Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published February 21, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

My origin story is odd! I was born in Albany and moved to Baltimore when I was 13. I spent about half my life in Baltimore, then moved to Rochester in 2008. The history of Rochester is pretty interesting. I love that I traveled from one Douglass city to another. To be connected to an icon like that by way of our travel itinerary made me happy. The first time I saw his grave, I shed a little tear. We have a bunch of shit here that’s really cool and no one talks about it! We’re obsessed with Wegmans but there’s a waterfall in the middle of the city. Come on!

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

I like looking at High Falls at dusk because it looks like Narnia. I also love riding my bike down Arnold Park in springtime--this one block street between East and Park--the trees are blossoming and its this tunnel of flower petals. It puts me in a safe space and lets me know summer is coming. I also love the WALLTHERAPY murals, especially on the west side. 

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

I’d spend a good $10 at Ugly Duck, then I’d head over to RoCo, they have a lot of shit there. I’d also donate to the MOCHA Center- they are a nonprofit that gives healthcare and counseling to primarily queer Black men, but also trans women and people of color, you know, the people that folks forget about when they tie a rainbow ribbon on something. I could blow it on a cocktail at Spirit Room and a chicken sandwich. Or take a capoeira class then get something from Bobo’s Chicken Shack. Then I’d go to one of the clothing stores on the west side and pick up some comfortable joggers. I’d wrap up at Record Archive--I haven’t been there in awhile and I love that place.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits?

Our local Planned Parenthood, RoCo, WAYO (not a nonprofit, but I’ll always support them), WXXI, Willow Domestic Violence Center (I did a pub crawl in heels to raise money for them for my 35th birthday), and for my 40th I raised money for the MOCHA Center. 

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

Dogtown’s veggie plate; a close second is the compost plate at Red Fern. 

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

I was playing Assassin’s Creed, but there’s only so much combat you can do. I still like to write and I get into drawing. Just going out helps too--like the Old Toad or somewhere within walking distance. I also like doing nice pranks- a friend and I would shovel out our driveway then head to a coffee shop to shovel out people’s cars. I don’t know if it actually helped anyone because it was usually still snowing! Adjusting to the climate was the worst part of moving here from Baltimore. My first winter was surprisingly mild, but the next year was horrendous. Having temperatures in the teens as the high is scary.

What makes Rochester unique? 

So many things that are ubiquitous throughout the nation have started here; I don’t think people realize that. I like that fact that it’s 200-300 years old, so the cemetery is full of people who initiated a lot of movements. Our arts scene is smoldering; people don’t tend to appreciate it. The artists who come out of here--I see their stuff all over the world! Since we’re a smaller city, it seems that people have time to take with their work and really develop it. 

What would you like to see change in Rochester in 2020? 

I think there needs to be more investment in the west side of the city; people write it off, which is not a good look. Rochester was hit with redlining like every other city. At this point, there’s just as much on the west side as the east side and that needs to be realized. If they changed the bus system to a grid format instead of hub/spoke, it would make a difference. It’s hard to do, but completely possible.

We also need to start appreciating the history of old things. It’s great that we’re getting developers to build new stuff, but filling in the subway was a terrible idea. That should have been a historic site. And I take the inner loop situation with a grain of salt--just burying everything doesn’t make it go away. It makes it forgotten.

If Rochester was a drink, what would it be? 

Either some sort of stylized negroni, or something with mezcal that the bartender just thought up on the spot. The cocktail scene is insane here- probably because of the cold.

What surprises have you encountered in your food writing for City Newspaper? 

I was surprised at how many world-class chefs we have in this city, and the cost of dining out is super low compared to other cities. The quality of food you can get here is pretty damn good if you know where to go. A perfect example is Union Tavern, which is fucking great. It looks like a lighthouse, is near the lake, serves seafood, and is basically fine dining but in a bar. I met the chef, and sure enough, he studied in Rhode Island, has been all over the world, living in Asia and Europe for awhile. He knows what he’s doing because he’s done it. Same with Radio Social- the chef has been all over the world. They have fine dining in a bowling alley! And the guy from Roc City Ramen who does sushi- he’s nationally known! 

You do stand-up as well- how did you get into comedy?

My friends kept telling me that I should do stand-up and then I finally did. Someone said I should write down my jokes from Facebook and Instagram and do them onstage. Coincidentally, I had my first open mic the same night I’d scheduled an OK Cupid date. I took them to the open mic and did my comedy, and never saw them again! The funniest person at the open mic night would get the tip jar, and I ended up being the second funniest that night.

How would you describe the local comedy scene? 

There’s something for everyone. Focus Theater is a nice space that was put together by a dude who started out doing improv, then did comedy, then got together with his friends and opened up his own space. If you’re not into that, you can go to Comedy at the Carlson. It’s a pretty welcoming environment in general, although you still get dudes doing inside jokes that are only funny to their friends. You get that anywhere, though.

You have a lot of interesting hobbies outside your day job. What advice would you give to someone who wants to try something new in Rochester? 

They should try capoeira! It’s fun and it keeps you limber. Most of the people there are 50 and look like they’re 30! I teach now at Positive Force Movement and the academy I attend is called Mandinga com Expressao, next to James Brown’s on Culver.