Home Care In Modesto, CA

Have you ever taken a bite of something and started shaking your head because you can’t believe it’s as good as it is?

I experienced that when I tried a cheesesteak sandwich and a smash burger inside a gas station, of all places, on Tuesday afternoon.

With a coffee shop and two dining options inside, Shell on Oakdale Road has become a one-stop shop to fuel your car and yourself.

One of the eateries, Cheesesteak & Burger Factory, opened Thursday, Dec. 11. There’s also Giacomo’s Coffee and Crunchy Munchy Chicken inside the Shell Food Mart.

“What is going on inside this Shell station?” I asked Cheesesteak & Burger Factory owner Keith Richardson before I paid him a visit.

“A lot of activities,” he replied.

Richardson is from San Francisco and has had another restaurant, Keith’s Chicken-N-Waffles, in Daly City for nearly a decade.

He first moved to Modesto in 2001 but was still working a government job in the Bay Area. After a while, Richardson said the commute became tiring, so he went back to the Bay until he retired and moved to Modesto “permanently” in 2020.

Richardson said he likes Modesto because the slower pace is “kind of like retirement” for him. When I heard that, I had to chuckle because while he is retired from one job, he now owns two restaurants in two areas and is working on a third venture.

How is a gas station home to the “best cheesesteak ever”?

I learned about Cheesesteak & Burger Factory through a social media post by local food influencer Cuzzo Eats.

“They don’t even have their Instagram up but let me tell you, best cheesesteak ever,” he told me when I replied to the post.

Richardson said his approach is to start off slow, giving his staff time to prepare for when they do start getting busy. That approach includes building a relationship with the neighborhood and a word-of-mouth marketing strategy and growing from there.

That strategy worked for all of five days before I, a reporter, found out. Not that Richardson is complaining.

When you enter the Shell Food Mart, Cheesesteak & Burger Factory is straight ahead, toward the rear of the building. It shares a space with Giacomo’s — you place your coffee order with the cashier to the left and your cheesesteak order with the cashier to the right.

Richardson said the space was occupied by a burger spot previously, and when he noticed it closed, he contacted the owner to inquire about a lease.

“I started the cheesesteak place because there’s a lack of that type of food in the area,” he said. “I’m trying to change things up around here, just a little bit.”

How many kinds of cheesesteaks and burgers are on the menu?

Before he opened the cheesesteak spot, Richardson said he visited Philadelphia to try its sandwiches and get tips on how to make them authentically before he put his spin on it.

“We didn’t just say, ‘OK, we’re just going to open up a cheesesteak shop’ and not know where it comes from or even pay homage to the people that started it,” he said.

Richardson said he slices fresh sirloin steak for his sandwiches.

There are five styles of cheesesteak on the menu: the classic Philly, OG Factory Philly, spicy jalapeño Philly, chicken Philly and the chopped cheese. There are also loaded steak or chicken fries.

While Richardson said cheesesteaks are by far the most ordered menu item, specifically the classic Philly, smash burgers are also a main menu item — hence the name Cheesesteak & Burger Factory.

“I’m trying to sell a lot more smash burgers, but as I advertise later on, that part will probably grow,” he said.

The shop offers as many burgers as cheesesteaks: the Factory smash, double OG burger, spicy smash, barbecue bacon smash and mushroom Swiss melt.

Sides include fries, onion rings and tater tots. Dessert options are a banana pudding cup or a red velvet waffle.

You can take your order to go or eat at one of the three tables inside the gas station .

Restaurant and shop owner has third venture planned

As I mentioned earlier, Richardson’s “retirement” includes operating two eateries and plans for a third.

In a month or so, he will open a food trailer called Triple OG Eats. It will have a similar menu as Cheesesteak & Burger Factory with chicken items including tenders and sandwiches added.

“It’s basically taking the most popular restaurants like In-N-Out Burger, Raising Cane’s and Chick-Fil-A and wrapping them up all in one on one truck,” Richardson said.

The plans he submitted for the trailer are in review and a location has not yet been chosen.

Cheesesteak & Burger Factory is at 1728 Oakdale Road, open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

JS West & Companies is erecting a new headquarters at Modesto’s northwest edge, six miles from the downtown street where it began in 1909.

The company is a major producer of eggs and propane in Northern California. It will continue to employ about 325 people, fourth-generation President and CEO Mike West said Wednesday.

He spoke at the groundbreaking for the four-story project at the southwest corner of Dale Road and Kiernan Avenue. JS West hired Huff Construction of Modesto to build it from a design by Dahlin Architecture, Planning and Interiors of Pleasanton. It could be done in July 2027. The cost was not disclosed.

JS West will put its offices in the third and fourth floors. The accounting firm of Gensky Muller will occupy the second story. A restaurant and other offices are being sought for the ground level by CoSol Commercial Real Estate of Modesto.

