Samantha Brown to feature parts of Rochester region in new 'Places to Love' episode

Samantha Brown is no stranger to this area.

The host of the Emmy Award-winning travel series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love lived in Canandaigua as a young child before her family relocated to New Hampshire.

Her mom worked at Canandaigua Wine Company (now Constellation Brands).

There were family outings to Roseland Amusement Park. “I have such fond memories of that place,” Brown said.

And — bonus points — one of her earliest recollections of her dad is of him drinking a can of Genesee Cream Ale.

Two years ago, Brown featured Corning and Keuka Lake on her series.

Last May, she returned to the region to shoot an episode in unspoiled portions of Livingston, Genesee and Monroe counties.

Titled “Genesee River Valley, NY,” it premieres at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, on WXXI-TV (cable channel 11).

“We really wanted to do a rural destination with a defining feature of nature,” said Brown, whose other upstate connection is to Syracuse University, from which she graduated in 1992. “We wanted to feature a place that wasn’t overrun like Colorado, but still had natural beauty and unexpected experiences.”

In addition, “People play a huge part in our show, and we were able to connect with such a diversity of people.”

Among them, Rochester-based artist Shawn Dunwoody. Brown met up with him in Livonia and participated in one of his community mural-painting projects. In Mount Morris, she visited Melanie Alvarez Santiago, owner/chef of Boriken Restaurant, which brings Puerto Rico’s flavors, customs, traditions and culture to that small community and surrounding area. At Piffard’s Abbey of The Genesee, Brown sought and received sage advice about handling pandemic-related isolation from Father Isaac, one of two-dozen Roman Catholic contemplative monks who live there.

She also spoke one-on-one with Dunwoody in Mount Morris, near one of his completed murals, which is based on the original Pledge of Allegiance written by Mount Morris native Francis Bellamy. “They were awesome,” Dunwoody said of Brown and her crew. “They followed me around. They’ve got you all mic-ed up, so you’ve got to be careful what you say. You know how that goes,” he added with a laugh. “But it was a great experience. She’s good people.”

Another stop was Letchworth State Park, where she explored then-under construction Autism Nature Trail, the nation’s first to address the sensory needs of people with autism and developmental disabilities. (It opened in October 2021.)

“We were so excited about it that we didn’t care that it was under construction,” she said. “Diversity isn’t just cultural, it’s also a neurological state of mind. And here was this path, being made accessible for all to enjoy.”

Her itinerary also included Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford, where she spent about three hours.

“She a very, very nice person and genuinely wanted to learn about what we do,” said Becky Wehle, the living history institutions CEO and president. “She likes being able to do hands-on things and things her viewers would be able to do when they come to visit.”

True. That is something she also likes to highlight on her show. So, besides touring the grounds, which span 600 acres and feature 68 buildings representing three time periods from 1795 to 1900, Brown worked with the museum’s cooper making a wooden bucket.

“You can do baking, you can do chocolate-making or pottery,” she said. “You can learn from people who know these crafts. It is really rare, what they offer. And I love their dedication.”

She said it’s hard to put into words how touched she was by all of the experiences she had filming the Genesee River Valley episode.

"It’s a beautiful episode," she said, "and it has nothing to do with me. It’s about the great people who really are the soul of the place."

At times during the pandemic, “It’s been hard for me to do my job and show up for it,” she said. “And just being with the people there gave me such a sense of, ‘I can do this.’ I didn’t know my soul needed the Genesee River Valley until I got there."

After its premiere on WXXI television, the show will be offered at wxxi.org and on Brown's website, samantha-brown.com.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Samantha Brown features Rochester region in new 'Places to Love' show