Coast Range steakhouse chef and owner Steven Fretz introduces nonalcoholic drink menu

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After he drank himself into the hospital with cirrhosis last November, Steven Fretz had to be revived. The doctors gave him two choices: stop drinking alcohol and live or keep drinking and die.

Fretz had been a chef for 25 years at that point, making his living in a drinking world that was slowly sucking the life from him. 

Cooks are nearly twice as likely to die from alcohol addiction compared to the average person, according to Business Insider. American Addiction Centers found that 40 percent of food service workers consider casual substance use to be a part of their work culture, while only 31 percent don’t use drugs and alcohol at all.

After spending two weeks in the hospital, Fretz made his decision: It was time to go sober.

On June 2, Fretz, the executive chef and owner of the Coast Range steakhouse in Solvang, added a new drink menu for patrons thirsting for an alternative to alcohol. The menu consists of six cocktails, three wines, four beers, and two adaptogens—all of which are nonalcoholic.

“I hadn’t even thought of the nonalcoholic program until I went to the Montage Hotel in Park City, Utah,” Fretz said. “I saw this beautiful nonalcoholic cocktail list, and I felt jealous.”

Almost half of Americans are trying to drink less alcohol in 2025, according to advertising group NC Solutions. Nonalcoholic beverages now comprise a $3 billion industry, a November report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. Market researcher NielsenIQ reported a 31 percent increase in retail sales for nonalcoholic drinks from 2023 to 2024 and predicts sales will double in the next five years.

Looking to step foot into the budding industry, Fretz designed a nonalcoholic cocktail menu that stands out for its unique flavors. After he began making the mixes and realized the emerging solution seemed diluted, Fretz created his own house-made syrup using Coast Range’s pastry department’s glucose, water, citric acid powder, and liquid stevia to give drinks the viscosity of their alcoholic counterparts.

The Mint to be Sober consists of Lyre Spirit Company’s white cane spirit, yuzu, mint, and blueberries. Fretz said Coast Range dehydrates its own blueberries, which it gets from Chavez Family Farms in Santa Maria.

The Tie One Off, Coast Range’s nonalcoholic Mai Thai, also comes with Lyre’s white cane spirit but features orange, pineapple, and Fretz’s house-made amaretto syrup, which Fretz said he made with an all-natural alcohol-free almond extract.

“And then, we put Luxardo cherries on them, just like you would with Mai Tais,” Fretz said.

The Sunshine Spritz is Coast Range’s version of an Aperol spritz, a popular Italian cocktail known for its bright orange color and bittersweet taste. Coast Range’s drink is made of red grapefruit soda, a nonalcoholic sparkling wine from Zonin, and Mionetto Aperitivo for that bitter, orange flavor.

For the more advanced drinkers, the Choose Your Own Adventure cocktail features a nonalcoholic spirit by The Pathfinders, based in Oregon.

“It tastes identical to a Fernet Branca in my opinion,” Fretz said. “This one probably won’t be the most popular on the menu, but it’s my favorite.”

Coast Range even has nonalcoholic bitters—concentrated flavor extracts made from botanical ingredients to enhance cocktail flavors and add depth. 

Similar to Coast Range’s food menu, the nonalcoholic drink lineup will change frequently, Fretz said, noting that one goal he has is to eventually increase the nonalcoholic wines to a dozen.

“In the last year, we’ve been getting a lot of people asking about nonalcoholic drinks,” said Coast Range bartender Victor Vasquez, who’s been serving drinks for more than 20 years. “We just wanted to expand the menu to include those who don’t drink alcohol.”

As someone who’s used to pouring basic drinks like a Jack and Coke, Vasquez said serving the nonalcoholic craft cocktails off the new menu makes him feel more like an artist than a robot performing monotonous tasks. He said this allows him to showcase his personality, creating a friendlier and more pleasant atmosphere for bar patrons.

Fretz said he understands that some alcohol drinkers may be skeptical of switching. He said he felt the same way before becoming sober.

“I had done the same thing I’m sure a lot of people have done in the last year—rolled my eyes and said, ‘Why would you have a nonalcoholic cocktail? Why would you drink a beer without alcohol? What’s the point,’” Fretz said. “I missed the flavor profiles. I missed sitting down with people and having that camaraderie.”

Drinking nonalcoholic beverages is “more about taking time out of your day to decompress,” Fretz said, adding that having a moment to slow down, sit, and talk to people is crucial in today’s fast-paced world.

Reflecting on the ultimatum the doctor gave him seven months ago, Fretz said he feels like he’s been given a second chance at life.

“You either shit or get off the pot,” Fretz said. “I do not miss alcohol in my body in any way, shape, or form—I’ve lost 45 pounds. My golf game is phenomenal. If I start drinking again tomorrow, I’d be dead in a month. I want to live. It wasn’t a hard decision for me at all.”

Staff Writer Reece Coren would love to hear your journey at rcoren@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Jun 12-22, 2025.