Culture

At 233 Mill Street in the High Falls district sits a new jazz and R&B lounge that the owners describe as mature, classy and comfortable. Nightcap Blues was the vision of Tyrone Reaves, Harold Drumgoole and Rick Caesar, three men who work in manufacturing with a love for good vibes and good people.  “We wanted to […]

Intricately designed, hand-carved tiles click against acrylic racks as four women spanning three generations rack their tiles, uncovering the 13 they have to work with. Once everyone has racked their tiles, they select three they want to pass and the Charleston (or tile swapping) begins. Between each tile exchange, the women forget which round they’re […]

Best Of Rochester 2026 has entered the chat. Our annual readers’ poll is a chance to shout out your favorite people, places and things to do. A chance to give recommendations to other CITY readers. A chance to promote your business. And as always, the four finalists in each category are dictated by your write-ins! That’s where […]

Even with the continued rise in features about Rochester and its many contributions to the local, national and international, it can still feel like there’s only two notable Rochesterians — or three, if you think a little more on it. It cannot be overstated how impactful the contributions of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and […]

On a humid 90-degree day last July, nearly 400 people sat shoulder-to-shoulder inside the Fedder Building on East Main Street. Handheld fans and sweating bottles of Modelo took the edge off, and any discomfort was forgotten as the first-ever Rochester Fashion Runway program began. For the next two hours, more than 10 designers, 20 performing […]

Behind-the-scenes and setting the scene: Leaphe Ferm, Jeffrey McCune, Jr., Beatriz LeBron, John Kucko, Jenna Manetta-Knauf, Max Kelley, Jon Spacher, Pam Sherman, Andria B. Langston and Nydia Padilla-Rodríguez.

Age: 50Hometown: RochesterCurrent residence: RochesterOccupation: CEO and co-owner, Fee Brothers Jon Spacher doesn’t come across as someone eager to be the face of anything. Gregarious but understated, he’s more at ease talking about Fee Brothers than his own role spearheading it all. But as CEO of the esteemed Rochester cocktail ingredient company founded in 1864, […]

Age: 64  Hometown: Staten Island Current residence: Pittsford Occupation: President and founder of The ShermanEDGE; author Before Pam Sherman wrote two books, she was traveling the world building a coaching business based on her experiences. Before that, she landed a syndicated newspaper column by making an editor’s wife laugh in a dressing room. Before that, […]

Age: 73 Hometown: Rochester Current Residence: Rochester Occupation: Artistic director and founder of Borinquen Dance Theatre Nydia Padilla-Rodríguez loves dance: from salsa to tap to Garth Fagan technique, she has a passion for all styles and appreciates how movement celebrates culture. But what Padilla-Rodríguez loves even more than dance is people. Her company, Borinquen Dance […]

Age: 49 Hometown: Greece Current residence: Greece Occupation: Owner of Bella Events Group On a blustery night in December, the winds from a winter storm scattered Jenna Manetta-Knauf’s igloos across downtown Rochester. One was in the middle of the ice rink. Another was halfway down Court Street. Some of the domes had splintered into pieces […]

Age: 48 Hometown: Chicago Current Residence: Rochester Occupation: Frederick Douglass professor and founding chair of the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester Rye old fashioned with extra cherries — a spirit-forward drink that balances spice and sweet, the perfect preamble for great storytelling.   That’s Jeffrey McCune’s drink order, and it mirrors the […]