Kaleigh Rhoades came to Sonoma's Charlie's Acres from San Diego via a stint at UC-Berkeley (Go Bears!), an orangutan rescue in Borneo and a chimpanzee sanctuary in Oregon. 

The mission at Charlie's Acres is two-fold: save farm animals as a sanctuary, and introduce plant-based alternatives to the more traditional American diet. But in an approachable way.

"It's not a bunch of vegans yelling at you," says Kaleigh. "We have fun picnics and tours and education, including local wines. It can be a luxury wine country experience that's totally friendly to animals."

She is also very understanding about how coop-dwelling vegetarians in Madison all ate protein pucks from the Moosewood Cookbook, and how far we've come.

Like all Very Special Guests on the Sonoma podcast, she takes a moment to answer YOUR questions during our segment, "WE GET QUESTIONS." 

This week she answers:

Hiii! Looking for recommendations for about 30 employees for a work holiday party that isn't SUPER expensive but worth it! Thank you in  advance :)

Where can I get dried grapes?

Is that really the original Williams-Sonoma store?

Does anyone know if strawberries are still being sold on Watmaugh?

Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma.

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us 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

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

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

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

Everything from E-I-E-I-O: Farm sanctuary Charlie’s Acres with Kaleigh Rhoades

Chef Lauren Kershner was born in Wisconsin, raised in Arizona and then moved to Mendocino before working in Napa and settling in Sonoma... and along the way she picked up how to cook, how to make kombucha and most importantly, and how to give back to her community.

She stops by the Sonoma Spiel podcast to talk about what she's cooking, events she is putting on, olive oil she uses from a local orchard, and how she got started making Valley of the Moon Kombucha.

And it wouldn't be the Sonoma Spiel podcast without "We Get Questions" where our guests answer questions from Sonoma Valley visitors.

This week she answers:

🔥How come there aren’t as many hot springs in Sonoma? The kind where you sit naked in the rocks with the water flowing – 60s style?

🎧 Is there a good podcast to listen to that covers outdoor adventures in Sonoma County?

🚗 We will come to Sonoma County next week and stay in Glen Ellen. Does anyone have any suggestions for transportation to visit wineries? We will have a rental car, but don't think other drivers are covered. Can we reserve an Uber at certain pickup times from the vineyards? (From Sonoma County Wine Imbibers Facebook)

🍽 Where can we find a restaurant in Sonoma that uses organic ingredients? And Lauren dishes on where to find places to soak au naturel in Northern California, where to hike, and how to take the Sonoma Valley bus to a winery.

Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us 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

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Kombucha, Organic Chef and Hot Springs: Lauren Kershner of Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen

Rob Lorenz was going to be a sports journalist, but covering Atascadero high school sports as the writer, editor and photographer pushed him to slingin' juice, selling wine. A native of San Jose, he knows the way to Sonoma and how to find good wine. At Talisman wines we helps wine tasters find excellent wines ("all Pinot Noir, all the time") that show their pride of place, whether from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley's Carneros region and even into Napa Valley. 

In addition to discovering that we grew up near each other in the "old neighborhood" of Almaden in San Jose, Rob talks about an upcoming wine dinner that will feature nine different wines from three different vineyards. And he details the tasting experience at the Glen Ellen tasting room, which is near of the three stop signs in town.

As always he jumps in the hot seat to answer YOUR questions during "We Get Questions." This week he takes on:



What’s the weather like in December?

Is Glen Ellen a village, a hamlet, a townlet, or an outpost?

What is a vertical tasting?

Looking for a good place for a QUIET meal. We don’t like loud places.

Children at wine tastings – yes or no? (From Sonoma County Wine Imbibers Facebook)




Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us 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

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

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

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

When to join a wine club: Rob Lorenz of Talisman Wines

"Dead Spread," the new book from local author Bethany Browning, is set in a small wine country town of Prosperity, where the mayor (Preston Brix) was recently found deceased by a local tarot reader (Carrie Detwiler) who has a pet raven (Waggery) and a few secrets as well. Sonoma serves as a key inspiration in the book, from the stone city hall in the middle of the Plaza to the controversial duck pond to even a local character who dresses up in historical regalia and then regales tourists with tall tales of the town's past. 

In addition to talking books and writing and the creative arts, Browning takes a moment to help answer YOUR Sonoma questions during our "We Get Questions" segment. This week she helps us with:



We’re visiting from Miami, and I was here a long time ago on a bus tour and I remember there was something about a way to identify all the trees in the Plaza. Am I remembering this correctly? 
What time of the year is not a busy or crowded month to visit?
What is a Gravenstein Apple and why should I care?
My husband and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in early November! We are looking for a special place that comes highly recommended. We don’t eat meat, but do eat fish and my husband sometimes eats chicken.

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


More information about author Bethany Browning at www.bethanybrowning.com




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

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

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

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

Murder mystery in Sonoma! Author Bethany Browning’s "Dead Spread" has tarot, a raven and a mystery

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