Max Pond : Chocolate Maker and Football Coach Talks The Chocolate Cow and Friday Night Lights

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