Appliance Repair in Firebaugh, CA

Aubrie Prick

It’s a restaurant generations in the making. James Beard Award-winner Traci Des Jardins’ maternal grandparents emigrated from the Mexican state of Sonora and the chef herself was raised in the small agricultural town of Firebaugh, Calif., the daughter of a farmer. Now she’s merging those familial lines, opening El Alto, a restaurant that celebrates Mexican cuisine while drawing inspiration from the agriculture of California’s fertile Central Valley, where she grew up.

At El Alto, in Los Altos, Calif., Des Jardins has partnered with Robert Hurtado, a California native who also brings his Mexican heritage to the restaurant’s menu. They’ve crafted dishes like queso fundido with pasilla chile rajas and chorizo verde and served with housemade corn or flour tortillas; deviled eggs with guajillo chile and salsa macha; and confit duck leg with apricot mole and King City Pink Beans.

The duck dish especially shows off the duo’s dedication to Central and Northern California, as the apricots were once plentiful around Los Altos and the King City Pink Beans were brought to the Golden State a century ago, an heirloom varietal that originated in Mexico.

It’s the kind of food Des Jardins said she wanted to make when she decided to shut down her legendary San Francisco restaurant Jardinière back in 2019, after a more than two-decade run. Des Jardins established herself as a pillar of the Bay Area dining scene with her French-influenced California cuisine restaurant, which she opened in 1997, two years after winning the Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. In 2007, she tasted victory at the Beards again, taking home the prize for Best Chef: Pacific.

Back when Jardinière’s run ended, Des Jardins was frank about wanting to move on to a new style of cooking. “I looked at changing the concept and the interior, but I just didn’t want to do it. I’m ready to put it to rest. I’m tired of fine dining,” she told The New York Times at the time. “My passion is moving me in different direction.”

So now, the new path Des Jardins charted has led her to Silicon Valley, where on Thursday, March 24, she hopes to build yet another destination restaurant with El Alto.

FIREBAUGH, Calif. — At first glance, the Panoche Hills in Fresno County look pretty bare. Dry grass and dirt cover the low-lying mountain range.

But if you follow the sound of birds, they'll lead you to an oasis known as Mercey Hot Springs.

As water fills her tub at a balmy 121 degrees Fahrenheit, guests like Stephany Wilson control the temperature by adding colder water. But it's not the temperature that’s most enjoyable, it’s the minerals.

According to a water analysis done by owner Larry Ronneberg, there’s a long list of healthy minerals in the water and it’s those minerals that have been attracting people to the hot springs for over a century.

Mercey Hot Spings was originally a sacred spot for the local Yokut Tribe until a sheep herder named John N. Mercy discovered it.

“Later on, he sold it to a guy named Fredric Bourn, a San Francisco property developer,” Ronneberg said.

Bourn liked the name Mercy, but the only way he could copywrite the name is to add an “E” before the “Y”. The name appeared to be misspelled but it didn’t hurt the water bottling business he started.

“They were selling it as a cure-all elixir, thinking the water would make everyone better," Ronneberg said.

There’s no proof the mineral-rich water cured anything other than thirst, but tourists loved drinking and bathing in it. The water was so good, some pretty famous people flew to the private airstrip just to experience it.

“Roy Rogers, Dale Evens, those are the two that come to mine from that era,” Ronneberg said.

The other appealing attribute of the property is its remoteness. You won’t find the paparazzi out here, nor will you get a cell phone signal.

“We’re completely off the grid," Ronneberg said. "Originally, we ran off generators. Now, we are 97% solar and 3% generator."

Ronneberg is an environmentally friendly guy. When he bought the place in the 1990s, he orchestrated a complete remodel of the place and started adding solar panels. They power everything from the guest cabins to the pumps that bring the water to each one of the hot tubs.

“[We use] 20,000 gallons a day,” Ronneberg said, adding the water gets recycled, too.

A soak in the tub is not the only amenity at Mercey Hot Springs. If you’re looking to spend the weekend, try out one of their nine cozy cabins.

If those are all booked up, you can sleep in a deluxe Air Stream camper or you can pitch a tent and camp under the stars.

There’s just one thing you should know before coming, bring your own food. The nearest restaurant is 35 miles away in Los Banos.

A new restaurant is about to open on the property and it’s just in time. Ronneberg says Mercey Hot Springs has become a prime place to escape the pandemic because the tubs are private and there’s lots of space to hike and spread out.

“You couldn’t ask for a more ideal location given the circumstances,” Ronneberg said.

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FIREBAUGH, Calif. (KFSN) -- Veterans and the West Fresno County community have a newly built VFW Post building.

Firebaugh Mayor Pro Tem Brady Jenkins, also a veteran himself, says the building in Firebaugh has a lot of meaning to the community and himself.

"I didn't really understand what it meant when I joined the army and then to come back here and to see that little old hall we had - it was 'okay hey I can be a part of this'. I put something back into this country and there's a post now in our community," says Jenkins.

On Memorial Day, city officials gave Action News a preview of the new facility.

The 5800 square foot building sits on 13th and P streets, a high traffic area for the city.

