southern finger lakes

Stephanie Ferree is originally from the Bronx, NY. Her father is of Dominican descent and her mother, Puerto Rican. She is one of 9 children and grew up surrounded by love, laughter, music, and food in a small NYC apartment.

She first came to the Finger Lakes to attend SUNY Oswego right on Lake Ontario. This is where she met her husband, Travis, who is from Bath, NY.

After graduating college in 2011, she moved to the Southern Tier while Travis worked on finishing his student teaching. The move was supposed to be a temporary one.

But then opportunity knocked. “I was hired by Corning Incorporated for my Spanish language skills as a Service Desk Analyst to support Spanish speaking customers.” She quipped, “My mom was right all those years ago when she told me that learning to speak Spanish would benefit me!”

Spanish fluency would be a desired skill not so easily found in this area, and the company trained Stephanie for her new role.

After 4 years of providing technical support for Corning Inc., she was hired as a Knowledge Analyst, and in 2020 took was promoted to Application Specialist.

She noted, “I have been at my ‘temporary job’ for 11 years now!”

Stephanie had only visited Bath and Corning a couple of times before moving here after college. She admitted she had concerns at first. “I worried about diversity, not having things to do for entertainment or many career options.”

She remembers that it was not difficult to relocate to the area because of her husband and because of her new job. But recalls how it required her to learn to drive, something she never needed to do living in NYC. “At first, I needed to be driven to work and other places,” she said, “So, I was excited to learn how to drive!”

Over time, her initial concerns also faded. “When I first moved here, I had no idea all the things this place has to offer. Pre-kids my husband and I did a lot more wine tastings, went to free live music events and concerts, visited all the local restaurants, went to all the festivals, hiking, and even visited haunted houses! Now, with kids, we find there is even more to do!”

She also noted that much has changed in the 11 years. “I’ve discovered so many things we can do as a family that doesn’t cost us money. I’ve learned so much about wine. I love this area and all that it has to offer.”

Stephanie finds that one of the greatest advantages of living here is the amount of space and the ease of day-to-day living. She now finds NYC far more hectic and crowded. “I like living in a small town. I can run errands during lunch like to the DMV, which would have taken me half a day in NYC.” She added, “I’ve had opportunities to learn about growing my own food and have friends that own farms. I have learned so much about owning a home. When I moved here as a 22-year-old, I couldn’t believe people my age were buying homes, but this area allows young people to be more independent. Money goes a long way here.”

Stephanie also loves her 8-minute commute to work.

On winter days after work, she and her family stay in and have dinner. In the summer, they like to visit local ice cream shops, walk along the bike path and enjoy all the outdoors has to offer especially on hot summer days.

She continued. “We are part of an amazing church, Hope Church, that has helped us raise our littles. We love to visit local farms and museums like the Corning Museum of Glass, The Rockwell Museum, and The Heritage Village.”

Stephanie and her family delight in the seasonal experiences too, like pumpkin picking and apple picking in the fall, or visiting the local swimming holes in the summer.  “My absolute favorite is spending time on Keuka lake. My cousin-in-law has a boat and we take the whole family and spend Saturdays out on the water.”

If you are looking to relocate to the area and are unsure, Stephanie says she can offer so many reasons to convince you to take the leap. “There is something for everyone in your family. The community is small but supportive. There are so many local places to visit. Small businesses thrive here.” She continues, “Visiting the lakes is free. Hiking is free. There are so many free things for families to enjoy and when they are not free, they are affordable. NYC is only 4 hours away and Canada is only 2 hours away.”

She added, “There are many farmer’s markets weekly, and not only in the summer. The Corning farmers market has the best Amish donuts.” She’s also grateful for what living in the Southern Tier has meant for her family, “This place has been an amazing place to raise children. They have so much more than I could have offered them in a city,” and for her career, “I work for a great company that is diverse and is constantly bringing in more diversity to the area.”

