Local Flavors and Community Spirit: Fairport Food and Drink
In this episode, Chris interviews Christine Montroy, the creator behind the Instagram page Fairport Food and Drink, who shares her journey of documenting local dining experiences. They dive into how Christine transitioned from merely taking pictures of her meals to fostering a strong community connection through her platform, emphasizing the importance of supporting local businesses. The conversation touches on the evolution of Fairport's dining options, highlighting various restaurants, breweries, and community events that contribute to its charm.
Mentions:
- @FairportFoodandDrink - @EatLocalNewYork - @greatamericandiner - @IronSmoke - @Mulconrys - @donnellysph - @rustictacobar - @lulutaqueria - @redbirdfairport - @skipsfairport - @moonlight_creamery
Mentioned in this episode:
Joe Bean Roasters
Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone. https://shop.joebeanroasters.com
Dialed In: A Coffee Podcast
Get Dialed In to the world of coffee with Aaron and Wade! Tastings, coffee news and opinion and more! https://dialedincoffee.captivate.fm
Mind of Magnus
Check out Mind of Magnus at magnusapollo.com, and leave him factoids at 585-310-2473! https://mind-of-magnus.captivate.fm
Transcript
I'm Chris Lindstrom and this is the Food About Town podcast.
Speaker B:Rochester.
Speaker A:Well, why Rochester?
Speaker A:Chris Lindstrom was a hoot.
Speaker A:He was just so much fun.
Speaker A:He never stopped talking.
Speaker A:I mean, it was great.
Speaker B:Here's a good idea.
Speaker B:Have a point.
Speaker A:It makes it so much more interesting for the listener and we don't need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere.
Speaker B:Is that clear?
Speaker B:Because I'm a pro.
Speaker B:That's what pros do.
Speaker B:I'm a professional.
Speaker B:Look it up in the book.
Speaker A:But now, yeah, I'm thinking I'm back.
Speaker A:And we are back with another episode of the Food About Town podcast.
Speaker A:And we actually have had a winter this year.
Speaker A:This is a very odd sensation to us nowadays.
Speaker A:We've got snow on the ground, we've got ice on the ground.
Speaker A:We're all trying to stay safe.
Speaker A:We're also trying to stay satiated.
Speaker A:And I've got a guest to help me learn more about a specific area in Rochester.
Speaker A:Guest, why don't you introduce yourself?
Speaker B:I'm Christine Montroy and I'm from the Instagram page, Fairport Food and Drink.
Speaker A:Well, thank you so much for coming over on fairly short notice.
Speaker A:I had heard you on the Eat Local New York podcast, which was.
Speaker A:I had heard about the page before.
Speaker A:I had looked at it a bit, but getting to learn your story on there was really interesting and I guess I kind of want to start with one, Let everybody know.
Speaker A:So it's Fairport Food and Drink on Instagram and it's mainly Instagram based, right?
Speaker B:Yes, I do have a Facebook page as well, but it's mostly Instagram.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker A:So why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself and how did you actually get started with this?
Speaker B:Well, I am a fourth grade teacher in Fairport and we're in the Village all the time, my husband and I.
Speaker B:We're empty nesters.
Speaker B:So we got started because basically I just take pictures of food, like many people do, and decided to post it just so we can remember, like, where did we eat, what did we eat, what did we like?
Speaker B:And just kind of kept a record for ourselves.
Speaker B:And I noticed after several months, people were following me.
Speaker B:How they found me, I'm not quite sure.
Speaker B:Maybe because I did call it Fairport Food and Drink, but I noticed that I had followers and it's.
Speaker A:So when it first happened, when it first happened, what was that feeling?
Speaker A:How was that when it happened?
Speaker B:I do remember this.
Speaker B:So it was Columbus Day and we were eating at it's now Great American Diner in Fairport And I remember doing the pictures and everything, posting it and thinking, my Gosh, I have 100 followers.
Speaker B:How did these people find me?
Speaker B:Who are they?
Speaker B:So it was a really humbling feeling that somebody would be interested in this.
Speaker B:And that was.
Speaker B:I think it was 20, 21.
Speaker B:So that was sort of at the beginning of this new dawn, this new age of Fairport.
Speaker B:And I guess what I had to offer, what I was covering was something that was really interesting to people.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I kind of want to take a step back.
Speaker A:So, been a teacher for how long?
Speaker B:I've been teaching fourth grade for 10 years.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:It's a fascinating field because it always changes, but it never changes because there's always kids and they're always in fourth grade.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Have you been fourth grade the whole time?
Speaker B:I did some subbing before that, but once I landed in fourth grade, I just felt like that's my place, that's my jam.
Speaker B:I love the curriculum.
Speaker B:I love social studies.
Speaker B:I love anything history related.
Speaker B:And the age of the kids, like 9 years old, they're just awesome.
Speaker B:They're great.
Speaker B:I have a wonderful class this year.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:And I know it's, you know, especially kids in fourth grade now have gone through so much in the last few years.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:There's a lot of challenges, but there is so much opportunity, like, so much opportunity to give them an interesting base and teaching about the world in a way that helps them become better citizens.
Speaker B:You know, you mentioned the Eat Local New York podcast.
Speaker B:And it's funny because it was probably about a month or two ago, the kids, they, like, Google things.
Speaker B:They Googled me and they found the podcast and I was like, oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:But they found me.
Speaker B:So, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I own it.
Speaker B:They know about the Instagram page, and I'll ask them, like, hey, where.
Speaker B:Where do you like to eat?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it gives me some inspiration.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker B:They're involved.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, I think that that's great too, because, like, you know, as a community, you know, Fairport is a very.
Speaker A:It's a very tight community in many ways, from my understanding.
Speaker A:Like, I know people who grew up there, you know, people that lived there their whole lives or their families lived there their whole lives.
Speaker A:And it seems like a very tight community in many ways.
Speaker A:Have you lived in Fairport a long time?
Speaker B: 've been here since, I think,: Speaker B:2011.
Speaker B:I was originally from Long Island.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So moved up here, we got married.
Speaker B:And yeah.
Speaker B:So I've been here now.
Speaker B:It's like 14 years.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I can't believe it.
Speaker B:And so much has changed since then.
Speaker B:Just, you know, even you drive around and you say, like, oh, I remember that was a empty factory or that was just a field.
Speaker B:And so much has grown up in the area.
Speaker B:Just in my experience, in 11 and 14 years.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So when you were starting it, you just started it just to document.
Speaker A:Did you have any upside goals?
Speaker A:Did you have any ideas about it, or was it just starting it to do it?
Speaker B:I think once I saw the 100 followers, I started to set some goals for myself.
Speaker B:And when I would get 300 followers, I made a big post about that.
Speaker B:500 followers.
Speaker B:I remember we were on vacation.
Speaker B:I think we were in the Bahamas, and I hit 777 followers.
Speaker B:And I was so excited about the three sevens.
Speaker A:You're so lucky.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You get so excited about these small milestones.
