helping widen horizons of young adults with neurodiverse issues

By DENNIS WYATT

onica and Troy Stelmack love their son Danny.

And like all parents they want to make sure he enjoys a successful life.

Danny happens to be a young adult dealing with neurodiverse issues — autism and other neurologically atypical patterns.

A few years ago, the couple had an epiphany of sorts.

What would their son do a er they are gone?

e public schooling, he had received, only went so far.

How would their son be able to handle the basic challenges of a household from budgeting to cooking and how would he support himself?

en, a er thinking about it for a while, they realized there were other “Dannys” who had parents who likely have asked themselves the same question.

e couple decided to provide an answer to that question.

In 2018, they founded Wide Horizons.

e non-pro t teaches life skills with a robust mentorship program tailored to an individual participant’s unique set of needs.

Wide Horizons also works to nd vocations with tasks that participants are not only uniquely suited to tackle but can do so in such a manner that they become dependable and focused employees.

By accentuating the positive that participants have as individuals and working with employers, they have been able to place a number of young adults with neurodiverse issues in jobs.

In many cases, they are considered to be among the best workers employers have due to their focus on detail and dependability.

Wide Horizons works with participants to determine their strengths and interests. ey then work with prospective employers to determine skill sets they need for jobs.

Wide Horizon then matches the two: A neurodiverse young adult with skills to perform particular jobs so they can contribute to society and help support themselves as well as an em- ployer in need of dependable hard workers that embrace tasks. e success of the Wide Horizon e orts are re ected in neurodiverse individuals that have landed employment at area companies such a Delicato Winery, Great Wolf Lodge, Ed’s Rockery, Jackrabbit Equipment in Ripon, and several other area wineries.

Monica serves as the CEO.

As a mother of three boys, including Danny, she has spent the last 26 years ghting for the rights of her children to experience full and complete lives. She is also an assistant at the Serving Unique Needs ministry at Crossroad Grace Church in Manteca. e two — in founding Wide Horizons — wanted to build on their success to help li young adults with neurodiverse issues. e non-pro t is based in downtown Manteca at 110 North Main Street where they have a learning center along with o ces. ey can be contacted at (209) 482-4483 or (209) 608-5034 for additional information. e Wide Horizons website is at www.widehorizons4u.org. ●

Her previous roles at companies such as Costco and E&J Gallo required her to provide payroll, leave and absence, FMLA and similar administrative support for as many as 400 employees.

Troy is a Navy CombatAction Veteran and globally recognized project management professional. He has lead projects in excess of $25 million and helped his organization save tens of millions of dollars by leveraging teamwork and applying proven best practices in project management, strategic leadership and nancial accountability.

Troy has been actively involved in the community and the growth and development of its youth for decades. Organizations with which he has been associated include Manteca Areas Soccer League, Boy Scouts of America, and the Manteca Soccer Referee Association.

By SABRA STAFFORD

For the home chefs who have ever felt chagrinned at tossing away celery fronds or cutting out a chunk of a bell pepper because of a blemish, Chef Philip Saneski has felt your pain. e award-winning chef is going to show people just how some of that food considered “waste” can be turned into something delicious.

Saneski will serve as the guest chef at the Salvage Social Hour that will be at the El Capitan Hotel in Merced from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 21. Saneski, with the hotel’s Executive Chef Quentin Garcia as well as chefs from UC Merced, will be serving upcycled foods with sponsors Black Sheep Foods, e Ugly Company, Sundial Foods, and others.

A sampling of the menu includes: Cauli ower Arancini with romesco sauce, Herb Stem Falafel with carrot top chimichurri, Upcycled Za’atar Breadsticks, Sundial Plant-Based Chicken Wings, Peruvian Causa Rellena, Caramelized Chicken Skewer with rescued bread garlic sauce, Tapas Style Albondigas with black sheep foods plantbased lamb, Blondies with Ugly Company dried apricot white chocolate chip, and Renewal Mill Brownies with Ugly Company dried cherries.

Saneski has served as vice president at Product for Regrained, an upcycled food start up and led product development for CCD Innovation, a food and beverage consultancy in the Bay Area. He also has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and served on the board of the Research Chefs Association, with a particular mission towards expanding the shelf life of various foods.

Priced at $20/person, tickets include an entree and appetizers, in addition to cocktails for sale. Proceeds from the event will go to UC Merced Basic Needs Program, which provides vita resources for students who are struggling with food insecurity. To reserve your spot, reach out to chefmitchv@gmail.com or kimberly.garner@

Spring is in the air and right around the corner are hot summer days in the 209. With pleasant weather on the horizon, it is a good time for everyone to think about taking a sabbatical and the place to do that may be a trip to Sabbatical Distillery Bottle Shop and Tasting Bar, 16021 CA-4, Holt on Victoria Island Farms in the California Delta. Co-founders Jack Zech and Daniel Leonard took a long sabbatical leaving their corporate jobs and diving deep into craft spirits. 209 native Zech is a fourth-generation farmer. His family has been farming on Victoria Island for more than 50 years. Zech and Leonard met in college and had discussed creating something on the island bringing people together and serving as a nexus between the urban and rural areas.

