The Sonoma Spiel

Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Preview: Ginny & David Freeman Ep. 31

Ginny and David Freeman, founders of the Sonoma Valley Author's Festival, want to be clear: it's actually a festival for the curious, for those who want to be surrounded by thinkers and exchange ideas. But there are also books available. Hear how the sixth edition of the festival will bring scientists, novelists, thinkers and poets to Sonoma wine country, including Isabel Allende, Ada Limon (Sonoma local and US Poet Laureate!), Soyoung Lee, Dave Barry, Abraham Verghese, Danielle Feinberg and many more.The main event is held at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, and community events will be at the Sonoma Plaza and Sonoma Valley High School (Go Dragons!)World class thinkers? Amazing speeches? Community of the curious? As Ginny notes, "think of it as a series of Ted Talks over three days in Sonoma Valley."Then after all this heady conversation we make Ginny and David help answer questions from our visitors centers during what we call, "We. Get. Questions."Listen up! Podcasts on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9bYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Sonoma Film Festival Preview with Ginny Krieger Ep. 30

Food, wine and film come together with the Sonoma International Film Festival, and Ginny Krieger is here to talk about how to enjoy the films and the secrets to getting the most out of your experience. (Hint: if you don't like a movie, you can actually just walk to another one...)Martin Yan, of Yan Can Cook fame, will be a featured and celebrated guest during "Devour! Chefs and Shorts."Then she helps us answer some questions about visiting Sonoma Valley, and if you are Québécois, where to find fellow French Canadians, during our popular segment of We Get Questions. For some reason she refuses to weigh in when we ask if "Cocaine Bear" is the apotheosis of American cinema. (Answer: possibly.)She didn't start out to be in film, but she is in a film festival. And it's one of the best around. Listen up! Subscribe! Tell your friends you heard it all on the Sonoma Spiel!Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sonoma-film-festival-preview-with-ginny-krieger-ep-30/id1634467429?i=1000601976032Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xhSFZbsHxW7PcnraUnJQ3?si=kR5a3VTwQlyDEryJZoz20Q

Bubbles, cocktails and a disco ball: Taub Family Outpost Ep. 29

Ashley and Martín from Taub Family Outpost are here and they have cocktails! And champagne! And ice cubes with a cool design in them from The Beacon bar.Taub Family Outpost is the perfect place for first-time visitors to wine country or veterans of the food and wine scene. Ashley talks about the wine program at the distinct building on the corner of Napa Street and First Street West on the Sonoma Plaza, while Martín reveals BIG PLANS for changes to the restaurant and bar, including more event space for private parties, and a disco ball.Don't worry, though, they will still have their famous espresso machine, good for a quick hit of caffeine when you need it.Martin then reveals he learned improv from "the Yoda of Improv" in Chicago, and how we uses his acting skills in the restaurant business. And Ashley talks about how a military brat came to become a sommelier via majoring in international studies and minoring in Russian.Then we get some ideas on how to enjoy Sonoma Valley during our segment, "WE GET QUESTIONS." 

Unrequited love, a round-headed kid and a dog: Gina Huntsinger of the Charles M. Schulz Museum

Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and all the characters that sprang from the mind of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz are part of the museum (and research center) that bears Schulz's name in Santa Rosa. Gina Huntsinger comes by to talk the life of the man who created the memorable characters and the museum that celebrates his influence. Though the museum is full of Schulz's life and art, it also showcases the happiness and versatility of the medium that is the comics, from what we see in the papers to graphic novels to online comics. Huntsinger also talks about those whom "Sparky" influenced, like local artist Stephen Pastis of "Pearls Before Swine," who has very specific opinions about Jef the cyclist and a rat with some anti-social tendencies. Then she answers some questions in our ever-popular series, "We. Get. Questions." Like, where do we get Pliny the Younger beer? Hint - there's a brewery not far from the Schulz Museum where you can get it when it comes out.

Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Even Well-Read Lemurs Do It - Safari West Talks Love Ep. 27

Safari West stops by the talk to us about warthog courtship, giraffe birth and all the Serengeti lovin' that the animals get up to at the wildlife preserve north of Sonoma Valley, and which is the focus of their upcoming tour "Safari West Adult Romance Tour."  Hear all the latest gnus about who is doing what and when, and how you can take the quiz to see how much you know about the mating habits of the earthbound elan. As for the tour?
"Pile into an open-air safari vehicle and drive out among some of the world’s most exotic and enthralling creatures for a wild safari tour led by Safari West’s animal experts as they probe the revealing “Ins and Outs” of Wildlife courtship.
You’ll learn intimate details about the mating habits of African mammals and birds including Bongo, Giraffe, Eland, Wildebeest, Gazelle, Zebra, Warthog, Cheetah and more! …When a male warthog wants to attract a female, he does a courtship “chant” of rhythmic grunts that sounds like an engine in need of a tune-up. Yes, love is in the air!"

How to make 79 butters, secrets of Sonoma cheese and more: Sheana Davis Ep. 26

Sheana Davis of Epicurean Connection has a new cookbook that's smooth as butter - Buttermonger, out soon! More than 70 ways to make butter at home, from sweet to savory to cocktails, plus a few vegan options. Sheana also talks about how you can take an easy cheesemaking class and make cheese to take home. Then she helps us answer your questions about visiting Sonoma Valley, like are the vineyards still there and where can you find lemons locally? (Hint- if you have a bucket of lemons, Sheana will trade you soup.)

Hot springs & fancy cakes - Michelle Heston of Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn Ep. 25

Michelle Heston of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa knows resorts. And wellness Wednesdays. And world-class dining. But she also moonlights as fancy-cake maker that can make a chiffon cake look like a taco and a pound cake in the shape of a penny farthing. 
Michelle details the history of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (it was once an R&R locale for Navy personnel during World War II), how the waters from Calistoga are the same ones that run underneath the Fairmont and some of their spa programs like watsu massage. Also, her niece wanted a Barbie cake but Michelle wasn't going to pay crazy money for a cake. She she made her own. And from that came Heston Cakes, one of the top cake makers to ever be on The Sonoma Spiel. "I do shoes, I do hats, I do lots of junk food cakes," she admits. How do we know that we, ourselves, are not actually made of cake? The wonder! The horror!
And she admits our schtick is perfect for a spiel.Listen up! Subscribe! Tell you friends!Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/14e5c834-f050-4a8d-b0c7-8a1c9b278670

From East to Zest - Scot Medbury of Sonoma Botanial Garden Ep. 24

Scot Medbury of the Sonoma Botanical Garden explains that a) no, they aren't a winery and b) they used to be called Quarryhill Botanical Garden and c) Sonoma is, come on, one of the best brands in America.Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9bAmazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/14e5c834-f050-4a8d-b0c7-8a1c9b278670Hear about how Scot came to Sonoma from Brooklyn and San Francisco, and the work of the Sonoma Botanical Garden in preserving Asian plants and showcasing California native ones. And then we talk about their new exhibit, From East to Zest,
"an original, living exhibition illustrating citrus’ colorful journey across the globe. Immersed in fragrance and color, visitors learn fun facts as they stroll, from the myth of the Meyer Lemon to the cause of the Grapefruit Effect.
Virtually all citrus originated in Southeast Asia, yet today are thoroughly ingrained in the cuisines and cultures of the Americas. Imagine Peruvian food without lemons, or Mexican cuisine without limes!
Thousands of years of citrus cultivar selection and breeding has produced a vast trove of little-known, yet distinct citrus including such culinary treats as the Yuzu, beloved of chefs everywhere today, or the Sudachi, from which ponzu braising sauce is made. Bizarre forms, like the Buddha’s Hand citron, or unusual hybrids like Limequats and Mandarinquats, add to the fascinating range of citrus grown in California today. These zesty delights have travelled far from their historic ranges and new DNA evidence is changing how botanists think about this tangled floral family."