Imagine being able to dine in a wine cellar, savor pasta made from scratch, being able to stroll through a redwood wonderland to work off dinner, and then retreat to a cozy outdoor enclave around a fire pit to enjoy homemade sorbet as the sun sets over the Diablo Range.

Now toss in the chance to dine al fresco at the same restaurant in an inviting garden setting overlooking an adjoining amphitheater enjoying a low key community-style concert or taking in a musical performance of groups such as Credence Clearwater Revival.

Does it sound like a scenario that would make it a leading candidate to be on your list of must do destination dining experiences?

Now what if you were told you could do all that in your own backyard without having first being serenaded by the whirling of gasoline pumps to fuel a drive of an hour or so to get there.

River Islands at Lathrop is figuratively and literally blasting apart the cookie cutter dinner dining experience in the South County in its collaboration with Bob Campana, their partner in bringing the eclectic Redwood Cafe roaring back to life.

The literal part is they have paid to have massive pieces of granite blasted — one is 17 tons — for the expansive grounds of the Redwood Cafe.

Work is now in full swing on bringing the Redwood Cafe to life after “the heart and soul” of the dining rooms and barn where carefully taken part from its Modesto location — where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints new temple is being built — and moved to River Islands.

It now at the heart of the shared vision of Campana and Cambay Group of Somerston Holdings — a third generation investment and development concern deeply rooted in England that’s setting new standards for development in Northern California — nestled in and on a 300-foot wide levee overlooking the San Joaquin River.

Next door, concrete foundations are being poured for the stage of the River Islands amphitheater for events as well as concerts for up to 3,400 people that backs up to the Islanders Ball Field.

To give you an inkling of how big of a “thing” the Redwood Cafe will be when it is completed later this year, the overall restaurant will end up at 16,000 square feet between the “ground” floor and the wine cellar.

That dwarfs not only the original Redwood Cafe footprint of 2,800 square feet of which has been swallowed up and expanded on the main floor, but is also the largest space by far for a dinner restaurant in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The ultimate restaurant square footage will end up being more than a third the size of the 45,000 square-foot Best Buy store on Dale Road in Modesto.

You can actually enter the wine cellar on the ground level via a circular drop-off driveway.

Once you step through the doors, you will be walking “underground” buried below earth that helped create a “levee” significantly wider than the 300 feet minimum encircling there 15,001-home planned community.

You’ll walk along a curvy entrance wall lined with rocks.

In the wine cellar you will find four wine cellar rooms.

The largest — the Somerston — carries the name of Cambay Group’s Napa Valley winery where you can dine among racks of bottled selections from Somerston Estate.

There are three smaller cellar rooms that can be combined.

The cellar dining area will also be an art gallery, if you will, lined with paintings and sculptures from area artists that will be available for purchase.

The cellar is where you will find the takeout kitchen.

This is not a hot food kitchen.

Instead, it will offer meals prepared that you can pick up and take home to cook and enjoy.

The kitchen can open to an adjoining wine cellar room to accommodate cooking classes for the general public.

It will also combine the kitchen and cellar dining rooms to be used for an envisioned culinary arts classroom conducted in conjunction with career technical education at River Islands High.

Altogether, 100 diners can be accommodated in the cellar.

A staircase or elevator will take you to the main floor where dining for another 250 guests is located.

The tables, chairs, and other furnishings are now being fashioned by artisan welders and woodworkers under Campana’s watchful eye. They promise to deliver on being part of the electric appeal the Redwood Cafe was known for in both its ambience and menu.

As an added touch, the main kitchen will also have what is definitely a first for Lathrop, Manteca, Ripon, or Tracy — a chef’s table where guests can dine in the kitchen.

The menu currently can best be described as Italian and continental.

River Islands President Susan Dell’Osso noted pricing will likely be a tad or two more than national sit-down chain restaurants.

Among the items being made firm scratch daily are pasta, bread, sorbet, and gelato.

Redwood Cafe will have dinner service only in addition to being available for weddings and other events.

Patio dining, as well as around fire pits spread in landscape enclaves throughout the grounds will be available.

There will be hundreds of redwoods plants with large rocks and other landscaping in the mix.

There will be a walking path on the grounds or you could step onto the 18-mile bike path that will eventually ring River Islands.

The backstory of how the Redwood Cafe ended up literally moving to River Islands is just as unique as what is now being created as River Islands second dining experience. It is already home to the Boat House with its lakeside dining.

Dell’Osso was looking to bring a second restaurant to River Islands that already has a somewhat unique lakeside dining experience with the Boat House.

Meeting with Campana, they came up with the wild idea of picking up the unique cafe ambiance that had been created, hauling it down the freeway, and to River Islands where they planned for its rebirth.

Dell’Osso took video of the interior on July 5, 2024 and sent it to Alan Chapman, president of Cambay Group, in England and advised him of the plan.

Chapman viewed the video the next day and called to say he was definitely onboard.

A subsequent in-person follow-up by Chapman at Redwood Cafe before it closed in Modesto made him even more convinced of how it could become part of the lifestyle that is being created at River Islands as well as serve as a regional draw.

River Islands tidbits

*Those who want the Boat House restaurant will serve French fries will be getting their wish soon. The owners are in the process of adding a fryer.

*An added bonus of living on River Islands— for now at least — are kids can literally walk to horse riding lessons.

River Islands owns the horse farm that was the only other cluster of buildings and such on Stewart Tract besides the Dell’Osso family home before homes were started in the planned development.

Dell’Osso said the riding lessons are extremely popular.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com