Julia Brabenec lives up in Northport, just off M-22, in a stone house that was built by her own hands, her husband’s and their children’s hands. The house sits in an organic orchard beside a vineyard. Petite in stature, eyes large and vibrant inside her heart-shaped face, Julia’s ever-present smile framed in fly-away silver and white, a vibrant shawl of orange and gold gracefully draped over her shoulders. Her voice, whether over the phone or in person, is assured and melodic, liberally embroidered with gracious notes of self-deprecation, gratefulness and humor.

