The "seven degrees of separation" theory shrinks to about two degrees when you are talking to Sonoma native Sheana Davis. The fourth-generation Sonoman, and natural social butterfly, graduated from Agua Caliente High School in 1986. Twelve years ago she combined her natural gift of gab and her love for food and wine into a business. Davis gets to enjoy the best Sonoma has to offer, daily, with The Epicurian Connection, her business that specializes in wine and cheese marketing and culinary education, and with her radio show, "Culinary Pairings" on KSVY 91.3 FM. Davis also recently joined the Sonoma Valley Film Festival as culinary director. She'll help pair food and wine at events during the festival March 31 through April 3.

Davis takes her gift of gab, her boundless energy and knowledge of the town inside and out to educate visitors, tourists, restaurant and sales staff about a passion of hers: food, wine, and cheese. Especially cheese. "I worked as a chef after high school," Davis said. " I found out then that I had a passion for food." Later, she enrolled in the Santa Rosa Junior College culinary program directed by John Ash. She worked for Digioa Catering as a sous chef for six years, then at Glen Ellen Winery. She's also trained in certified organic farming techniques. After a bout with throat problems, including cancer almost two years ago, Davis has had two operations on her esophagus, and said she's always had problems with her throat and with swallowing. After a surgery to get rid of her cancer, she still has a tough time with peristalsis, the muscular action that brings food from the throat, on down to the stomach. Ironic? "It's crazy and wrong at the same time," Davis said. But she works with it. She's adopted a vegetarian diet and along with it, vegetarian recipes. Like Davis, most of the ingredients she chooses are grown right in Sonoma.

A typical wine tour day for her starts at 9 a.m., when she gets started on her rounds, gathering up raw local ingredients from local businesses and farmers and heads up to a winery. She knows the details, gossip and history of each business. For a recent tour at Coturri Family Winery, Davis headed off to Sonoma's Vella Cheese. Vella is a client of Davis, she knows everyone's name by heart by now. This day she grabbed some Asiago and Mezo Seco cheese, for her pairing later with Coturri Zinfandel's, but not before chit chatting with anyone who got in her path. The whirlwind of Davis blew in and out of the factory, the cheese case, and the store front, which sells their products less than retail. With arms full, she stuffed it all into her Subaru and headed off to Sonoma's Artisan Bakery. She knows everyone there too, and waltzes behind the counter, through the factory to say hello to "Dan the baker" and slices the walnut bread herself. Davis said her relationship with Artisan is a kind of "handshake" relationship, they give her bread to use in all her cheese courses, and she drops there name to everyone she encounters. With breads like potato rosemary, olive loafs and walnut bread, Davis' immaculate pairings with wine draws questions about it, which she is of course, happy to answer.

After that it's off to Paul Wirtz' farm. Wirtz has his farm out on Arnold Drive and sells his organic produce every Friday, rain or shine at the Farmers' market. His farm is all organic. Davis helps herself into the cooler to look for kale, as Wirtz comes out to update her on the goings on of family and friends. Then, on up to Coturri where Davis laid out a spread of olive tapenade to be paired perfectly with Coturri Zinfandels. The winery is family owned and family run-and has been for 25 years. They use organic techniques to run the small time production. A perfect fit for Davis. Winemaker Tony Coturri said if a list of ingredients were required on his wine, it would simply say, "grapes." Even the barrels they use are low key - they use all French oak barrels they buy used and recondition.

In the winery's tiny tasting room; a piece of plyood over wine barrels, Davis and Coturri helped to entertain her guest list, smaller than normal because of the threat of rain. They had all organic vegetarian foods; Davis' green olive tapenade, Paul Wirtz organic green salad mix drizzled with apple cider vinaigrette, fresh radiatore pasta served with Poggoilio olive oil, Capricious cheese, leeks and kale, fresh baked Artisan Bakers breads, sweet butter and freshly baked chocolate biscotti, made by Linda Coturri, and more wine.

Guests, including a guest chef, guest winemaker, consumer, media person, and an organic farmer, hobnobbed with the down to earth Coturri family, and got tours of the tiny winery from cellarmaster Billy Pirola. To find out more about Davis and her winery tours, or culinary pairings, check out her website at www.sheanadavis.com. "Culinary Pairings" airs on KSVY 91.3 FM, every Tuesday from 4 to 4:30 p.m. On the program, she covers beer and cheese, wine and cheese meal pairings, and more.