JS West no longer will have offices on Ninth Street but will keep a propane hub there. It also delivers the fuel to six towns between Fresno and Placer counties. The laying hens live in large barns near Oakdale, Hilmar and Livingston.

“We’ve been proud to continuously heat, feed and serve our customers, but today represents something a little bit more,” said Kelly Monk, vice president for corporate development.

How did JS West get its start?

Modesto had about 4,000 residents when Nebraska native James Stewart West launched the business 116 years ago. He started with coal and grain sales at Ninth and G streets.

Other items came and went over the decades — ice, fuel oil, auto sales and service, furniture and appliances. JS West began selling propane in 1936 and now has outlets in Modesto, Selma, Oakhurst, Sonora, Angels Camp, Placerville and Colfax.

JS West got into eggs in the late 1940s. It later joined with industry partners to build the massive feed terminal near Hughson, supplied by rail from the Midwest. JS West markets its eggs through the NuCal Foods cooperative, based in Ripon.

The company had a retail feed store on Ninth from 1958 to 2022. Customers could get food and supplies for pets and for 4-H and FFA livestock projects.

Mike West said Wednesday that the family will continue to own the Ninth Street properties. Future uses have not been announced, including possible housing under the city’s downtown plan.

The former furniture store fronting H Street is leased to Redeemer Modesto church. The rusty old feed silos sit across Ninth from the gleaming new courthouse.

What’s coming at the new HQ?

JS West’s new facade along Kiernan will have a rough copy of the original sign hawking coal and grain. An actual feed silo from the past will be nearby.

The office building is part of a first phase that also includes parking under solar panels. The other phase will have some kind of retail in a pedestrian-friendly layout.

The site is just north of the Kaiser Permanente complex, completed along Dale nearly 20 years ago. It was followed in recent years by multiple-story apartments and hotels on the west side. They are fronted by several eateries.

Mike West said the company is looking to expand its propane service area, which would add jobs. On the egg side, it has endured some of the bird flu outbreaks affecting producers across the nation.

The groundbreaking audience included retired CEO Gary West, father of Mike and grandson of the founder. Dozens of other business and government leaders turned out. Among them was Modesto Councilmember Rosa Escutia-Bratton, whose district takes in the new JS West site.

“Their century-long history of success in our community,” she said, “shows that they are resilient, that they evolve and grow with every generation.”

I would say a long-awaited ramen shop in Vintage Faire Mall has finally opened, but the wait wasn’t very long. It just felt like it.

In late October, I wrote about a Korean-inspired, self-serve ramen shop that would open in the suite next to Lids and Zales on the second level of the mall. As you may know, when you anticipate something, time seems to move slowly.

But then it happened. Not even a month after the story published, K-Ramyun had a soft opening Nov. 22.

It was previously reported (and depicted on Vintage Faire Mall’s site map) that K-Ramyun was associated with Seoul Street. When I spoke to co-owner Jane Lee, she said she and her mom, Iris Lee, initially were going to partner with the Southern California company but decided to create their own small business in Modesto instead.

While Jane Lee lives in Los Angeles, Iris Lee has lived and worked in Modesto for five years. Jane Lee said she purchases the instant ramen packets for the shop in Los Angeles, where there is a wider variety of markets, and makes the drive up weekly to deliver them.

Cooking your own meal at K-Ramyun made easy

It couldn’t be more simple to cook ramen at the DIY shop. The hardest part is choosing from the dozens of instant ramen packets lined on a wall.

There are even vegan and high-protein options, and the shop eventually may carry gluten-free noodles, Jane Lee said. Other items for sale are ice cream, kimbap, chips and drinks.

The price for ramen starts at $7.95, and free toppings include green onion, cilantro, lime and jalapeños. For $1 each, you can add mozzarella cheese, Spam, sausage, enoki mushrooms, rice cakes or fish cakes. You can also top your ramen with dumplings or shrimp for $3.

After you make your choices, you are given a tray, a paper bowl and directions on how to use the machine that adds water to the noodles and boils them. The directions are: Press one button (depending on the base of your noodles) and press start.

Then, you eat.

K-Ramyun is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A Stanislaus County man is $15 million richer, thanks to a lucky lottery ticket.

Gary Cooksey hit the top prize for the 40 Years of Play! Scratchers game in Stanislaus County, according to California State Lottery officials.

Scratchers players from Fullerton, San Bernardino and Moreno Valley also won big, lottery officials said in a Friday, Dec. 12, news release.

“Big winners represent only a portion of the incredible stories that have shaped the California lottery over the past 40 years,” lottery officials said in the release.

“Throughout 2025, the California lottery has been celebrating a milestone year, marking four incredible decades of raising supplemental funding for public schools,” the release said.

Here’s what you need to know about where the lucky lottery ticket was sold in Stanislaus County:

Where was winning lottery ticket sold in Stanislaus County?