“We also recognize how fortunate we are to be able to do this,” added Zech. “Having the farm and the history and years and years of experience that

By VIRGINIA STILL

everybody has here working on the farm to give us the advice, the building being here, the support from the local community. We could not have done it without all those different things. We appreciate where we come from on this. We want to make the best product that we can and be as successful as we can.”

Leonard noted, “A lot of bars and restaurants we are in now is because someone in the community made the connection and they liked it. There is not that many businesses like us and they recognize what we are doing out here.”

Zech shared, “We are the first distillery in San Joaquin County since prohibition.”

Originally the farm was an asparagus processing facility for many years and then they stopped growing asparagus in 2015. The facility became a storage warehouse and was not in use. Then Sabbatical was born and in 2019 they created their first batch of whiskey. They opened to the public in May of 2021 offering guests a tasting bar of their spirits, bottle shop, tours, and they also host small private events. The distillery is a large open space filled with Amer- ican oak, French oak, and different types of wine, brandy, and port barrels. The tasting is free and each spirit is described and detailed to the guests. On the farm they grow corn, blueberries, botanicals, and making a return this year is California grown asparagus. Commercially they grow almonds, alfalfa, wheat, and tomatoes. They have a farmers’ market and a U-Pick Blueberry event on Victoria Island Farms where guests go out and pick their own blueberries that are weighed and purchased in the distillery.

“We get people from all over,” expressed Zech about their clientele. “We are off the beaten path and we are really kind of the border between the Valley and the Bay Area. We get a mix of people with different perspectives. So, the whole 209 plus Contra Costa, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Dublin.”

They have incorporated using all the farm grown goodness in their recipes for their spirits including the corn, which is the base for the whiskey and vodka along with the blueberries that are fused in both the gin and vodka spirits.

“For craft spirits there was a lot of room for growth,” said Leonard. “People don’t have that much access to well-made local craft spirits. So, we thought this is a good opportunity. The farm has done so well for generations. They can grow pretty much anything. We can utilize those ingredients and turn them into something different.”

They have a sensational line up of award-winning spirits like the Blended Whiskey, Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Sabado Gin, and Cognac Cask Finished Blended Whiskey. The lineup has a variety of smooth and rich flavors like the 92 proof American Single Malt Whiskey that is made from malted barley mashbill, aged over three years in American oak barrels and then finished in a French white oak cask that previously had Cognac; creating

If You Go

WHAT: Sabbatical Distillery Bottle Shop and Tasting Bar

WHERE:

16021 CA-4 Holt, CA 95234

PHONE: 209-452-9295

EMAIL: hello@drinksabbatical.com

Open Year Round a very savory offering that brings joy to the palate.

“We have had success so far,” remarked Leonard. “We have been winning quite a few awards and taken a different angle because we didn’t come from the industry so we are making things a little bit differently and people are reacting to that.”

Although their original focus was solely on whiskeys, they have ventured into gin and vodka while experimenting in their lab.

Whether you like gin or not, Sabado Gin is a must taste with the blend of botanicals along with a citrus and floral scent that is light on the tongue and very flavorful. It can be served up chilled in a martini glass or in a glass on the rocks all by itself; no mixers necessary. It’s an award-winning spirit for a reason; having won double gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2022 and a silver in the Bartender Spirits Awards.

The Blueberry Lemon flavored Vodka is made with ingredients harvested from their farm and made in small batches. This can be served up chilled, on the rocks or mixed.

“We are really proud of what we have done but we are just getting started,” expressed Leonard. “We are focused on growing and getting more people to know about us. That is a big thing. We are out on an island so whenever we do have a chance for people to meet our brand then they become big fans of it.”

From the first taste of their whiskey creations to gaining more knowledge and experience to expanding into gin and vodka, the guys are proud to bring the 209 community a quality crafted whiskey, gin, and vodka. They enjoy watching people experience their creations during a tasting and now seeing their product in stores, bars, and restaurants.

“It is really fun to see what the bartenders have decided to create with our products,” said Leonard. “That is really exciting. The professional bartenders, they think of way more creative ways to prepare it and then you can go and try it. Someone else preparing the product that you made with your hands and it is completely different and it is delicious. It is so fun and pretty cool.”

They have expanded their operations since their inception and can be found at retailers, bars and restaurants throughout the 209 including the Armory in Sonora, Oxford Kitchen in Lodi, the Grove House in Mariposa, and the Fox Pub in Modesto. Sabbatical can also be found at liquor stores and grocery stores throughout the 209 and can be found on a map on their website www.drinksabbatical.com. Their products can also be purchased online.

