In the Finger Lakes, women-owned businesses are rooted in heritage, fueled by passion, and shaped by the women behind them. From family traditions to new ventures.
Visit Finger Lakes connected with inspiring women business owners across different towns throughout Ontario County to learn more about their journeys. Here, we’re proud to share a few of their stories—modern women whose passion and dedication strengthen our community in meaningful ways.
Karen Brake, Mrs. Brake's Spices
1560 State Route 332, Farmington, N.Y.
Karen is the owner of Mrs. Brake’s Spices, a specialty store offering a wide variety of in-house blended spices, handmade products, local crafts, and more.
At Mrs. Brake's Spices, Karen offers cooking classes for children and inclusive, hands-on classes tailored to adults with disabilities. Through cooking and hands-on experiences, she teaches skills that help each participant connect and gain confidence in their own way.
Passionate about keeping her products fresh, healthy, and sustainable, Karen is especially proud of learning how to create spice blends without anticaking agents—food additives used to prevent clumping, sticking, or hardening—while still maintaining freshness. She prioritizes reusing materials and refilling containers whenever possible to help keep them out of landfills.
Keeping in mind her interest in giving back to the community, Karen also runs the Farmington Farmers Market and is involved in initiatives with the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, working to create a supportive environment where vendors connect with one another and never feel alone. Karen shares that “it is important that everybody at the market feels valued and wanted, and I try to create a family atmosphere. People say, ‘smile because you never know if you are the only one smiling at that person that day, and that could make a difference for them,’ and that really is true.”
Nova Cadamatre, Trestle Thirty One
436 Exchange St., Geneva, N.Y.
Nova Cadamatre, Master of Wine, is the co-owner of Trestle Thirty One, a boutique winery focused on estate-grown, sustainably produced wines.
Nova discovered her passion for winemaking after her first harvest in Pennsylvania in 2003, when she volunteered with local wineries. After earning a Bachelor’s in Viticulture from Cornell University in 2006, she moved to California, where she worked with fruit from across the state before settling in Napa to focus on different varieties.
After falling in love with the industry, her dream became running her own winery and vineyard. In 2015, she founded Trestle Thirty One in the Finger Lakes and has since added three additional brands in both New York and California: Fiadh Ruadh, Snowshell Vineyards, and Sorèlune. Nova now travels between Napa and the Finger Lakes to manage her California and New York projects.
In 2017, Nova became the first female winemaker in the United States to achieve the title of Master of Wine. Currently, there are 425 active Masters of Wine worldwide. “This was such an amazing feeling because you end up being a trailblazer for other women who want to become winemakers, Masters of Wine, or both,” she shares.
Although achieving the Master of Wine title is a major accomplishment, she says the achievement she is most proud of “is taking the chance on myself to work full-time for my own company. I’ve been working as a winemaking consultant and running my own wine brands full-time for four years, and it has been the scariest and most rewarding thing.”
For women who want to start their own business, she shares that you’ll never feel fully ready, and there will never be a “right time” to pursue what you want. She believes running a business requires irrational optimism—because no one will believe in it more than you do.
The most valuable lessons she has learned from other women came from her mom, who always inspired her to do her best in whatever she chose to pursue, and from one of her bosses, who taught her that the biggest disappointments in life are usually caused by our own expectations.
Elizabeth Prusinowski, Aurora Lavender Farms
5343 E Lake Road, Honeoye, N.Y
Elizabeth is the co-owner of Aurora Lavender Farm, a lavender farm offering u-pick experiences, lavender products, maple syruping, beekeeping, and more.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Elizabeth moved to the Finger Lakes after accepting a band teacher position at a local high school in 2001. In 2018, Elizabeth and her husband, Patrick, decided to open a lavender farm. The farm is named in memory of their beloved French bulldog, Aurora, whom they rescued through their volunteer work with the French Bulldog Rescue Network. Though paralyzed and using a wheelchair cart, Aurora lived with energy and determination—values that continue to inspire the farm’s commitment to quality, education, and sharing the benefits of their all-natural products.
A musician by profession and an agriculture lover at heart, Elizabeth has learned to balance her full-time job with owning a business. “It can be a little challenging, but it’s very rewarding. Being a teacher helps me stay organized as a business owner and relate to people.”
Inspired by two multifaceted women in her life—a childhood teacher and her mother, who wrote poetry, played the violin, and helped manage the family business—Elizabeth learned to admire their ability to do all the things they loved well and to believe that she could be anything she wanted to be.
Elizabeth always knew she wanted to own a business someday, and although she felt a little scared when she first moved to the area and later when she opened the farm, she quickly found support in the Honeoye community and among other women business owners, who continue to support one another today.
Sherry Brahm-French, Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery
6461 NY-64, Naples, N.Y.
Sherry is the co-owner of Arbor Hill Winery & Grapery, a family business offering award-winning wines and specialty grape products such as jams, gummies, and more. Sherry is also the co-owner of Brew & Brats at Arbor Hill (6461 State Route 64, Naples, N.Y.), a spot dedicated to craft brews.
Named after the wine Sherry, Sherry Brahm-French has been connected to winemaking and all things grape since childhood. Her father, John Brahm—a beloved local winemaker—worked on local farms for years and recognized the need to do more with the grapes. That’s when he began creating grape-based sweets, preserves, dressings, and more, laying the foundation for what is today Arbor Hill Winery & Grapery. At first, Sherry was involved in the store’s design, and slowly she became more involved. Today, she continues the tradition alongside her husband, John French.
To other women who would like to start a business, Sherry says, “stay strong, be competitive, and stay humble.” One of the most valuable lessons she learned came from her grandmother, who told her, “things can be hard, but you will get through them. Stay calm and lean on others—you will get through them.”
Sherry currently serves as president of Explore Naples and is involved in planning the Finger Lakes staple, the Naples Grape Festival. Additionally, she is active in the Naples, N.Y., Rotary Club and will serve as president through 2027–2028. Through her business, her leadership, and her community contributions, Sherry is passionate about sharing the local story and flavors.
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