RIPON — The Ripon Veterans of Foreign Wars Ripon post has given new life to their kitchen at a cost of some $30,000 allowing them to serve the community as well as their post and auxiliary members breakfasts to  lunches and dinners.

Past post commander John Franscella said the all new stainless steel facility offers tacos from 6 until 7 on Monday nights with lunches of burgers, fries, fish and onion rings Wednesday noon from 11:30 until 1:30 in the afternoon.

Friday night dinners are from 5:30 until 7 p.m.  The Friday night entrée menu can be found on the post website at www.VFWCApost1051 – Ripon .

On Sundays the post members offer a complete breakfast including eggs, bacon, rolls, juices and coffee. 

The kitchen restoration committee involved a number of people, Franscella said.  The post members included Bill Lugton and Rock Rauchman, both U.S. Navy veterans.  The Ladies Auxiliary representatives were Judy Van Boven, kitchen manager; and Rose DeJong.  Tom Souza and Mike Cady represented the Men’s Auxiliary along with the guidance of post commander John Franscella who served as the facilitator.

Franscella said the funds used to do the remodeling of the kitchen came through the support of the Manteca and Ripon communities.

Franscella – along with two others directly involved in the kitchen – served on the USS Hancock aircraft carrier from 1968 until 1972 as a yeoman second class and was involved in three deployments to Vietnam.

Rauchman also served on a carrier – the USS Princeton – based out of Long Beach.  He was a signalman who saw duty in China, India, Philippines and Okinawa.

Lugton was involved in Naval Air aboard the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier from 1951 to 1955 and was based out of Moffet Field. He flew in the back seat of Douglas A-1 Skyraiders fighter aircraft on submarine patrols, he said.