Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published January 31, 2019.

Where are you originally from? What brought you to Rochester at this time in your life?

I’m from this area; I grew up in Chili, and went to Nazareth for Music Education. After college, I moved to Nashville for about a year. It wasn’t the right place to for me, so I came back to Rochester.

What are some of your favorite hidden gems around Rochester?

Natural Oasis—it’s the best of all worlds. It’s cheap eats, but you can make it fancy if you want. Sometimes we’ll go there all dressed up before an RPO show. It’s $5/plate, so we basically just order one of everything on the entire menu. It’s super awesome, nondescript, and unassuming. I love it there.

What are some local nonprofits you like to support?

• Blackfriars—I work there, and have been there for about a year now.
• I love the work being done at RoCo.
• The Center for Youth—Elaine Spaull is doing amazing work there.
• Willow Domestic Violence Center—I’m hosting a Galentine’s Day event to support them. 

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

I’d go see the renovations at the Planetarium, then I’d grab a coffee at Glen Edith, and finally I’d eat at Avvino. They do really good stuff there and are super inventive.

What's your favorite neighborhood in the city? 

Park/Meigs will always be closest to my heart; I had my first apartment there, and I loved that it was both close to everything and quiet. I live in Laurelton now and really like it too. I also appreciate that Rochester’s neighborhoods are cohesive—it’s not too jarring when you leave one neighborhood and enter another.

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

Dogtown, no doubt. Maybe it’s the home fries? I don’t like an overly soggy garbage plate. Dogtown delivers consistently. I also love a good garbage plate wrap, which you can get at Hungry’s or Fairport Hots.

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

Red wine is probably #1. Staying active is important too. I’m a member of the JCC, and I like to go swimming in February to remember that water exists. Whenever we get one of those rare sunny days during a Rochester winter, I try to take a moment to be grateful for it. It’s such a rarity. I’m literally saluting the sun whenever I see it.

What is your favorite Rochester memory? 

Definitely singing with the Rochester Pops in high school—that’s stuck in my mind for awhile. I was very tired, but it was an exhilarating experience.

What makes Rochester unique? 

Whether you’re from here or not, you can root in. You find your thing and root to it. And Rochester’s having a renaissance. Our generation is game for Rochester. You can make things happen, establish a new pathway, and be a part of building it up.

What do you think could be improved? 

A lot, still. Arts support, for one. There’s no arts commissioner here, very little funding, and no budget line for the arts. Rochester hasn’t gotten on board with models used in other cities. I’d love to see that implemented.

We also have major segregation problems. Lots of people don’t feel the benefits of Rochester’s newfound vibrancy. The accessibility of neighborhoods could be improved. We have a long way to go in that regard.

If Rochester was a TV show, what would it be?

It would be Big Mouth. Everyone’s just finding their way, and we’re all very animated.

You worked for Yelp! Rochester for a time. What did you learn about our small local businesses through that role?

I did an amazing interview with Niraj from Leaf Tea Bar for the national Yelp blog. I learned how much of a difference patronizing a business makes—you don’t even have to be a regular there. I learned the same thing working with Marty of Marty’s Meats. It means so much to just walk through the door. Your dollar and how you spend it has a tremendous impact; it changes the landscape of the city. The magnitude is just huge; I now try to shop small almost exclusively.

You're involved in our local theatre scene. How would you describe our theatre/arts community?

It’s ever-growing and super vibrant. There seem to be new small theatre companies popping up on the scene every week. It’s a very supportive community. I’ve had a lot of mentors who are eager to help me out. Everyone wants each other to succeed, even though we’re also competitors in a way. There’s lots of cool and interesting stuff happening, and people are getting on board. We’re always striving to be more inclusive, telling the stories of the masses instead of the stories of the few. That’s a huge focus for us.

What advice would you give to someone who's new to Rochester and looking to get to know the area?

There’s a lot of opportunity for networking if you seek it out. There are tons of events and free experiences you can find out about on Facebook. Get on your feet and out into the community. Rochester is good about having lots of different community options—like craft beer, arts, animals. There’s a community that surrounds every possible interest, so go find it.