Cows make chocolate, right? Otherwise why would one of the favorite chocolate stores in Sonoma be called "The Chocolate Cow?"

Known for shaved ice, ice cream, gelato, hot chocolate, truffles and an incredible candy selection, the Chocolate Cow is a must-stop for visitors to the Sonoma Plaza. In this episode we learn about the types of chocolate, how to hand-dip treats, what it takes to run a candy store in a wine country town and why it's always important to have plenty of fresh, cold water for visitors.

In addition to learning about the importance of fresh chocolate (especially a 65% dark), the trends of Dubai Chocolate (and how the trends have come and gone - salted caramel? Spicy chocolate?) and why pistachios are having their moment, we talk Sonoma Valley football.

Go Dragons! Max is the coach of the Sonoma Valley High School football team and has led the team to a winning season recently. (Go Dragons!)

Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma, this week Max Pond of Chocolate Cow takes on:

We would like to visit both Sonoma and Napa Valleys in one day. How can we do that?

Are there any wineries that have tours of how they make wine, but we don’t have to taste the wine. We aren’t really wine drinkers, but we are interested in learning about it.

We heard that you can do a walking tour of the Sonoma Plaza - can you tell me more about that?

I have a friend from Colorado visiting who likes to go hiking and I don’t have any weekend plans but I can’t have her sleeping on my couch for two days doing nothing what should we do?

We are visiting Sonoma soon and like to play bocce. Where can we find some bocce ball courts?

We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.

More info about The Chocolate Cow: https://thechocolatecow.com/

It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Daedalus Howell is the editor of the North Bay Bohemian, "an award-winning alternative newsweekly serving Sonoma & Napa counties." And he's a poet. And a self-taught filmmaker. And an author. And a musician, because that's a thing in Sonoma. Some quick notes we pick along the way: Philip Marlowe, the fictional, hard-boiled noir detective, was born in Santa Rosa. Daedalus left high school early and turned to a life of writing and performing, and then became a free lance writer for a local newspaper. He is a current independent filmmaker, with his latest release being "Werewolf Serenade," which may or may not have been filmed with permission at a Sonoma Valley winery (Kunde Family Winery.) We also note that the North Bay Bohemian forgot to include the Sonoma Spiel in "best podcast" section for the "Best of the North Bay" awards. Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. This week Daedalus Howell takes on these questions: I’d like to buy a state park “poppy pass” - the annual pass that gets us into most CA state parks. Where can I get one locally? Where can we see redwoods? I was near Sonoma City Hall at noon and everyone was honking at the crowd of people in front of the palm tree. What’s going on there? We want to get photos of trees and flowers in bloom in Sonoma - where should we go? We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass More information about Daedalus Howell is at https://dhowell.com. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

It's always fun when Malia Anderson of Style my Malia riffs on fashion, image and style. Malia roundly rejects the "Costco Dad" look as as a "personal look," while extolling her youthful desire to be Dominique Devereaux from Dynasty. (And really, who wouldn't?)

In a free-wheeling conversation we talk about when to wear cut-off jeans ("jorts"), how to define your personal style and what, exactly, constitutes "Wine Country Casual" when one is invited to such an event.

Before we got to Sonoma questions we handled fashion questions from people in and around Sonoma, and got to these important issues:

"Should middle aged men dress their age...like jorts and white new balance sneakers or maybe dockers with a polo and boat shoes? Or is it ok to follow and follow the "younger" trends and wear baggy jeans, retro or vintage style clothes, bold prints etc? This leads me to my next fashion question. Is it ok for older men to have long hair or should they be clean cut?" -R. Montes, the Cloverdale Lady Killer

"There are times when men have to be at least a little bit "dressed up" around here when the weather is HOT! Tips on how to do that successfully would be great.

Tell us about tailoring - what’s worth having altered...how can alterations make you look your best?

Where does vintage/second-hand fit into an overall "look" (if at all) for men, especially?"

-Jason G, the Sonoma OG

"What are some wine country style no-nos?"

Jose L, the Fashion Don of The Springs

"Where did you get your fashion sense?"

Marie G, The teaching cook and the cooking teacher

"What exactly is wine country casual?"

Tiffany P, the Credit Union queen

"I’m trying to transition from work from home wardrobe and just starting to get back to a more regular professional look. I’m at a loss on modern looks for the sharp dressed gal these days. Where does one even start!?"

Meredith R, Queen of the tax tables

And like all of our podcast guests, Malia Anderson takes time to answer YOUR Sonoma questions. This week she answers,

I’m arriving at Sonoma County Airport (Charles M. Schulz- Santa Rosa - STS) and would like to get to the city of Sonoma. How can I do that?

I’m staying near the Sonoma Plaza and looking for wineries that are nearby. Especially red wines. Any ideas?

I hear that roundabouts are popular in Sonoma. Where is the next one going to be?

We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass

More information about Malia Anderson and her styling services is available at https://stylebymalia.com

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.

It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b