“The opportunity to be able to see where it is made and learn how it is made and then be guided through what we were thinking or what went behind these products and where your ingredients are grown,” stated Leonard. “It is a pretty unique opportunity out here. It is an educational and fun experience.”

The Bottle Shop and Tasting Bar is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. ●

By VIRGINIA STILL

Celebrating two years in business, Burly’s California Bistro is a place where families and friends gather for a farm to fork experience. Owner and Manager Da ani Ryan and Owner and Executive Chef Michael Ortiz, along with founder Kimberly Gaynor, collaborated to bring the 209 a menu that is locally sourced and will keep folks coming back for more.

It truly is all in the name as Burly is a nickname for Kimberly; California for diversity; and Bistro for the small casual dining establishment that it is. Locating in West Modesto was purposeful as mom Gaynor and daughter Ryan have lived on that side of town for many years. Ryan is a Modesto High alumnus and her daughter attends school there currently. Gaynor explained that the west side of Modesto did not have upscale dining options so she wanted to create something for people to enjoy without having to go downtown or further.

“We are like an upscale meat and potatoes,” noted Ortiz.

Burly’s may be a relatively new restaurant but Gaynor has been catering for over 30 years with Ortiz and Ryan joining in for over 10. Although they still cater, Gaynor is looking to step down from the restaurant business and retire.

“We wanted a kitchen and then somehow this happened,” added Gaynor about opening a restaurant. “ e restaurant is mainly for these two (Ryan and Ortiz). I am ready to retire.” ey are open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner on Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight; and closed on Sundays. ere is a huge mural of what was going to be a geographically correct painting of Modesto but had so much interest from others to be added to the wall that it has grown to feature many businesses in the area. ere are some notable landmarks like the DoubleTree as well as hidden Star Wars items.

Ortiz has been a chef for about 20 years and has worked at several di erent restaurants in his career. He graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

He said, “I have a well-rounded background. I did a little bit of everything.” e farm to table was tting for the trio as they are surrounded by farms and have relationships with several local businesses including Dave’s Meat, Zaiger’s Genetics, Fisher Nut Company, Stewart and Jasper Orchards, Fiscalini Cheese and Alpine Paci c Nut Co. ey collaborated on the menu that has starters, salads, soups, and entrées like the Whiskey Peppercorn Sirloin that is a customer favorite. It comes with garlic whipped potatoes, and a local seasonal vegetable that is topped with a avorful whiskey cream sauce that brings extreme delight to the palate.

“We get a lot of farmers in here,” said Gaynor.

“Our whiskey sauce is really good,” said Ryan. “ e chef did a great job on that one. at is our go to. We suck people in with that sauce. It is hands down one of the best. He is a very talented dude. Everything is made from scratch; nothing is out of a can. We use everyone local.” e Crispy Calamari, Ahi Tuna Poke, and Almond Crusted Chicken Skewers are some of the starters that are top sellers. eir one and only pasta on the menu is the chicken or shrimp Cavatappi ala Vodka that lights the tastebuds on re served in a cream sauce with mushrooms, garlic and pepper akes. e avor pro le is spicy but very tasty and hard to stop eating. e seared salmon is a guest favorite served with a mushroom risotto, asparagus, and lemon thyme sauce.

Every ursday is Prime Rib Night at Burly’s where guests can get a tender, well-seasoned cut of meat with garlic whipped mashed potatoes and seasonal mixed veggies.

For those looking for something simple, another customer favorite is Dave’s Meat Beef Burger topped with Fiscalini cheese, peppercorn aioli, tomato, and pickled red onions on a brioche bun.

“It is a service industry so that is what it is for, the customers,” remarked Ortiz. “When they are happy, I am happy. We have really loyal customers. Since day one we have had the same people coming into this restaurant.” ey have a full bar and an extensive wine list with an assortment of reds and whites. On Wine Wednesday there are several varietals that are half price with the purchase of an entrée. Although there is happiness throughout the restaurant, Burly’s has a Happy Hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. except on Tipsy Tuesdays where happy hour continues in the bar until closing. e location was formerly a church that had wood pieces with scripture on it. When they renovated the building, they incorporated those pieces into Burly’s.

“Our chef and his father-inlaw and my husband built this place,” stated Ryan about the hard work that was done prior to opening. “All the electrical my husband did and chef and his father-in-law did mostly everything.” ere is a warm familyfriendly vibe in the quaint, casual restaurant where everyone seems to know everyone. Ryan pointed out a customer that graduated from Modesto High at the next table. People walked in saying “Happy birthday” and giving hugs to Gaynor, as her birthday was in March.

“Everybody knows everybody when they walk in,” expressed Gaynor. “We are from West Modesto. It is really important to us to be on this side of town.” ●