Life + Culture

Barrels, Brotherhood, Vice

For the Nefarious Brothers, the Best Ingredients Have Always Been Craft, Community, and Mischief. Article by Sarah Keeler | Photography by Submitted In a corner of Rochester’s tech scene, an unusual project has been developing behind the scenes for more than a decade. Instead of screens and app codes, this one involves oak barrels, carefully measured spirits, and a group of friends bonded by their shared love of vice. Ralph Dandrea and Sean Flaherty met in 1999 while working on the same...

Auto + Marine

Where Passion Meets Detail

Passion Drove Him Here. Craft Keeps Him Going. Article by Marie Gillette | Photography by Paul Lossowski For Warren Mapes, the path from a career in marketing to auto detailing wasn't a pivot—it was a return. Cars are "in his blood," he says, and the evidence goes back to his childhood. Even as a toddler, he pushed Matchbox cars along windowsills, making engine noises to himself. His mother will tell you his first word wasn't "Mama" or "Dada." It was "car." Today, that lifelong passion fuels...

Wellness

Gentlemen, Welcome to the Spa

Men Are Claiming Their Seat at the Treatment Table, and They're Not Looking Back Article by Katrina M. Randall | Photography by Submitted In a camera-ready society, caring about your appearance is no longer vanity. It's simply human. Pair that with a culture increasingly focused on health and wellness and a fading stigma around male grooming, and it's no wonder the male aesthetics market is having a moment—one expected to grow at an annual rate of 7.2% from 2025 to 2034, according to market...

Life + Culture

Slow Braise

How Josh Miles Built a Rochester Hospitality Empire One Table at a Time Article by Katrina M. Randall | Photography by Kelly Kester Photography; Submitted Josh Miles didn’t stumble into the hospitality industry. It found him in the back of one of many South Carolina kitchens while tagging along with his father on sales calls as a child. It may have been inevitable, with both of his grandfathers running small cafes in different locations, yet somehow providing a north star to Miles’ future. The...

Life + Culture

Space to Breathe

The Rise of Women’s Retreats Across the Region Article by Marie Gillette | Photography by Submitted Deep in the woods, alongside lakes, in a subterranean greenhouse, along wooded trails winding through the seasons, women gather. They arrive carrying accumulated exhaustion from holding it all together, the quiet ache of roles that leave little room for their own voices, a longing they can’t quite put into words. Somewhere in the circle, around the fire, on the earth, they begin to set it down. ...

Life + Culture

Nurses Honoring Nurses

Monroe County’s Honor Guard Offers Final Tributes to Caregivers Article by Sarah Keeler | Photography by D.P. Soule Photography; Submitted When a nurse’s life and career come to an end, a small but meaningful ritual performed by a local nonprofit ensures their service is remembered. The Nurses Honor Guard (NHG) of Monroe County was founded in 2024 with a simple but powerful mission: “nurses honoring nurses.” The volunteer group attends funerals and hospice bedsides to perform ceremonial...

Life + Culture

Forces of Nature

Building Something Bigger on Their Own Terms Article by Katrina M. Randall | Photography by Kelly Kester Photography "There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish," Michelle Obama once said—and the women of Rochester are living proof. They aren’t just living up to that sentiment, they’re setting a new standard. These women are healing, building and rebuilding, renovating, designing, and creating. Our region is home to women who are thriving in male-dominated fields and leading the way...

Life + Culture

Women to Watch

Rochester's Next Chapter Is Being Written by Women Article by Staff | Photography by Submitted Christina Shipley, Maison & Bouquet Christina Shipley brings a well-traveled aesthetic to Schoen Place in Pittsford, where she recently opened up Maison & Bouquet. She describes her “European-style” boutique as a “love letter to the ‘collected life’—a jewel box of a space." She was raised in Los Angeles and spent her childhood absorbing the art of living well. Shipley says: “A home should look...

Life + Culture

Genesee Land Trust

Protecting the Places We Love Article by Sarah Keeler | Photography by Submitted As Earth Day approaches, many Rochesterians will head outside—to a favorite trail, nature preserve, or farm stand. What they may not realize is that a local nonprofit has been working for decades to ensure those landscapes remain protected for generations. Founded in 1989, the Genesee Valley Land Trust is dedicated to protecting land and water for wildlife, farmland, and families across the region. Its service...

Life + Culture

Beyond the Spotlight

Service That Continues Beyond the Newsroom Article by Marie Gillette | Photography by Submitted In Rochester, certain faces once felt like part of the family. Don Alhart. Doug Emblidge. Ginny Ryan. Jennifer Johnson. Norma Holland. For decades, they entered homes daily, trusted neighbors delivering the news. Yet, for each of them, serving the community was not limited to stories they reported on air. It was, and remains, a personal investment in the place they call home. For these...