Stephanie also stated that whether here for a weekend or looking to relocate one should be prepared to fall in love with the views. “The hills are beautiful. We have some of the best waterfalls here, and fall,” she added, “fall foliage is like a screen saver.”

Stephanie and Travis Ferree live in Painted Post NY with their children, Sienna (4), William (3), and a fur baby, Miya.

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your story with us!

Learn more about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes and the resources available for those looking for something new.

Olivia Coffey is not new to the Southern Tier, but she would go on amazing journeys before her heart would lead her back here.

She lived in Corning and then moved to Watkins Glen, where she attended elementary school. She would go on to boarding school and wouldn’t spend much time in the area for the next 15 years.

She went to Harvard for college and then lived in Princeton, NJ, and the NYC area, training with the US Rowing team. All while also working for an NYC-based private equity firm.

Olivia spent a year at graduate school at Cambridge University in the UK and, up until this past summer, was living in Princeton, NJ, full-time before competing in the Tokyo Olympics! 

In 2019, she and her husband, Michael Blomquist, bought their cottage on Seneca Lake in Burdett, NY. Visiting the area served as an escape for them – for weekend escapes or remote work for a few weeks. Little did they know it would be the perfect reprieve from a global pandemic.

She recalls, “When I was growing up, I remember driving over the hills from Watkins Glen to Ithaca with my mom, and she would say to me, ‘You don’t realize it, but you live in one of the most beautiful areas in the country.’ And she was right.” She added, “I didn’t realize it at the time, but after years of traveling around the country (and the world) with school and rowing, I knew that this is the area where I wanted to end up. I love being close to my family and living in a place with such abundant natural beauty.”

Olivia feels that growing up in this area was a real privilege. She was so excited to come back and share her love for the area with her husband, who is originally from North Carolina. 

Despite being “from here,” she still is astounded by how beautiful the area is with its lush vistas, gorges, and lakes.

“I don’t know if I could ask for anything more,” she said. “I’ve also been impressed by how much investment has been made to revitalize local communities. It really feels like the whole area is experiencing a huge economic upswing. Summers were busy before, but I’ve never seen anything like the past few. We are getting a lot of visitors from out of town, which is excellent for our economy, and I hope it’s something we can capitalize on to develop this region further.”

When it came to relocating to the area, Olivia found it as pain-free as it comes. With her family already here, they helped them find their home, even touring it while Olivia and her husband were still out of town. They bravely put in an offer on the home site-unseen based on her family’s recommendations alone! With accommodating sellers and a home completely furnished (which made up for them not having any), everything seemed to fall in place nicely and quickly.

With the world shut down and everything postponed, Olivia was training for the Olympics that same summer. She recalls, “I felt uplifted by the whole community. I had support everywhere I went, and that summer of training propelled my athletic abilities and enabled me to make the team for Tokyo.”

When not training for the Olympics, Olivia loves to exercise and finds that there are many beautiful places to go bike riding and running, especially in the summertime. She enjoys a dip in the lake after a hard workout, and during the colder months, she likes to spend time at her parent’s farm, where she’ll play with their animals, drive the tractor around, or help her dad in his shop.

She admires the area’s entrepreneurial spirit and enjoys spending time reconnecting with friends, many of whom have also returned home.

“The older I get, the more I appreciate the quality of life and simple pleasures, of which this area has many.”

She added, “The community is open and accessible. The schools are highly rated. And now, especially with remote work, you can pursue a career in almost any field while living a balanced and fulfilling life.”

She said she also loves that the air is clean and there’s no traffic. You can buy a reasonably sized home with plenty of land at an affordable price,” adding, “The opportunities are here to be great at almost anything you choose to pursue.”

Olivia’s tip for anyone looking to relocate to the area? “Get in while you can!! Only semi-joking here. I think this region will expand over the next decade or so.” 

For Olivia, “Upstate New York is one of the best places to live in the world.” And she hopes that anyone who moves to the area loves it as much as she does.