Speaker B: t then I thought, if I get to: Speaker B:So now you can't have a goal without having a time frame on it.
Speaker B:Otherwise, it's not a purposeful goal.
Speaker B:So my next timeframe is by the time we go to spring break and then by the time the school year ends, like, I want to be at this many followers.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I think that's.
Speaker A:That's a great, that's a great general note though as well, is that, you know, and it's.
Speaker A:That's what I'm trying to think right now about, like the whole network is what are our goals for the year, where do we want to get to and how do we need to get there?
Speaker A:And that's the hardest part about a lot of this stuff is if you're purposefully trying to grow, what are the mechanisms that get you where you want to end up?
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's kind of a challenge, especially if this isn't your native thing, you know, marketing and social media and things like that.
Speaker A:It's certainly not my natural thing.
Speaker A:No, I'm not.
Speaker A:That's not what I'm best at.
Speaker B:I'm just stumbling through it.
Speaker B:I mean, literally, it was just I would do posts, posts.
Speaker B:And then finally I said, I'm going to try a real.
Speaker B:And then so I fumbled through that.
Speaker B:I checked out a book from the library, like Instagram for Dummies.
Speaker B:I literally did that.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:But it's also being denounced with yourself.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And like, stumbling through can be really effective and you learn a lot by making mistakes, but sometimes reading something is super valuable.
Speaker B:Well, and I know what I know and I know what I don't know and I don't know a lot when it comes to this.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So, I mean, I know what I like, I know what I like to eat, I know what I like to share, but I don't know.
Speaker B:Always reaching that wider audience, that's a big goal.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:So we kind of got into some of the details, but let's start to talk about.
Speaker A:So when you were first starting, what were the kind of places you were covering or I'm not sure if you've even thought about as covering it at that point, but you're just documenting the places you were going.
Speaker B:Well, when I first started, we would go to places and I got a sticker, I had a sticker made from Etsy and it would just say, eat local, shop local, love Fairport.
Speaker B:And so we would pay the bill.
Speaker B:I'd stick that in the little billfold thing and I would post about it.
Speaker B:I took pictures and posted.
Speaker B:But I wouldn't let them know why I was there, who I was.
Speaker B:It was just like I dropped this on them and I don't even know if they realized what was going on.
Speaker B:But then I ran into a woman named Lorraine Staunch.
Speaker B:And I don't know if you're familiar with her, she's a local artist.
Speaker A:I've heard the name.
Speaker A:I'm not sure I know her personally, but I've definitely heard the name.
Speaker B:In Fairport, there are a number of restaurants, businesses that have Lorraine's artwork hanging up.
Speaker B:And so I her on Instagram and we'd communicated a couple of times.
Speaker B:And so one night we were in, it was smoking hot chicks and there she was at the bar with somebody else.
Speaker B:And I introduced myself to her, I gave her my sticker and a few days later I get a call from the Fairport Parent Partnership.
Speaker B:So this is like the Merchants association and they want to talk to us because they like what I'm doing and they want to see if I could actually be more on the front side of it, let them know I'm coming, let them know I'm there to partner with them.
Speaker B:Instead of it just being a little secret thing that I did that really helped because they sort of introduced me as a partner to the merchants.
Speaker B:I'm a part of the Merchants association now, believe it or not.
Speaker B:I was there to really be like an extra set of advertising promotion for the businesses, for the restaurants that they have so much going on, they may not have time to do this.
Speaker B:And I just fill that gap, really.
Speaker A:I Find that fascinating that they reached out to you that early.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And I think that's also a sign of an organization that's really paying attention to opportunities that are coming up.
Speaker B:I think I had about maybe about 800 followers.
Speaker B:So as we were back from that vacation, I was about 800 followers at the time when they reached out to me.
Speaker B:And then I really felt like I have a mission, I have a charge here.
Speaker B:So I really have to be intentional.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:I think intentional is a great.
Speaker B:Intentionable.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I just.
Speaker B:Thinking about where I'm going, what I'm doing, how the pictures look and making sure, like I'll send a message ahead of time or I'll say I'm here, like introduce myself.
Speaker B:So that way I can really be like their partnership, their partner in this.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Have you ended up going further down the photography route than just using the phone?
Speaker A:Not to say just, but have you found yourself like going after the higher end photography things?
Speaker B:You know, I haven't.
Speaker B:I really just stick with the phone.
Speaker B:And I think we just upgraded the phone like last March.
Speaker B:So, you know, my phone was old when I really started out and it was just really about editing and putting filters on and saturation and, you know, all those things to sharpen the picture and really make it appealing.
Speaker A:Well, I think that's also the thing.
Speaker A:Like it's not the gateway that like having a professional camera isn't a gateway to doing this work.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It's not a necessity nowadays because on the modern phones, like if you have a current up to date phone, the pictures are like really good.
Speaker A:It's not like an SLR camera, but it's still great for what it is.
Speaker A:Like super.
Speaker A:I remember like taking.
Speaker A:Taking pictures on like the iPhone5 for early shows that I did and some of them were just.
Speaker A:Just looked awful.
Speaker A:Why so grainy?
Speaker A:Like if you didn't have perfect lighting, it just looked like garbage.
Speaker A:But nowadays, like it's an amazing tool that's sitting in your pocket all the time.
Speaker B:I mean, I think there's also the convenience factor of it.
Speaker B:I'm not trying to figure out, okay, it's on the camera, it's on like a little disc or whatever.
Speaker B:I mean, we talked about this before we went on the air about the metaphor of the iceberg.
Speaker B:And I feel like I just know that little part that's above the waterline and there's so much below there that I don't know.
Speaker B:And so I feel like my little camera on my phone is.
Speaker B:That's my part of the iceberg above the waterline.
Speaker A:Well, it's also important to know that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:To know that about yourself and know what you're good at.
Speaker A:I think it's one of the most important things to know about anything is one of the most valuable things, you know, in general is know yourself, know what you're good at, know what you're not good at, and really lean into the things you're great at instead of, like, worrying too much about the things that you're not great at.
Speaker B:True.
Speaker B:I mean, just recognizing your strength and just sort of play into that.
Speaker B:That really helps.
Speaker B:I enjoy writing as well.
Speaker B:So you know, my content, my captions.
Speaker B:Sometimes they're funny.
Speaker B:Like, sometimes it's just like telling a little story.
Speaker B:I really like that angle.
Speaker B:Sometimes my husband gets to be like, the butt of the jokes.
Speaker B:Sometimes somebody has to be like, why are we at a Mexican restaurant and you're ordering a Guinness?
Speaker B:These are question I have so.
Speaker B:And I share that.
Speaker B:And I think that human angle to it is also.
Speaker B:Could be appealing.
Speaker A:Well, I think that makes sense.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Because for somebody to know that there's a person behind this.
Speaker A:This isn't just a marketing entity.
Speaker A:You're not a nameless, faceless corporation.
Speaker A:You're somebody that cares about the place that they live.
Speaker A:And showing that personality is a key part of somebody identifying with this.
Speaker A:Not just as a.
