I entered Cafe Sasso on Park Avenue just like I’ve done dozens of times before. But this time I was with my friend and That Sounds Terrific podcast cohost, Nick Koziol, as well as (585) photographer Tom Flint. We were soon joined by V Spehar. Few people in the area know that the award-winning short-form journalist of Under the Desk News fame lives in our area. Spehar has interviewed and partnered with the likes of Presidents Obama and Biden as well as many other notable politicians and journalists. More than three million subscribers on TikTok, along with followers on Instagram and Substack, look to Spehar for concise, jargon-free, and accessible news coverage that prioritizes the emotional and mental well-being of their audience.
I could go on about how they recently won the honor of being on the Time100 Creators list recognizing them as one of the most influential social media content creators in the world. I could discuss how Spehar has helped Gen Z understand the current political landscape through their in-depth but digestible coverage of elections, policy, and current affairs. But you can find that info all over the internet. That day in Sasso was about getting to know how this local spends their time in our beloved Rochester.
739 Park Ave.
“The coffee is very good,” says Spehar as they sip on a simple iced coffee. It seems like all the staff knows who they are, and smiles abound as Spehar places their order. “It was like one of the first places I came to when we moved here. I just happened to randomly come in here, and I loved all the art. The vibes are great. I think it’s affordable compared to other fancy coffee.”
“Sometimes if I’m coming for an afternoon coffee, then we’ll get Pittsford Dairy ice cream, too.”
What else does Spehar like to do when visiting Park Avenue? Visit Happy Feet Spa, of course. “It’s truly, genuinely, a wonderful experience . . . [and] super affordable. Amazing.”
After lots of talking about family, Rochester, tattoos, and life, we realized that time was flying by. We headed to our next stop, the George Eastman Museum.
900 East Ave.
The mansion was quiet with very few guests that morning. We first headed to the dining room, then sauntered into the conservatory, perhaps the most well-known and most photographed space in Eastman’s early-twentieth-century home.
“I like this room because Rochester doesn’t get so terribly hot, but you can imagine, without air conditioning, how fun and airy and beautiful and restful this would have been,” Spehar tells us as we take in the bright space where Eastman once entertained guests and listened to his organ.
“It also inspires a lot of curiosity; you could imagine looking at the plants or sitting and reading. Every room in this house inspires you to be better. And I think that’s a fun thing. When I have burnout, I’ll . . . just go walk through the Eastman House and be better.”
It was getting close to midday by the time we finished our stroll through the mansion, so we decided to pack it in and head over to Peppermint to do a little shopping.
145 Culver Rd.
This iconic Rochester store is owned by Tanvi Asher. Rochesterians cannot get enough of the hip but accessible styles, gifts, and more that Asher offers. We browsed through dresses and gabbed the whole time like any group of friends would on a day off work.
“My wife gets most of her clothes from here. [Tanvi] is just super fair about pric-ing. She’s really good at picking stuff. And they always have a good mix of sizes, and it is always flattering,” notes Spehar as they examine dresses that might suit their wife.
But the real fun begins when we head upstairs to where there are countless Rochester-themed goodies such as t-shirts, mugs, posters, and more. “If you were to come to my house, you will find all of these things,” Spehar notes, picking up a hat to try on. Spehar’s pure joy looking at the Flower City goodies is infectious, and it wasn’t long before we were all trying on hats and even oven mitts and laughing about it all. “There’re so many little fab things that just make you happy here,” says Spehar with a smile. But we were hungry, and it was time to head back to Park Avenue.
690 Park Ave.
“My favorite thing here is the shrimp tacos,” says Spehar as the four of us take a seat at a sidewalk table outside of Dorado. “I think they’re the best thing on the whole freaking menu. They’re iconic. But everything is good because it’s a Swan family restaurant, so obviously everything is good.”
It’s tacos all around as we soak up the sun and continue chatting.
Many people ask Spehar (who used to work in the culinary world and was once the director of impact at the James Beard Foundation) if they ever miss dining in New York City, and they assuredly tell them no, because right here on Park Avenue “it’s better because it’s all accessible, and it’s all the best types of food you would get in New York City, but it’s on one street; so you could just go whenever you want.”
When they aren’t eating at a Park Avenue spot, they like to go to Taichi, TC Hooligans, or Swillburger.
The tacos came, and we talked about everything from old jobs to Rochester Spiritualism, as well as the possibility of past lives.
I couldn’t help but ask if there was anyone Spehar ever felt truly nervous to meet. They quickly answered that it was Vice President Kamala Harris. When trans youth Nex Benedict was murdered in 2024, Spehar went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to tell Harris the sad news.
“I genuinely cared about her and her opinion, so I started to cry,” says Spehar. “She reaches across and goes, ‘It’s a sad story. This is the saddest story. You can cry. I would cry. It’s sad.’”
Yes, we are all now one degree of separation from Obama, Biden, Harris, and more; and it all happened over tacos on Park Ave. We finished up and parted ways with hugs and smiles and promises to hang out again.
To learn more about V Spehar, visit underthedesknews.com.
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of (585).
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