D'Vine Path program experiences growth in Fallbrook

FALLBROOK – After four years of operation on Batali Ranch in Fallbrook, D'Vine Path has purchased a new property to allow for the expansion of the program.

On Dec. 30, D'Vine Path purchased an eight acre property on Olive Hill Road in Fallbrook, approximately one minute away from Batali Ranch. This new property was featured on television, from 2005-2008 when actress Tori Spelling and her husband, Dean McDermott, leased this property as the location for their reality tv series "Inn Love."

This new property will serve the students of D'Vine Path in many ways; the space will allow for an agriculture tourism business to be created on the property along with a vineyard, boutique winery and farm-to-table gardens. The students will be trained and employed in the agriculture tourism business, and they will be able to gain experience in a working environment.

After operating on Batali Ranch for four years, D'Vine Path Executive Director Lenila Lingad Batali realized that the program was outgrowing the property, and more space was needed to accommodate more students and their needs.

"To operate D'Vine Path program on its own property is momentous," Batali said. "Now we can focus on developing our ag-tourism business and hands-on training programs to create more successful collaborations with both our students and the community."

Along with the skills they will gain in viticulture and agriculture, the students will be learning about hospitality, catering, culinary skills, healthy dietary choices, as well as the arts. A program called Canopy Arts will be implemented at the new D'Vine Path location, which will allow artists to explore opportunities in the industry while enhancing their independence and learning about entrepreneurship.

According to Batali, the new property has already brought a great amount of joy to the students of D'Vine Path, and this joy will continue to grow as the program expands.

"The students are so excited from this move," Batali said. "They will have a chance to help in the development of their program on this new property. It will give them a sense of ownership, responsibility and pride.This is a great opportunity for all of our students to grow."

According to D'Vine Path Fundraising Coordinator and Grant Writer Michele Cox, this new property has been transformative for the program, as well as everyone involved.

"This program greatly affects so many people, and it's heartwarming to be able to see the growth D'Vine Path has experienced, as well as the growth within the students," said Cox. "We are so thankful for the support from the community and helping this idea become a reality."

By early March, D'Vine Path will officially have moved to the new property; the students and staff look forward to creating memories and learning new skills together on this property.

To prepare for the move, D'Vine Path hosted a volunteer cleanup day Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the new property, and more than 100 volunteers came to support the program. Batali said the volunteer cleanup day was extremely successful, and allowed D'Vine Path staff and students to connect with the community.

"We would like to help the community learn about our students, as well as learning about patience and awareness," Batali said. "We also want to show that D'Vine Path is a great resource for residents of San Diego County, and we look forward to continuing to grow with the community."

To learn more about D'Vine Path, visit https://www.dvinepath.org/.

Submitted by D'Vine Path.