Speaker A:You know, this is you.
Speaker A:It's not a giant company.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And it's not the town doing it.
Speaker A:It's you doing it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I like to, like, since the past year, I feel like I've gotten to know even more merchants in Fairport, and I want to, like, take the connection just one step beyond.
Speaker B:So, like, for example, there's Cloth and Mortar, which is a clothing store at Fairport Village Landing.
Speaker B:And Jen, who's the owner, she and I have become friends, and we did something where the kids in my school all made Valentine's for the Fairport Baptist Home.
Speaker B:Like, none of that would have happened without Fairport Food and drink, without me meeting Jen and, like, establishing a relationship and now wanting to kind of reach out into the community.
Speaker B:Not just like, I'm eating and shopping, but I'm caring for the community.
Speaker A:Well, I think that's kind of.
Speaker A:That's kind of the end goal.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Is like, it's.
Speaker A:I think the most valuable thing I've learned through the process of doing, you know, writing about food, you know, doing.
Speaker A:Doing podcasts for.
Speaker A:I looked back.
Speaker A:I don't want the amount of years is too many at this point.
Speaker A:It's like 14 years now.
Speaker A:I've been doing this, you know, in different formats.
Speaker A:And the thing I say to people often is that by participating and engaging with it, I've gotten so much more than just the work I put into it.
Speaker A:You know, becoming part of a community is something that changes you.
Speaker A:It gives you, gives you a sense of belonging that's kind of hard to define if you're not thinking about it that way.
Speaker B:And I feel like Fairport, they really, like value the community.
Speaker B:They care about each other.
Speaker B:There's a lot of good people in Fairport who, you know, they want to see the community be successful.
Speaker B:And I feel like at a, like, at a very basic level, I can support the businesses to hopefully bring people in to help the economy, to help, to help Fairport.
Speaker B:I mean, we want to make Fairport be like a desirable destination in the Finger Lakes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So let's start talking about Fairport for a second.
Speaker A:So, you know, Fairport itself is, you know, when it comes to a lot of the towns in Rochester, they're directly off of the highway.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So most places, the core of the town is almost immediately accessible.
Speaker A:Fairport takes a minute to get to, even if you're like, hey, I'm not that far away.
Speaker A:But getting to Fairport, even though it's closer mileage, takes me just as long or longer to get to than going to Henrietta from here.
Speaker A:But what is it about, you know, when you're in Fairport, is there a feel that you get?
Speaker A:It seems like a close community and people like to stay in Fairport versus going everywhere else.
Speaker A:At least that's the vibe I've got.
Speaker B:I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why it's difficult to find home in Fairport, because people don't want to give up their homes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, you know, they're.
Speaker B:Their kids leave, their grandchildren are around, but they are staying in Fairport because they really value just that whole close knit feeling.
Speaker B:The Erie Canal is going to be 200 this year.
Speaker A:Is that this year?
Speaker B:Yeah, in September.
Speaker B:They're planning on having a flotilla going down the canal.
Speaker B:And the Seneca chief is a replica of the Seneca chief, the boat that took the governor to the wedding of the waters.
Speaker B:I don't know if you're familiar with that story.
Speaker A:No, I'm not.
Speaker A:Please.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So Governor Clinton, back 200 years ago, who was a proponent of the canal, everybody called it Clinton's Ditch.
Speaker B:Thought it was just a joke.
Speaker A:Shout out to the ditch.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So what they did was they.
Speaker B:When the Canal was finally completed.
Speaker B:Took a barrel full of water from Lake Erie and then like, floated down the canal on the boat on the Seneca chief made it all the way down to where New York harbor is and dumped the water from Lake Erie into the harbor.
Speaker B:And this was like the wetting of the waters.
Speaker B:Now we're finally connected and opening up the Midwest to commerce.
Speaker B:And so Fairport, where that was, that junction, like the heart of the village, where the canal is, that still remained the heart of the village.
Speaker B:So, yes, it's a little bit off the highway, but somehow something about that just draws people in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:One, I think that the fact that it is such a core part of the town, I can.
Speaker A:Defines a lot of the way the town feels, I think, in many ways.
Speaker A:So let's start diving into food and drink in Fairport.
Speaker A:There's a lot, a lot of different places in town.
Speaker A:And you're right, it has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Speaker A:So my recollection when I would go, you know, when I was younger in Rochester was there wasn't a lot of places that I would consider a destination.
Speaker A:It was a lot of, you know, small town places, but not a lot of places I was going to make a trip out to go to.
Speaker A:And so much has changed in the last 10, in the last five, and even the last two years, the change has become so rapid.
Speaker A:In Fairport, when you first got there, what was the first place that you became a regular at?
Speaker B:We would go to Montconry's quite a bit.
Speaker B:And they have last year or the year before.
Speaker B:I mean, they're like around 16 years, so they've been in business for a while.
Speaker B:And that Montconry's and Donnelly's on Lift Bridge Lane, like, those were sort of the original places that we would go to.
Speaker A:They seem kind of like the core Fairport places for people that are Fairport people.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, and we were just there like maybe a week or two ago at Montconry's, we went to a hockey game.
Speaker B:After the hockey game, we went over to Montconry's.
Speaker B:Like, it's still one of those places that you feel very welcome at.
Speaker B:But then I feel like what happened was Fairport Brewing Company came in and they occupy this little building.
Speaker B: bably, I don't know, from the: Speaker B:And they brew their beer and they, you know, it was the first brewery, really, of Fairport.
Speaker B:And there was, you know, a desire to expand.
Speaker B:It didn't happen, but it was a place that people started collecting at.
Speaker B:And it wasn't a restaurant bar, it was just a brewery.
Speaker B:And as you know now there's probably like five breweries in Fairport, plus the distillery.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And almost all in walking distance from each other.
Speaker B:It's true.
Speaker B:I mean, you could do a whole brewery tour and not, you know, probably not even have 2,000 steps in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And you can just stay in one spot.
Speaker A:You can park in one spot and just find your way to all these different places.
Speaker A:So you're right.
Speaker A:And Fairport's kind of like on the road coming into town and then you turn in to this other area.
Speaker A:But you pass so many different parts of Fairport, even on the way in.
Speaker A:Like, I was an intern when I was in college at Corning Tropel and like I.
Speaker A:I was there just for a summer, so I bounced around a little bit.
Speaker A:But those are the places I remember was, you know, those, you know, Montgomery's and Donnelly's and those are the places I remember being there.
Speaker A:But you know, even from Fairport Brewing, like, that was kind of.
Speaker A:That did kick things up a little bit.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:I feel like it did.
Speaker B:And then the cannery, which is a whole other conversation because for many years we would look at that factory that was closed, the windows were painted black.
Speaker B:We would park there and walk when it was canal days and somebody just had this took of risk and they had the inspiration to turn it into something more.
Speaker B:And it was right around the time of COVID and Faircraft Brewhouse, I believe was one of the first occupants there.
Speaker B:And they weren't really ready to open for business yet.