Thank you, Olivia, for sharing your story with us! Welcome back home!

Learn more about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes and the resources available for those looking for something new.

Orlando Rodriguez is the Owner and Chef of Graft Wine and Cider Bar in Watkins Glen. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1999 with a Bachelors’s in Management. He is a U.S. born child of the Dominican Republic and moved to the area in September of 2007, where he lives with his wife and 4 children, Olivia 22, Miranda 19, Emilia 14, Emmanuel 12

He and his wife spent a couple of years looking for the right area to raise their kids in, including three different states. When a job came up in the Finger Lakes region for an Executive Chef position they decided to check it out. “We took part of our vacation and came for an interview and spent 2 days visiting the area,” said Orlando. It was their first time in the region, one they had never heard of until then. “14 years ago we fell in love with the area and saw the potential that the region had”, he said. “The region has bloomed tremendously and I am glad to be part of this community.”

The move didn’t come without its concerns. Coming from living a city lifestyle with everything close by was one of the challenges he worried about. He wondered how easy it would be to get fresh products to use for a restaurant in a rural area. But after doing some research and going to a local market, he discovered one of the highlights about living in the Southern Finger Lakes. “I found out quickly that fresh ingredients were readily available,” he said. “So many artisan cheeses, vegetables, meats, and grains are all locally grown and processed.”

Indeed. Those new to the area soon discover that farm-to-table isn’t a trend here, or a high-end commodity at fancy restaurants, but a lifestyle, for all to enjoy.

Because of Orlando’s profession, he still feels as busy as he was in the city, but also finds it easier to take a step back in life and appreciate the silence and beauty of the area.

Relocating to the area 14 years ago, before the accessibility of smartphone technology, made the process a bit difficult at first. He recalls, “The internet was not as easy to navigate as it is today, and at the time, living in a rural area, we only had dial-up.” Oh how far we have come! “At the time,” he added, “We contacted a realtor to help us find a place to live. There were two places for rent in the marketplace that we wanted to be in.” Luckily one of the places they looked at accommodated what was their family of 5 at the time. And a short 8 months later they found the home where they live to this day. And buying a home was one of the immediate advantages he and his family had in moving to the area, a goal he found would be hard to achieve on a chef’s salary.

Now, Orlando and his family are very much a staple of the Finger Lakes. He is beloved by his community and visitors and friends frequent his restaurant, delighting in the fresh flavors of the food and wine pairings they can experience there. An extra treat is the elements of his Dominican heritage he adds to some of his dishes.

Aside from the busy schedule of running a restaurant, a normal day in his household includes taking care of all of the pets that reside in our home. “We have 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 1 hamster,” he says. But unlike the hustle and demands of life in the bigger city, he gets to the time enjoy getting the kids ready for school and seeing his wife, Natacia off to work, and sometimes adding the extra attention of turning on her car and making her coffee before she leaves. His family likes to go on hikes with the dogs, a bike ride on the trails, take their kayaks on the lakes nearby, and spend time at the lakes BBQing. And while his pride and joy are his family, his dream come true is his restaurant. “Graft has been my new baby these past 2 years,” he said with pride, “I get up and take care of deliveries, prep and come up with new menu ideas.”

His advice for someone looking to relocate to the Southern Finger Lakes is, “Just do your research and figure out where you want to be.” He advises that you rent first and then find a home that you would like to purchase if that is something you want to do. He also suggests that you take advantage of the outdoor activities and the farmer markets.

He added. “The region is still ever-evolving and growing. There are so many hidden gems, do not be afraid to stop and check out the little shops, trails, or lakes. There are so many artisan places in the region, not to mention the ever-growing wine, beers, ciders, and distilleries scene. There is something to do year-round in this region.”

Thank you to Chef Orlando for sharing his story with us. And don’t forget to visit his restaurant, Graft Wine + Cider Bar located at 204 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen, NY 14891.

Learn more about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes and the resources available for those looking for something new.