Will You "Bee" Mine? (Warning: 1 Million Bees Inside) 🐝

Roses are red, wine is too, and I have found the perfect Valentine’s escape for you. This week, we travel to Carmel Valley, California—a place that is near and dear to my heart. I got engaged here, celebrated my baby moon here, and even celebrated my five-year wedding anniversary with two-year-old twins in tow a lifetime ago.

Buckle Up, because I'm back to revisit one of the most romantic regions in the state with a fresh perspective but long affection for the people and the place. Carmel Valley somehow manages to be both "John Steinbeck agrarian" and "Mercedes-Benz luxury" at the exact same time. If your love language is artisanal goat cheese and California sunshine, look no further—it’s a match made in heaven. 

Swipe right on this week’s episode to find: A Love Letter to the Locals: The cheesemakers, vintners, and dreamers who make this valley feel like a family. 👇

1. The "Cowboy Culture" is Real 🤠

The journey kicks off at Hacienda, a hay-and-feed-store-turned-community-hub.

2. Kitchen Connection at Lucia 🥘

I go in the kitchen with Chef Joel at Lucia, and learn Alaskan Halibut requires more patience than a toddler.

3. Cheese Aging is Basically a Science Project 🧀

At Carmel Valley Creamery, we went into the aging room where the "bloom" happens.

4. The Bee Situation (Panic Included) 🐝

I visit Lion Springs Lavender Farm, where owner Daphne Nixon has been stung 49 times.

5. Off-Roading for the Risk-Averse 🚙

The trip ended at the Land Rover Experience, where I learn the #1 rule of driving a $100k car through the mud: "Drive as slow as possible, as fast as necessary."

Carmel Valley is "undiscovered" wine country that feels like a family business. Whether you're there for the wine, the lavender honey, or the 13-degree rollover angles, just remember the local toast: Lekker, Lekker, Super Lekker!

Please hit Subscribe to stay in touch! And yes, you can still sip with me, Monique Soltani, each week on CBS Bay Area, KCAL Los Angeles, KMAX Sacramento, and KSTW Seattle!

Keep reading for our beloved Jade Hernandez’s personal take on the trip, plus our weekend travel guide you’re guaranteed to fall in love with!

xoxo, Monique

This sentiment—“Bee Still My Heart”—really holds two meanings for me (Jade Hernandez 👋). First, there’s the moment you stop dead in your tracks, mesmerized by what you behold. Now, take that and then remove the romantic aspect of it and insert the sound of one million bees. ACTUAL BEES! Suddenly, the phrase takes on a very different meaning!

As a producer, I'm always looking for adventures that jump off the screen. When we decided on Carmel Valley, Monique had discovered Daphne Nixon of Lion Springs Lavender Farm, who hand-crafts mouth-watering, sea-salted lavender caramels using her own sweet honey.

While Monique was talking about a sweet (and safe) moment of making caramels in the kitchen with Daphne, the producer in me had another moment in mind. 😃

“Uh, Monique? How do you feel about bees?”

Well, you can see where this is headed. Full disclosure: I am DEATHLY afraid of bees. I know they are teeny, tiny, yellow heroes of pollination, but they are also the source of my major nightmares! Luckily, Monique is not one to shy away from a challenge. As you watch the clip below, you’ll see her face a literal million-bee swarm. I was squirming in my seat watching the footage—and you will be, too!

(And yes, I "conveniently" had to be at another location during this interview... but watching the footage makes me feel like I was right there in the line of fire!) 👇

Sips, Sketches, and Six-Cylinders

by Jade Hernandez

Hidden gems are tucked away in the most unexpected places in Carmel Valley—and nowhere is this truer than at Bernardus Winery. While the winery is famous for its world-class pours, it holds a backstory far richer than most realize. Even the most seasoned enthusiasts might not know the incredible link between founder Ben Pon and the history of Volkswagen.

What could a glass of fine wine and a German automaker possibly have in common? To find the answer, you only need to look at the walls. Step into the tasting room in the heart of downtown Carmel Valley, and you’ll find a gallery of Ben Pon’s extensive racing resume—a visual testament to a man who lived life in the fast lane long before he mastered the vineyard.

Inside the tasting room, you’ll find a specific sketch of a boxy, functional vehicle. When Pon visited Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1946, an improvised parts-mover called a “Plattenwagen” caught his eye. He thought, "Hmmmmm," and put pen to paper. That 1947 doodle by a young Ben Pon eventually became the reality we know as the iconic VW Bus (the Type 2 Transporter).

Just last year, Volkswagen re-released an all-new electric version of that bus, stoking the craze once again. Yet, this entire cultural phenomenon wouldn't exist if it weren't for the sketch inspired by the man behind the wine. It’s a legendary backstory found right here at Bernardus Winery—just one of the many reasons you’ll leave Carmel Valley amazed.

Cheesy Does It at Carmel Valley Creamery

by Jade Hernandez

Road trips are the best when it comes to discovering little out-of-the-way wonders. Usually, you have an itinerary set and you are bound and determined to get from A to Z; a road trip is just the thing to break all that up and get you from C to Q in just the way you need, but never would have planned on your own.

Our show took me to a spot I might have driven past on my way to a nearby winery, but it’s definitely not one I will miss the next time I visit Carmel Valley. Inside the quaint, gray building—with big, bold red letters proclaiming Carmel Valley Creamery—you’ll find a taste of all things “the valley.” Artisanal artwork graced tables and specialty treats filled wooden bookshelves (lots of it, local). Coolers along the back wall, filled with chilled drinks, wines, and anything you can think of to put in a picnic basket, dizzied my eyes with too many possibilities. And of course, on the top shelf: their very own artisanal cheese.

On the way out to the back patio, I found, on this particular visit, the most colorful seasonal $20 bouquets from Barefoot Floral. You see, everything inside this Creamery is set up so even if this is one of the few spots you stop in Carmel Valley, you will feel as if you’ve really spent time with the community here—because you are not only surrounded by it, but are consuming it through drink, cheese, and art.

In every episode, I always tell Monique I learn at LEAST one thing (usually, a LIST of things). Here, I learned: Yes, you CAN eat the bloomy rind of a cheese wheel! That rind is a living part of the cheese's ecosystem, creating that gooey, "runny" texture we love. I always wondered, and at some point, I’m sure we’ve all heard someone ask this very question. In fact, that rind grows over time during the process of making the cheese... but that’s just something you’ve gotta see for yourself! 👇

Whether you're bringing a date or just your favorite glass, these spots are a total match.