Speaker B:Not only the construction, but the whole Covid piece of it.
Speaker B:And we would sit in the parking lot there in like folding lawn chairs and you know, and drink beer.
Speaker B:And they would have like little paper plates with.
Speaker B:It looked like Lunchables practically on it.
Speaker B:But, you know, they were offering something and you knew it was going to be special.
Speaker B:And Matthias, who's the owner, like, he took us in and he showed us around.
Speaker B:And this was probably even before Fairport Food and Drink.
Speaker B:It was just like hanging out somewhere really cool that, you know, it was.
Speaker B:You had the billboards up with the picture, the designs of what it's going to look like, and thinking like, will this really happen?
Speaker B:And it did.
Speaker B:It took off.
Speaker A:And I gotta say, like, you know, they've done a great job executing on that vision at Faircraft as well.
Speaker A:Like, they really decided, hey, we want to show this kind of, this kind of beer.
Speaker A:And their execution has been really Consistently.
Speaker A:Very good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And there's usually live music there.
Speaker B:And Matthias's son, Lucas, who's incredible performer, he's performed at the Bills games, like the National Anthem, twice, really, this past season.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, I mean, there's.
Speaker B:There's a lot of talent in the area as well.
Speaker B:There's usually live music going on.
Speaker B:Of course, Ian Smoke has live music.
Speaker B:Country Roads, which took over the space from Smoking Hot Chicks.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And then B side Oconnors has live music.
Speaker B:You can find live music in most places.
Speaker A:So let's talk about that whole development.
Speaker A:So you mentioned a lot of the places, but that's now become not just a place for food and drink.
Speaker A:It's kind of become a place for people to gather for lots of different activities.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:Then they opened, like, a pickleball place there as well.
Speaker A:And then there's another brewery, which is kind of the same team that was.
Speaker A:Why am I forgetting the name?
Speaker B:Seven Stories.
Speaker A:Seven Story.
Speaker A:Yeah, Seven Story.
Speaker A:And the place in 32.
Speaker B:Preservation.
Speaker A:Same.
Speaker A:Yeah, Preservation.
Speaker A:So they just opened there, you know, about a year ago as well.
Speaker A:And it seems just like every time, just there's something new there.
Speaker A:And Iron Smoke being like, a core tenant of that space and just what a place to hang out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There's also the Fairport Shuttle.
Speaker B:So, like, if you're a person who you park your car and you're going to spend, like, Friday, Saturday night in the village, this little shuttle, this woman comes around with a golf cart, and for a dollar, you can get a ride, and she'll take you to a destination within the village.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:And just, you know, it's for that convenience to make it more appealing.
Speaker A:How fun is that, though?
Speaker A:Like on a Friday, and you're just like somebody zipping around in a golf cart.
Speaker A:How do you beat that?
Speaker B:I know when we first saw her, we were like, what are we seeing right now?
Speaker B:So we tried following her.
Speaker B:I mean, this poor woman, we tried following her through the parking lot.
Speaker B:Is she gonna come around?
Speaker B:And we stopped her.
Speaker B:I think we actually pulled in front of her to block her.
Speaker B:What's your story?
Speaker B:What's going on with this golf cart?
Speaker B:Is this a bachelorette party?
Speaker B:She's like, no, this is something new.
Speaker B:It's the shuttle.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:How fun.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But that's the kind of thing you.
Speaker A:You start to recognize when you're somebody who's present.
Speaker A:And something we talked about a lot on the podcast and the network in general is there's something special about showing up in person.
Speaker A:There's something special about spending that time contributing.
Speaker A:And it makes a difference.
Speaker A:Not just talking about it, but also being there and showing up in person.
Speaker A:Because talking about it's one thing, but doing, doing the in person work of spending that time, it lets you see things you wouldn't have seen if you were just talking about it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Or if you just went and did this.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you never went out on a Friday night.
Speaker A:You wouldn't see the other side of Fairport.
Speaker B:That's true.
Speaker B:And you know, there's, it's beyond just bars.
Speaker B:I mean there's restaurants, there's entertainment, there's, you know, like pickleball.
Speaker B:You just mentioned there's a skate park that opened up.
Speaker A:I love that by the way.
Speaker B:Fairport Road.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a great place for families.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, just get outside and enjoy and then you can get something to eat right while you're there.
Speaker B:Compton.
Speaker B:Compton is a place on Fairport Road that is a combination of Campania, Trattoria and Tin Cup Social.
Speaker B:So those two got together and formed Compton.
Speaker B:And it's more like a takeout subs pizza.
Speaker B:They actually have a drive up window so you can, you know, call in your order and drive up and they'll hand you your order.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's pretty convenient, but it's just one more offering for that area, so.
Speaker A:And it's kind of a plussed up version of what you would consider takeout.
Speaker A:Like takeout pizza as well.
Speaker A:Not that there's anything obviously anything wrong with standard takeout pizza, but I know they're trying to like step it up a bit beyond that.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Very true.
Speaker A:Oh, very cool.
Speaker A:So I think we're going to do.
Speaker A:We're going to take a quick break and we're going to talk more Fairport Food and Drink.
Speaker A:And we'll be right back.
Speaker A:And we're back with the second half of our conversation talking about Fairport.
Speaker A:Fairport Food and Drink on Instagram.
Speaker A:We left off with.
Speaker A:You said Compton.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So interesting sounding place.
Speaker A:We're talking about the whole Canary area, which, you know, I remember going to remember going to Iron Smoke when it first opened and seeing that space and you know, it just has so much going on when it comes to character.
Speaker B:I think that if you're in there, you can't believe you're in Fairport, New York.
Speaker B:Like it just feels like you're somewhere, I don't know, like Los Angeles or like down in like the East Village in New York City.
Speaker B:Like somewhere really super cool.
Speaker B:You're super cool for being in there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, I think it also suits the fact that Tommy is a character and the place is a character.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:I'm not sure you could have the same thing if it wasn't him.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Like driving that, but that the place shows so much in of itself.
Speaker A:Like, when you're there, you.
Speaker A:You are feeling like it's a big deal that you're there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:But I think that's like the same thing.
Speaker A:Like when I went into what was Smoking Hot chicks originally, or what it was then was a big space.
Speaker A:And what did you say moved in there?
Speaker B:I haven't been in the country roads, so it's like Nashville themed.
Speaker B:Oh, great bar.
Speaker B:So we've been in there a couple of times.
Speaker B:Food's really good.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Are they doing Southern food?
Speaker A:Are they doing like, Nashville hot chicken or what are they doing there?
Speaker B:I mean, they're doing ribs, barbecue.
Speaker B:They have this trash can nachos.
Speaker B:So it looks like a big empty can that they've cleaned out and they fill it with nachos.
Speaker B:They dump it on what looks like a cookie sheet, and it all just comes spilling out and it's a.
Speaker B:It's a huge amount of food.
Speaker B:Shout out to their food is really good.
Speaker A:Shout out to Guy Fieri for coming up with the trash can nachos originally.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Nothing wrong with a little flavortown inspiration.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, like, that area is very busy all the time.
