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...