Cooksey bought the $15 million winning ticket at ampm, 12725 Yosemite Blvd. in Waterford, according to the California State Lottery.

Waterford is roughly 13 miles east of Modesto.

Where were other winning tickets sold in California?

Along with Cooksey, three other lucky Scratchers recently scored wins of $2 million or more in California.

Carlos Herrera won $2 million playing an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers ticket purchased at Fullerton Wine & Spirit, 416 South Harbor Blvd. in Fullerton.

Bruno Chavez also hit the $2 million top prize on an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers he purchased at the 7-Eleven at 2908 North Waterman Ave. in San Bernardino.

Wendy Benitez claimed $5 million playing a Cash King Scratchers ticket from Moreno Liquor, 23896 Sunnymead Blvd. in Moreno Valley.

“From a stellar $15 million win with the commemorative 40 Years of Play game to the extra fun winning $2 million with the fan-favorite play of a crossword Scratchers, these players took home the big prize,” lottery officials said in the release.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Several parts of California — including the Central Valley and northern regions — haven’t seen the sun for more than two weeks.

According to NASA, an unusual “atmospheric phenomenon” was clearly visible in satellite imagery across much of the Golden State.

“Fog stretching some 400 miles (640 kilometers) across the state’s Central Valley appeared day after day for more than two weeks in late November and early December,” NASA said in a report.

As much of the Pacific Northwest braces for rain, snow and potential flooding, central California will remain an exception, according to the National Weather Service.

“The exception continues to be in the Central California Valley where low clouds and fog are expected to remain stuck, keeping temperatures much cooler than surrounding cloud free areas,” the agency said in a Thursday, Dec. 11, news release.

Why have Northern California and the Central Valley been so foggy?

Here’s what to know about the source of the fog, how long it’s expected to last and tips for staying safe on foggy roads:

Why is it so foggy in Northern California and the Central Valley?

According to NASA, this weather phenomenon is called tule fog, named after a marsh plant that grows in the region.

These low-lying clouds typically form in the valley during the colder months when winds are light and the soil is moist.

Tule fog becomes especially dense when moist marine air, calm winds and clear skies come together.

“The Central Valley is fertile ground for the formation of tule fog, a persistent radiation fog, in late autumn and winter,” NASA said.

These weather patterns are common from November through February.

“Researchers have found, however, that tule fog has been forming less often in California in recent decades,” NASA said.

What caused the fog in Northern California?

Jan Null, a former National Weather Service forecaster in Northern California and current professor of meteorology at San Jose State University, said California’s early fall weather patterns caused a perfect storm for a particularly heavy fog year.

“The perfect recipe for radiation fog ... is for there to be low-level moisture, clear skies and light winds,” Null said. “Right after it quit raining (in late November), we had high pressure build over us and that’s when we got all three of those ingredients.”

Abundant soil moisture from a very wet autumn also contributed.

“Across nearly all of central and southern California, precipitation totals from September through November 2025 were among the top 10% on record,” NASA said.

Major storms during this period not only fueled the fog but also significantly improved drought conditions across the state.

As of Friday, Dec. 12, more than 90% of the Golden State was entirely drought-free.

Once the rain ended on Nov. 21, temperatures began to sharply drop — reaching highs of 40s and 50s after the first half of the month lingered in the 60s and 70s, according to data from the National Weather Service.

As temperatures in the Sierra Nevada foothills remained in the mid-50s and low 60s at the close of November, the resulting weather inversion locked in the moisture and chilly low-altitude air, resulting in the characteristic fog.

Our persistent low clouds and patchy fog continue throughout this morning across much of the Central Valley and is slated to continue this evening into tomorrow morning again. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/PbzST2KJVR

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) December 10, 2025

When will Northern California and Central Valley see clear skies again?

According to Null, a weather system with significant temperature mixing to cool down higher elevations and warm up lower elevations is necessary to “break the inversion.”

Dakari Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there could be a weather system arriving around Wednesday, Dec. 17, but it is unclear whether it will bring enough precipitation to clear the fog.

Anderson said temperatures around the Sacramento area will remain in the upper 40s and low 50s while the fog layer is still in place, as the cold temperatures swirl between the freezing clouds and the ground.

Areas above the fog in the Sierra Nevada foothills and higher elevations are forecast to experience higher temperatures, with the possibility of seasonal record highs, ranging from the mid-50s to upper 60s, according to the latest forecasts.

“(The fog) could go through Christmas right now,” Null said. “We’ll have to keep on watching it.”

As of Friday, Dec. 12, forecasts for Modesto, Merced and Fresno indicated more fog over weekend, with low temperatures in the 40s.

How to drive safely on foggy roads

Driving through dense fog can be hazardous, according to the National Weather Service.

If you must drive in the fog, follow these safety tips:

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