Speaker A:There's so much going on there.
Speaker A:But even across the street, like, I kind of want to go into the other side of.
Speaker A:Because that's where I'd say most people, if they're going in for the first time, that's probably the area they're specifically going to to check it out.
Speaker A:I kind of want to dive into the other side.
Speaker A:So one of the places I want to mention, I forget is that Lombardi's, the.
Speaker B:Oh, the.
Speaker B:The Italian.
Speaker A:Talk about that place for a second because that.
Speaker A:That place is pretty special.
Speaker B:I think the last time I was there, I thought, I'm going to count how many different types of pasta are here.
Speaker B:And I mean, I took video of it.
Speaker B:I came back and I really lost count.
Speaker B:I mean, they've got gifts, they've got food, they've got pasta, they've got frozen ravioli, they have cheeses, bread.
Speaker B:It's just like an emporium of wonderful things to eat and gifts to give.
Speaker A:And I got to say, like, they're super.
Speaker A:They're super helpful, too.
Speaker A:Like, it's a very unassuming place.
Speaker A:Like, if you walk by on the street, you're like, oh, that's a little place I could go visit.
Speaker A:And then when you walk in, you're like, oh, right.
Speaker A:They've got so many options of everything.
Speaker B:And you get hit with that smell of like Parmesan cheese or something when you come in.
Speaker B:And you just know you're leaving there with some really good stuff.
Speaker A:Yeah, that place is great.
Speaker A:And it's again, right across the street.
Speaker A:But I also want to talk about what's the area right across the street that also has a ton of small businesses, but also restaurants and other things?
Speaker A:Right across the street.
Speaker B:Maybe the Village Landing.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So we have rustic taco in there, and they're right on Main street, but they're in the Village Landing building.
Speaker B:And they have tacos, but don't think Mexican.
Speaker B:So it's just eclectic flavors.
Speaker B:There's like, think of like a garbage plate.
Speaker B:Taco, fish, tacos.
Speaker B:They have, I think it's pulled pork that they've marinated in some sort of whiskey.
Speaker B:I mean, they just have like a variety of things.
Speaker B:Also for the price.
Speaker B:The taco is a really large sized taco that you're getting there.
Speaker B:Good food.
Speaker B:It used to be the Landing, a bar, like years ago, and they closed and now it's rustic and it's been renovated and it's really quite nice in there.
Speaker A:Is Lulu taqueria still there as well?
Speaker B:They are there and they're kind of like another interesting story because by day they're clementine.
Speaker B:And so it's a local coffee place.
Speaker A:Oh, I didn't know that was there.
Speaker A:That's the other thing is, like, I've read about that place, but I've never actually been into the coffee shop.
Speaker A:I didn't know it was in the same space.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then at night it's Lulu.
Speaker B:And they're doing something now in the winter that the last Monday of the month they're having this, like a pairing.
Speaker B:They call it a cena.
Speaker B:And the last one we went to was like a wine and food pairing.
Speaker B:It was Euro Latina.
Speaker B:This next one is coming up.
Speaker B:I think it's more based in South America, but it's, you know, you sign up, you make a reservation, and you're going to the special dinner where the chef comes out and explains the food to you.
Speaker B:And there's the wine purveyor there or the, like, the liquor purveyor there explaining, like, why they chose what they chose to pair it with the food.
Speaker B:And that's a Great experience in the winter.
Speaker A:I don't know if it's still the same owner, because I remember.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I know Jose from back when it was not there, even from his original location of.
Speaker A:Why am I forgetting the name?
Speaker B:Like, Itacate Penfield.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I used to be.
Speaker A:I used to be there, like, almost every week because when.
Speaker A:When that was, when that place was kicking, it was such an oasis for that kind of food, because at the time, there wasn't a lot of.
Speaker A:There wasn't a lot of options.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:That hit some of those traditional marks.
Speaker A:And we had so many great conversations about, you know, you know, his dad's ceviche and why it was traditional, even though people didn't perceive it that way, and how, you know, his wife's family was from this area.
Speaker A:And talking about that experience, I just had so many great conversations with Jose over the years.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's taqueria, but it's.
Speaker B:Don't.
Speaker B:It's elevated.
Speaker B:Like, it's more gourmet.
Speaker B:It's really thinking about the ingredients and, like, what regions of Mexico that they want to focus on and their menu changes.
Speaker B:But it's all very creative and well done.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's not.
Speaker A:It's not quite like, you know, itacate was more like straight traditional.
Speaker A:This definitely has that, you know, ties to, you know, modern hospitality and everything else to it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But shout out to Jose.
Speaker A:It's been.
Speaker A:It's been a long time.
Speaker A:I hope to go see him sometime soon, but there's a lot of stuff else over on that area, too.
Speaker B:So by the Fairport Village landing, you have Redbird Market.
Speaker B:So small gourmet market.
Speaker B:Local products are highlighted there.
Speaker B:I mean, that's really what they sell is local products.
Speaker B:Anything made in the area or within the region.
Speaker B:And I mean, such a great little shop.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Shout out.
Speaker A:Shout out to.
Speaker A:To Ryan Cugliamo and her mom who run that place.
Speaker A:Polly's a member of the Lunch of our podcast network.
Speaker A:So I also love just going to visit that store because every time I go in, I'll see something that I didn't know was made in New York state or made in our area or see all the stuff that they do in, you know, in the store, like making all the different peanut butters.
Speaker B:Yeah, the peanut butters.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's wild.
Speaker A:All the things they do in there.
Speaker B:They've got some great snacks in there, like bags of snacks.
Speaker B:Smaller size, larger size.
Speaker B:They have what looks like an empty canoe in the back of the store filled with bags of snacks.
Speaker B:It's a place that you should go to before a road trip.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, to grab snacks.
Speaker B:They.
Speaker B:They sell the.
Speaker B:The Finger Lakes popcorn in there.
Speaker B:That's really good.
Speaker A:They're really good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that, that's the fun thing too is, like, when you're there, you're gonna learn something.
Speaker A:But also, like, the service is always great.
Speaker A:Like, it's great to see Ryan, great to see your mom there.
Speaker A:And it is a real family spot.
Speaker A:And I think it's a core part of what it feels like a Fairport place.
Speaker B:Then you have Skips Meat Market back in that area.
Speaker A:I forgot that Skips was in there too.
Speaker B:Yeah, Skips.
Speaker B:So they just, a couple months ago, they added a fish counter in the store.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So now you can get your meat, your poultry, and then you have fish as well.
Speaker B:They have fresh food.
Speaker B:They have some frozen there.
Speaker B:And Steve, who's the owner, he's the best guy.
Speaker B:And they really, they really want to take care of their customers and just offer fine, high quality meat and will always take the time to give you advice on how to cook it.
Speaker B:There's some great rubs in there for the meat, like Stewart's spices that you can find those in Skips, and they have a great collection to just make your meal even better.
Speaker A:Yeah, good quality and affordable too.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It's not the highest end spices in the world, but it's fresh.
