The Sonoma Spiel

Unlocking your creativity with Shiloh Sophia and Jonathan McCloud: Musette Atelier in Sonoma

Shiloh Sophia McCloud is an artist, teacher, speaker and more, co-founder of MUSEA, "a community of creatives working together to make this world what we hope it can be." 
She is joined by partner Jonathan McCloud, whom she me met in 2012 and "the two of them struck up a quantum conversation resulting in a life long partnership and working together in business with Intentional Creativity through various technology platforms."In a wide-ranging interview over a quick 50 minutes we cover painting, the soul, epistemology, ontology, wine making, cooking, the nitrogen cycle of grape growing, inner transformation, relationships and a lot more. Then Shiloh and Jonathan help us answer YOUR questions during "We Get Questions" including where to bring a group of 60 people when visiting Sonoma, why are there little miniature sheep in the vineyards right now and is it possible to walk from the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn to the Sonoma Plaza, or should you take the bus?Buckle up, this is another interesting episode of the Sonoma Spiel podcast, the number one podcast covering the Sonoma Wine Country in California!Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform! 

From gas jockey to dance leader: Victor Ferrer of Grupo Folklorico Quetzalen

Victor Ferrer didn't start out to become the leader of Sonoma Valley's Mexican dance troupe (also known as folkorico dance.) Then again, he didn't set out to become the youngest editor of the Spanish language newspaper for Sonoma Valley either. Victor Ferrer came to the Sonoma Spiel to talk the types of Mexican dance, how you have to balance respect for tradition with the opportunity to innovate and create new art, and what it takes to grow a dance organization dedicated to Mexican performing arts.Along the way we hear about the role of African and Polish traditions on Mexican music, and why we need little windows to get quick snacks and food, and why it's hard to find good public transportation between Napa and Sonoma, but it's very easy to take the free shuttle bus between the city of Sonoma and the Springs in Sonoma Valley. Victor then confesses that he has become a runner and has some good routes to suggest, but he has never performed folklorico dance at a 10K race. Hardest part about running in the Springs? You can smell all the good food from the Brinquito chicken guy, the Los Magos food truck, La Hacienda, Sonoma Eats and more... 

Best of We. Get. Questions! Sonoma Spiel

The Sonoma Spiel went on Spring Break last week, so while we were busy doing spring break things, our brave podcast editor Timothy Benton (also of Yeehaw Coffee fame) put together the best of our crowd-favorite segment: We. Get. Questions.Mark Bodenhamer from the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce answered questions from someone named Sue from the Midwest.We talk A Boy Named Sue, emojis, breweries, bachelorette parties at wineries, and how to tell if you are in the right Sonoma.Sheana Davis of Epicurean Connection, cookbook author of Buttermonger, has tips on where to get free lemons (offer soup), what happens to grapevines when it rains (they get wet, but that's ok because they're dormant,) and where chefs go to eat when they go eat. Laura Schermeister of Schermeister Winery knows where the old, spooky and deserted houses are in Sonoma Valley, but if it's hit the MLS, it's already sold and the ghosts come with it. If you need sage to smudge, she also knows where to get that. 

Don’t Read the Comments: Sonoma Index Tribune Editor Emily Charrier Ep. 32

She started with covering aebelskiver recipes in a small town and worked her way to covering wineries in a small town. And her advice: don't read the comments. Emily Charrier, editor of the Sonoma Index Tribune, details life as a small town newspaper editor in Sonoma Valley. We  make her try to choose which writing sample is from a live, real human being and which has been spit out by the cold, unfeeling, soulless program of an AI bot. And then of course we go for everyone's favorite part of the show, WE GET QUESTIONS.Listen along, make sure you subscribe, and if you leave a nasty comment, it's ok, we won't read it anyway. (That's what we tell ourselves, anyway.)Find the Sonoma Spiel 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_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNFOr wherever you get your podcasts... 

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.