve started my own event series, so I do want to give a shout-out to my Chef Throwdown! We held our first one last year and raised over $2,500 for charity. Each team of chefs picks the charity they want to donate to, so at the last event, funds went to Camp Good Days and SOAR. It’s an amazing opportunity to put chefs at the forefront and let the public get to know them face-to-face. They’re at the top of their game!
• City Walks with Casey and Amy are really unique. They highlight Center City areas and specific neighborhoods as well as the diversity of businesses there.
• FoodFight is another good one—they donate 100% of the proceeds back to St. Ann’s—it’s like a live version of Chopped. People pay to attend, and everyone loves seeing it all go down live. It raises awareness of who’s here part of the Rochester culinary scene.
• The Kettleridge Dinner Under the Moon series is an amazing dinner series that brings together the culinary mastermind Kristin Klock of Root Catering and the owners of Kettleridge Farm for an unforgettable dinner experience.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support?

Lollypop Farm and Camp Good Days are some of my favorites.

If you had $100 and 2 hours to kill, how would you spend the money/time? 

I’d get food and toys to donate and bring them to Lollypop. We got our cat there. I’d always been a dog person before, but it was love at first sight! I’d just enjoy relaxing with animals there. And maybe I’d swing by McCann’s afterwards for a bulgogi sandwich.

What are some of the most creative/unique dishes you've tried in Rochester? 

• Joe Zolnoski from Nosh/Old Pueblo is such a genuine person, and he’s so talented and down to earth. I love everything he does.
• At the Market at M/Body, they have an amazing chickpea salad, and they have a great spinach artichoke quesadilla too. Everything they do is vegan.
• Bar Bantam—Sean is amazing and so creative. I’ve never had a disappointing dish there. I love the katsu sando; I’m obsessed with it. Veggie Power was an off-menu item I got to try once and it was amazing. I tried (and failed) to recreate it at home.
• Radio Social and Steve Eakins are doing an amazing job in Rochester’s culinary scene.

What's the best place to get a garbage plate? 

I love a homemade plate so much. My dad makes a “family famous” hot sauce and great home fries. Other unique plates I love include the Stingray Sushi plate and the BBQ pulled pork plate at this towny place in Fairport called The Landing.

What's your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

I love to travel, but really, you have to embrace all the seasons around here. Being active helps; we go snowshoeing and hiking. I also like to get cozy with the fireplace on, a book, and my cat.

What's your favorite Rochester memory? 

When I was little, my dad used to take me downtown. I remember loving to go on the Midtown Monorail. We’d have a shopping day and just walk around to all the different places.

Going to the Market has always been something that my family supported. My grandma used to get animals there, which I thought were pets but were really for meals. I loved the routine of going to the market every week. It’s ingrained in our family. You get to pick out your own produce and support local farmers.

What makes Rochester unique?

We’re lucky to have a diversity of both people and businesses. We also have an ability for content creators, bloggers, and influencers to set themselves apart. For a city of our size, it’s a big deal. We’re embracing the entrepreneurial spirit.

What do you think could be improved?

I want more attention on the art and theatre scene in Rochester. There’s a large group of supporters, but there’s more we could do. Also, we have a large group of entrepreneurial people, but there’s always more opportunity for collaboration, partnerships, and connections—we should continue to grow that.

If Rochester was a food, what would it be?

It would be a sandwich. At the heart, it’s always a sandwich. But it can be as simple or as complex as you make it. You can add diverse ingredients, like the bread, meat, and condiments, etc. You can create your own, but you never lose the essence of what it is.

Tell me a little bit about your blog, Sip and Savour Rochester. What inspired you to start it?

Food has always been at the heart of our home. I grew up with a garden, and going to my grandparents’ for Sunday dinners, and food was at the center of everything. When I was a senior in high school, I was debating between becoming a chef or a teacher. With the help of someone from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, I decided that I could always cook, so I should pursue teaching.

It was about three years ago when eating dinner at Branca with another couple that a friend and I thought of starting Sip and Savour Rochester. She got pregnant and ended up stepping back from the project. About a year in, I connected with Nosh and Joe, and that was when I really committed to the project. Two years in, I started Roc N Kitchen with Julia, which we did together for a year before she moved away.

Over the past six months to a year, I grew to be more of what I always wanted this to be. Now I have more confidence about showing myself to people and not comparing myself to others. I made serious goals. I want to showcase and celebrate our community. I’m taking it to the next level now. You can get wrapped up in so many things. I had to think: What do I want to do? What role do I want to play? And I had to be proactive about it. That made a huge difference.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming creatives or content creators in Rochester?

It’s hard to do, but set a specific goal and have the drive to go for it. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Know your goal and what you want to do—that’s enough to push you forward. It can set you back if you worry too much about algorithms or others.

And don’t be afraid to reach out for help and support. Know when to connect and collaborate. You’ll be faced with problems at times and have to find solutions—and that’s a life skill.