Speaker A:They don't bring a lot of.
Speaker A:They don't have a lot of stale stuff, which is really nice.
Speaker A:And I know that's like one of those things where I shouldn't have to say that, but a lot of places when you're buying spices, they're already past their prime.
Speaker A:And if you're getting their stuff, it actually still tastes really vibrant and it tastes really good.
Speaker A:And they do a really good job on the blending.
Speaker B:And just recently, I went for the second time to make a Texas chili with meat that I got at Skips.
Speaker B:And I got a Stuart spices ancho chili powder blend.
Speaker B:And, you know, when you look at the recipe for Texas chili, there's like 14 ingredients there, and they're all just things from your pantry spices.
Speaker B:But here, Stewart's put together everything you need in like one convenience spice.
Speaker A:Well, and getting ancho too, instead of just a generic chili powder, it's got a different complexity, Smokiness.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Using a variety of different Mexican chiles is, I think, like, key to making a great product, because you get that dynamic, you get that fruitiness, you get the smokiness, you get the roastiness.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:And that's the thing.
Speaker A:If they're old, they just get dusty and it doesn't taste good anymore.
Speaker B:Yeah, you have to replace those spices don't last forever.
Speaker A:No, that's great.
Speaker A:There is a place I did want to mention right around the corner, which is one of the reasons we like my wife and I, Carrie, we always went to Fairport for a long time, was going to Moonlight Creamery.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:The moonlight is like iconic.
Speaker B:You know it.
Speaker B:It's the greatest place creative ice cream there.
Speaker B:Michael's the owner now and they just.
Speaker B:When we go there, I'm always, I want vinegar on my ice cream or I want like a flavored oil on my ice cream, which is not an expected topping.
Speaker B:But on the right ice cream.
Speaker B:I mean it's, it's amazing.
Speaker A:What, what's, what's your favorite combination there?
Speaker B:Like a strawberry with a balsamic, you know, oil vinaigrette on it.
Speaker B:Like that is delicious.
Speaker B:There's an oat ice cream there.
Speaker A:It's really good, isn't it?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's really, really good.
Speaker A:I mean, but also, I mean, let's even just talk about setting for the strawberry.
Speaker A:I think that's something they've done really well.
Speaker A:So they don't make absolutely everything in the store.
Speaker A:And which one I really appreciate.
Speaker A:If you're not going to make the best version of that and you can only make so much, but you want to offer those things.
Speaker A:They also have a good partner that they work with that has some great well made stuff.
Speaker A:But the stuff that they make in store, I mean it's just really consistently very good at the baseline.
Speaker A:Like I tend to eat vegan.
Speaker A:I went in, they have always have a great selection of sorbets.
Speaker A:I went in recently, they had a citrus one.
Speaker A:I figured it was lemon and lime, but it had like actual citrus zest in it.
Speaker A:It's one of the best sorbets I've had in years.
Speaker A:And the fact that that's, you know, people don't know how great that place is.
Speaker A:I think they make some of the best ice cream in our area.
Speaker A:Straight up, bar none.
Speaker B:It's tucked kind of back a little bit sort of behind the library.
Speaker B:It's the most adorable shop.
Speaker B:It smells so good when you go in there with the cones and everything that they make.
Speaker A:Cause they're making it there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And it makes such a difference.
Speaker A:And when you go and you smelling those cones being made.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I mean and on the right night you go there and then you can Sit out in the park by the canal and just have your ice cream and, you know, watch the world go by and run into people that, you know.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:It's a.
Speaker B:It's a lovely night out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:Like I said, I.
Speaker A:That's one of those places that I think is still wildly underrated.
Speaker A:And as a.
Speaker A:As a brief story, when we.
Speaker A:When my wife and I got married, I don't like cake, generally speaking, because I find that unless you hit, like, the highest levels of cake, it's kind of.
Speaker A:Kind of mid.
Speaker A:Kind of boring.
Speaker A:We had an ice cream cake made.
Speaker A:We had a custom flavor they made for us there for our.
Speaker A:For our wedding.
Speaker A:So it was based off of a dessert we had at one of our favorite restaurants.
Speaker A:It was a dark chocolate, dark caramel, sea salt and toasted hazelnuts.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:That sounds amazing.
Speaker A:And it was an astonishing success.
Speaker A:It was one of the best ice creams I've ever had.
Speaker A:But it was also customized for us.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And the fact that they took that time to help us with that and make a flavor we wanted for our wedding, obviously we bought a decent amount of ice cream to make that happen, but it was also salted the way I wanted it, and the karma was the way I want it, and they just executed so well.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I always will say great things about that place.
Speaker A:And it's easy because they're also really good at what they do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, you can't go wrong there.
Speaker B:There's a.
Speaker B:Quite a few ice cream places in Fairport as well.
Speaker B:So if you can't find moonlight tucked back where it is.
Speaker B:But try to find Moonlight.
Speaker B:It's really good.
Speaker B:Over there, there's Royal Cafe.
Speaker B:They make some really, like, gelato.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:It's a gelato shop right around the corner.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So they're right on Main street, and they have something there, the ice.
Speaker B:It's like a spaghetti sundae.
Speaker B:So where they take the vanilla ice cream, they put it through a ricer so it comes out like spaghetti noodles.
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker B:I have a video on my Instagram page, and then they'll put a food.
Speaker A:And drink on Instagram.
Speaker B:Yeah, Go check that out and check out the video, because it's like, it's the most delicious ice cream.
Speaker B:And then they'll have a raspberry sauce on top, and they'll have little brownie meatballs and some shaved coconut is the parmesan cheese.
Speaker B:And it looks like you're eating a spaghetti sundae.
Speaker B:And it's ice cream.
Speaker A:It's a little too fun for me.
Speaker A:I don't like fun, but I know people like that kind of stuff.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Like, hey, you know what?
Speaker A:Try something if people.
Speaker A:People buy into it.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Like, hey, getting people in the door is hard.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And Fairport's done a nice job.
Speaker B:That area right by Royal Cafe and Lift Bridge Yarns, it was kind of like an entrance way into a parking lot, and they closed that off and they made it like, you know, you go there, there's music piped in, there's tables for you to sit at and chairs, and it's a bike lane.
Speaker B:And it's really like trying to be approachable.
Speaker B:You can bring your stuff, you can eat outside, you can have your ice cream here and just sit and relax and enjoy, like, watching people come by.
Speaker B:They opened up a public restroom back there.
Speaker A:Oh, awesome.
Speaker B:So, you know, just one more way to make it convenient and enjoyable to be in the Village.
Speaker A:Well, I think that's the other thing that I wanted to talk about.
Speaker A:I mean, we'll.
Speaker A:We'll still finish with more food and drink, but there's something about the community that is.
Speaker A:You know, sometimes it's easy to forget that being able to walk to things is a luxury we've lost in so many neighborhoods in the greater Rochester area.
Speaker A:Like, people talk about our neighborhood, the Northwood Village is walkable.
