Wine Road Podcast - Episode 259: Savor Sonoma at Graton Resort & Casino: Carey Sweet on AYA, Live Fire & Vine & Sonoma County Wine

Savor Sonoma at Graton Resort & Casino: Carey Sweet on AYA, Live Fire & Vine & Sonoma County Wine

Wine Road: Wine, When & Where Podcast

Host: Katie Ambrosi

Guest: Carey Sweet — longtime Sonoma County wine and food writer and Public Relations Manager at Graton Resort & Casino

Episode Summary

What's new at Graton Resort & Casino, and what can wine and food lovers expect from Savor Sonoma Live Fire & Vine?

In this episode of the Wine Road: Wine, When & Where Podcast, Katie Ambrosi sits down with longtime Sonoma County wine and food writer Carey Sweet at Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, California.

Carey shares her journey from covering the Sonoma County culinary scene as a journalist to joining the team at Graton, along with an inside look at the resort's major expansion, its growing culinary program, the new AYA restaurant, and the upcoming Savor Sonoma food and wine celebration on August 21–22, 2026.

We also dive into the Live Fire & Vine Festival, featuring nationally known chefs cooking over live fire alongside a Sonoma County wine village, plus Graton's on-site farming program, sustainability efforts, upcoming restaurants and entertainment, and what makes Graton an increasingly important part of the Sonoma County food and wine scene.

In This Episode

Katie and Carey talk about:

Carey Sweet's career covering Sonoma County wine, food, restaurants and hospitality and her transition from journalism to public relations at Graton Resort & Casino The major expansion underway at Graton, including a new smoke-free casino space AYA, Graton's new flagship restaurant led by Chef Roy Ellamar Chef Ellamar's California coastal cuisine with Asian, Hawaiian and Filipino influences Savor Sonoma, taking place August 21–22, 2026 The sold-out Friday Headliners Dinner and Saturday's Live Fire & Vine Festival Celebrity chefs including Aarón Sánchez, Marcus Samuelsson, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, Nyesha Arrington, Charlie Palmer, Dustin Valette and Roy Ellamar The Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, under the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, and its support of Latino youth pursuing culinary careers Graton's five-acre G5 farm and plans for the new 40-acre G40 farm Sonoma County sustainability, farm-to-table dining, living wages and community investment Graton's Sonoma County-focused wine program and Wine Director James Hernandez New and upcoming Graton restaurants including Revere (which is the rebranded 630 Park Steakhouse), Neon Kitty and Soco DoCo The Playbook's Detroit-st