Sonoma real estate agent named Hanna Center’s Changemaker of the Year

Daniel Casabonne wasn’t thrilled with the idea of moving from Paris to Sonoma in 1990 to help his parents run Little Switzerland, the restaurant they had just purchased.

“Sonoma was extremely quiet then and I came to bartend at a restaurant that played polka music, so it was not like I was in love with the idea of moving here at first,” he said. “But now, I cannot imagine living anywhere else but Sonoma.”

While bartending and helping his parents with every other aspect of Little Switzerland’s business, he worked at Sonoma Community Center for four years to help it pay off a mortgage and line of credit. Casabonne then worked as a real estate agent for Prudential California Realty, marking the beginning of a very successful career in Sonoma Valley that has enabled him to become a financial donor to Hanna Center and many other nonprofit organizations.

For his contributions, Hanna Center has named Casabonne the 2026 Changemaker of the Year and will honor him at the 2026 Changemakers Gala: Under the Stars, a fundraising event for the center’s programs, on Saturday, April 25, from 5 to 10 p.m.