Speaker A:For me to walk to the things I want to walk to is going to take me 25 minutes to walk to anything I want to walk to from here.
Speaker A:And it's really hard to think about that when I see Fairport and I see all the things.
Speaker A:Even if you live in some of the residential neighborhoods around there, you can get to that core area in 10 minutes.
Speaker A:Walk, and you can be in that area and then be able to walk to all these different options.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The dining, the shopping.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, they're fizzy bombs.
Speaker B:They make, you know, the soap that's really cool, prop me up, which is a new plant store opening up.
Speaker B:There's two art galleries in the Village now.
Speaker A:Oh, talk about those for a second.
Speaker B:So there's Railroad.
Speaker B:Railroad street artworks.
Speaker B:And they opened up probably in the summer, this past summer.
Speaker B:And they really find there's a lot of traffic between like, 4 and 6:30.
Speaker B:And that's because they're getting people who are ready to go eat out for dinner, but they're not quite.
Speaker B:They're not quite ready yet.
Speaker B:And so they'll go in and they'll wander the gallery and then they'll go out to dinner.
Speaker B:So they get a lot of traffic that way.
Speaker B:The other one is Stony Point Art Studio.
Speaker B:So they opened maybe about a month or two ago.
Speaker A:Oh, nice.
Speaker B:Brand new.
Speaker B:And they have, like.
Speaker B:They want to make art accessible for people.
Speaker B:So people have different abilities.
Speaker B:They will work with you.
Speaker B:They'll find what you're interested in.
Speaker B:They'll have art classes there.
Speaker B:They have gallery space there.
Speaker B:They're right on Main street as well.
Speaker A:Well, that's really cool.
Speaker A:I hadn't heard of that yet.
Speaker A:That seems like the kind of place I'd want to maybe get in one of our art shows and have them talk about what they're doing there.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I'm sure they'd love to talk about it.
Speaker A:That's really cool.
Speaker A:And that's the other thing is, like, you mentioned the yarn store.
Speaker A:Like, it's all those little places that make a place seem vibrant, Right?
Speaker A:Because it's not just that you can go buy that stuff there.
Speaker A:It's that, hey, if you want to be that person and you want to do that as part of your hobby, it's a place to go and learn about that.
Speaker A:And it makes you feel like you're in a place where you can hang out.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:So there's the yarn store.
Speaker B:They're so creative, which is, you know, the sewing supply store.
Speaker B:And they're part of the New York State fiber trail.
Speaker B:So this is something.
Speaker B:If you are into fiber arts and crafts, you're a knitter, a crochet, you know, whatever your thing is.
Speaker B:Quilter, that there's a website and a network, and you can check out these places and they're part of the fiber trail.
Speaker B:Like, this could be, like, a purpose destination for you.
Speaker A:That's so cool.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Especially, like, that's the kind of thing that, yeah.
Speaker A:Builds.
Speaker A:It might not be your culture, but the fact that there's a community around that thing where people feel like they're part of it, like, that's the stuff that makes, you know, these efforts make it feel like, hey, New York is together.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:We have these opportunities to build these diverse and fascinating, weird little communities.
Speaker A:But those are the places you feel like most yourself.
Speaker A:Like, I feel most myself around people who love nerding out about food and drink or just about where we live.
Speaker A:And to know that people have that option in front of them.
Speaker A:And now I get to remember that for the next person that tells me that they're really into that, that, hey, you should go look at the fiber trail in New York because you might be able to Travel and make a.
Speaker A:Make your next trip around there.
Speaker B:I mean, think about the boaters that come in.
Speaker B:You know, they're traveling the Erie Canal when the weather is right.
Speaker B:This makes it a reason to stop in Fairport.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like for, for that person who is the fiber crafter.
Speaker B:For person who is interested in art galleries, want to take maybe a class or something while they're there.
Speaker B:There's a pottery studio created by us.
Speaker B:Pottery.
Speaker B:Like there's all these little fun reasons to stop.
Speaker B:And then of course there's great food and drink.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So we talked a lot about the, I would say the, you know, the modern places in Fairport.
Speaker A:And there's a ton of places that are, I'd say the meat and potatoes places that have been in Fairport for a long time.
Speaker A:You know, what I'd refer to as, you know, you got your townie bars, you got your hots places, you've got your other stuff.
Speaker A:But a lot of those are also really well regarded and they've been destinations for a long time.
Speaker B:One place that we really enjoy is T.J.
Speaker B:ryan's.
Speaker B:And this bar, I mean, has probably been a bar for well over 100 years, you know, changing hands.
Speaker B:But always like that little corner of Fairport has just been like where the bars are and right across the parking lot is shorts.
Speaker B:But TJ Ryan's, they changed ownership probably around 20, 21 or 2.
Speaker B:And you have the brothers TJ and Ryan, who are like running the bar.
Speaker B:The parents are involved, cousin Gabby, there's like some really nice bartenders there.
Speaker B:And it probably years ago would have been like your townie dive bar.
Speaker B:And it still has that feel, but it also, it attracts a really young element.
Speaker B:And we'll talk to people there.
Speaker B:And here's the girl who's celebrating her 21st birthday party and she's from Henrietta and this person's from Irondequoit, like coming to T.J.
Speaker B:ryan's because there's, it's just like a fun place to hang out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But that stuff's important too, right.
Speaker A:It's like, it can't just be nerdery, it can't just be high end everything.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Like you need that stuff too.
Speaker A:And you need the, you need your Abbotts, you need the, you need all the other things that are around and you need the hotsplaces and all those kind of places to hang out because.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It needs to be for everybody.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Fairport Village Inn, that's another.
Speaker B:That's a really popular place that's been around since the 70s and also right on Main Street.
Speaker B:And, I mean, they do great wings there.
Speaker B:You know, it's a fun bar.
Speaker A:I remember going in there.
Speaker B:Restaurant is terrific, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:What I kind of want to end off with is what a lot of people think about when it comes to Fairport is Canal Days.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So this.
Speaker A:If people don't regularly go to Fairport, this is the time they go in.
Speaker A:I would love to know, like, when.
Speaker A:When you got to Fairport and you went to Canal Days for the first time, what was your impression of.
Speaker A:What was your impression of it?
Speaker B:I loved that the streets were closed off and it was.
Speaker B:It was so big.
Speaker B:It was friendly.
Speaker B:I mean, I remember my son was really young and the local politicians would be there, like, you know, pressing the flesh, and there was the poster.
Speaker B:And it's just like a fun cross section of people who.
Speaker B:They enjoy festivals and they make this part of their calendar in the first weekend in June.
Speaker B:And it's coming on again this year.
Speaker B:First weekend in June.
Speaker B:It's probably one of the high points of the summer.
Speaker B:Starts the summer, and I'd say ends the summer in Fairport is Fairport Music Festival.
Speaker A:Oh, that's right.
Speaker A:I forgot that those are separate.
Speaker B:One at the end of August, one at the beginning of June.
Speaker B:And that's kind of like hugs around the summertime in Fairport.