It is decked out with a conference room, central heating, a performance stage to host bands, and a display case to hold local veteran momentos.

RELATED: Fresno County veterans to get new building for community events

City leaders secured the funding for the nearly $4-million project with grant money.

The former VFW hall was built by World War II veterans in the 1950s, but was outdated and deteriorating.

"We are moving, we are booming. It's new times. I'm one of the ones - we gotta get out with the old and get with the new," says Jenkins.

This building has been in the community, housing so many events like Baptisms, weddings, quinceaneras, and much more.

"This is coming at a perfect and opportune time, when more people need to come out and celebrate and celebrate life. It was a long process but here we are today and it's going to be a great pillar of our community," says Firebaugh Mayor Freddy Valdez.

Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District Superintendent Designate Roy Mendiola says this venue will not only offer opportunities for school events, but also continue to honor veterans and their contributions.

"That's something that we certainly want to continue to reinforce, and emphasize and celebrate. And the fact that it's right in the center of the community is a great place for it be and tremendous sense of community pride," says Mendiola.

There will be a ribbon-cutting this Friday at 10 am.

Contractors are still working on final tweaks but they do hope to open the doors officially in July.

You’ve probably never heard of Firebaugh, Calif., a small remote highway town along Calfornia’s Rt 5 — unless you drive a Tesla.

Firebaugh is home to a large Tesla Supercharger station. And right next door is a McDonald’s. With a banner that reads:

“Recharge with McDonalds’s while you recharge your Tesla.”

“Food delivered directly to your charge bay.”

(See image below.)

With 56 chargers, the Firebaugh Supercharger station is big, even by Tesla standards.

A McDonald’s employee in Firebaugh confirmed that they have the banner posted as a direct appeal to Supercharger customers.

And in case you have any doubt, Tesla lists McDonald’s, along with Subway, on the Firebaugh Supercharger page.

A recent Reddit post about the Firebaugh station generated more than a few comments — though mostly about which fast-food chain would best cater to Tesla Supercharger customers.

The fact is, many charging stations, including those that don’t cater to Tesla customers (such as EVgo and Electrify America), are located at major shopping centers, supermarkets, or hotels.

The exceptions are those like Firebaugh — small-town pitstops located along remote stretches of an interstate with relatively few local businesses.

But the logic is the same as gas stations. A pitstop is an opportunity to rest and grab a snack.

The difference is, with EV charging stations there is even more opportunity. When charging an EV, you have more time to burn because it takes longer to charge an EV to 80 or 90 percent than to fill up a gas tank (sometimes much longer*).

Tesla is not oblivious to this. Tesla’s Supercharger station in Kettleman City, Calif. has a 24-hour Tesla customer lounge that provides snacks and coffee — and it even has a Yelp page.

Tesla’s Kettleman City station page also lists Denny's, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr., and Starbucks as being nearby.

NOTES:

*My charging sessions at Electrify America typically take at least 30 minutes.

Comments or suggestions can be sent to me via a direct twitter message at twitter.com/mbrookec.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 21st year of the millennium was expected to be a time of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of normal, 2021 gave us more of the same as 2020 with vaccinations, face mask requirements and more COVID-19 deaths. There were people who stood out during the year because of their work, accomplishments or their impact. Vida en el Valle selected the 10 most interesting people of 2021. Here is No. 7:

When it came to explaining the drought’s impact on the Valley’s vibrant but fragile agricultural economy, no one did it better than second-generation organic cantaloupe farmer Joe Del Bosque, whose operation west of Firebaugh regularly draws politicians and reporters hoping to learn about the drought and other woes plaguing the industry.

Google his name and you’ll get 26.7 million results. Foreigners – both journalists and public officials – have visited his 5,000 acres where he also grows almonds, asparagus, and squash.

His Twitter account (Westside Farmer) has almost 5,000 followers.

Want to know about COVID-19 vaccinations and farmworkers, Joe’s your guy.

Want to know about immigration reform, Joe’s your guy.

Want to identify a plant or see authentic Mexican cuisine, Joe’s your guy.

Heck, he even sent an invitation to then-President Barack Obama to witness the impact of the drought in 2014.

The drought continues, despite the recent record snowfall in the Sierra and rain in the Valley.

“Unfortunately, much of the excess flood released in Northern California will flow to the ocean,” Del Bosque Tweeted Monday. “We can’t capture these storm flows due to ESA actions in the Delta. (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s) hands are tied. We’re still in a drought in California, folks.”

In an interview with a Sacramento Bee reporter this fall, he explained his woes that are much like those of other farmers. After tearing out an asparagus field due to lack of water, Del Bosque was figuring out if 150 acres of almonds would be next due to low prices and the high cost of water.

“It’s a tough decision to pull out these orchards,” he said. “But what do you do? We’re thinking of ways to survive.”

Two years ago, he paid $250 per acre-foot for Central Valley Project water. This year, he had to go farther north to purchase water from irrigation districts north of the Sacramento-San Joaquín Delta for $750 per acre-foot.

Check your social media to see what the 72-year-old Del Bosque – who turned down a chance at becoming a dentist to go into farming – does next.