Speaker B:And then, of course, Oktoberfest in September is another big weekend in New York.
Speaker A:Oh, that's right.
Speaker A:That's one of the bigger Oktoberfests, too.
Speaker A:That brings in a lot of people.
Speaker B:A lot of people.
Speaker A:I mean, those three are kind of like the big highlights on the calendar.
Speaker A:And I'll say, as somebody like.
Speaker A:Like you said, I don't like fun.
Speaker A:I'm not a festival person, but I know how important they are for the town.
Speaker A:And it brings in a lot of people who might not regularly be there.
Speaker B:You know, as a fourth grade teacher, kind of like coming back to where we started.
Speaker B:I love collecting the poster from Canal Days.
Speaker B:And I'll buy the current one, I'll get it signed by the artist, and then I'll buy like, two older ones that maybe I wasn't around for those Canal Days festivals.
Speaker B:And I have probably about 15 of them hanging in my classroom.
Speaker A:Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker B:Because, you know, fourth grade curriculum, we talk about local history, we talk about New York State, and it's just a nice way for them to be living in a place that has so much history, so many things going on.
Speaker B:These kids have got it really good.
Speaker B:They are so lucky to live where they live.
Speaker B:Like, it's a beautiful village, a wonderful community.
Speaker B:They're really proud of, like their Raiders.
Speaker B:And I feel very fortunate to be a part of this.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:So I'd love to know, is there a place that is under known that you need to tell me about that I need to travel into Fairport for specifically?
Speaker A:I know we mentioned a ton of places and if it's one of those, cool.
Speaker A:If it's something else you haven't mentioned, that's like, hey, here's the thing you need to go check out.
Speaker B:I mean, one thing I guess I want to give a shout out to is the Barking Bun Catering Company.
Speaker B:So this was a push cart that was outside of one of the bars on Friday and Saturday nights.
Speaker B:So the bar wouldn't serve any food.
Speaker B:Just have your drinks.
Speaker B:You can come to the push cart and get like a burger.
Speaker B:And since then, Gage, who's the owner of Barking Bun, he's moved into the Fairport convenience store and there's a little kitchen area and he makes sandwiches and he's got like about six different hot sandwiches.
Speaker B:He's got a cold turkey sandwich, he's got salads and his most popular one.
Speaker B:Let me just make sure I get this right.
Speaker B:Let's see.
Speaker B:Gage, where are you?
Speaker A:See, I love that kind of thing though too, is, you know, that evolution of somebody from a cart or a truck or just doing something at home, turning it into something.
Speaker A:Because these have this unbridled passion for that thing.
Speaker B:It's this west coast chicken sandwich that he makes along with like a Philly cheesesteak sandwich.
Speaker A:Oh, fun.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's $10 for the sandwich and chips.
Speaker B:And you're supporting this local guy, Fairport Graduation, who has a vision for that location, that he wants to really grow it.
Speaker B:I mean, so grassroots, right?
Speaker B:The push cart.
Speaker B:But now he's got a little kitchen and then he wants to make it more and then he wants to have, you know, he's got dreams and he's got some really good food.
Speaker B:His burgers are really good with his special boom boom sauce.
Speaker B:Like he's.
Speaker B:He's somebody to check out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the name again, it's called Barking Bun Catering Company.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:No, that.
Speaker A:That sounds like a really cool thing to check out and not to leave on a negative note, but what's the thing you would love to see in Fairport that is not there right now?
Speaker B:You know, I.
Speaker B:I love Mediterranean food.
Speaker A:Yeah, me too.
Speaker B:So I would love to see something like that.
Speaker B:Turkish, Greek, maybe like a sushi place.
Speaker A:Oh, that would be fun.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, because that's like, that's one of my favorite things to talk about is like West Asian food and like the variety of options we have in Rochester from all the different countries.
Speaker A:I would love to give you a list of all the places to go visit around Rochester because I made.
Speaker A:We did three years running a service for, with small minority owned restaurants called Nominate, and I got the pleasure of working with so many of those places directly.
Speaker A:It's, it's really nice to have that, you know, mental map of where all these places are and what their origins are.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So very cool.
Speaker A:Well, I really appreciate you coming over and, you know, teaching me more about Fairport.
Speaker A:I kind of, I was a little greedy.
Speaker A:I kind of wanted to learn more about things and give myself a list of places to go check out next time I go into town.
Speaker B:Yeah, you park once you walk around, I mean, you can spend the day there into the evening.
Speaker B:There's just like a variety of things to do.
Speaker B:And you're supporting local merchants.
Speaker B:Like these are people who are members of the community, their families maybe own another business and their kids are in the school.
Speaker B:And you just feel like this is where it really all begins, just supporting that local economy, making a choice with your money.
Speaker B:You know, you can go to Applebee's or you can support somebody whose kids are going to like a soccer camp, you know, and being like, purposeful in that, that's, that's really where we begin to see growth.
Speaker A:I think that's a great way to end this, is spend your money on purpose, support amazing places that you care about.
Speaker A:Because not every place is going to last forever and really enjoy the places that you love.
Speaker A:Why don't you throw in the plugs for Fairport Food and Drink and let people know how they can follow you?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:So on Instagram, it's Fairport Food and Drink.
Speaker B:I post like two, three times a week.
Speaker B:I'm trying to do my stories every day.
Speaker B:And I'll also repost things from some of the local businesses.
Speaker B:So if I see that they have something going on, I'll throw it on my page just to give them an extra boost.
Speaker B:Another shout out for something that's going on.
Speaker B:And then on Facebook, also, Fairport Food and Drink.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:Well, thank you so much for coming over.
Speaker A:I really appreciate your time.
Speaker A:And if you want to check out other shows on the Lunchadore podcast network, you go to lunchadore.org and check out all the shows.
Speaker A:Really appreciate if you check out our two new shows that are starting later this month, we have audiobooks from in this Moment.
Speaker A:We have one up right now.
Speaker A:We'll have two more up hopefully close to when this is posted.
Speaker A:And also check out the new music show.
Speaker A:First episode will be posted towards the end of February called Nights and Weekends.
Speaker A:Really excited about that and thanks for listening to Food About Town podcast.
Speaker A:We'll be back more next time.
Speaker A:Thanks for listening to the Food About Town podcast.
Speaker A:If you aren't already subscribed, what are you waiting for?
Speaker A:Go to your podcast app of choice and make us your favorite podcast by subscribing and leaving a review if you can.
Speaker A:Music for the podcast was created by the fabulous Torres Savant.
Speaker A:You can hear more of his work@taurusavant.bandcamp.com and make your presence known by seeing him perform live.
Speaker A:Foodabout Town is a proud member of the Lunchadore Podcast Network.
Speaker A:Oh no, here comes McKenna.
Speaker A:This has been a presentation of the Lunchadore Podcast Network.
Speaker A:I'm pretty sure the tagline for Fairport is Where life's worth living.
Speaker A:It's hard to remember.
Speaker A:There's way too many taglines for all the towns in our area.
