Minty Wellness

Twenty five years ago, Gene Baur and some friends began taking notice of the cruel and inhumane conditions inside industrialized animal farms and slaughterhouses and decided that something needed to be done -- and thus, with nothing but determination and the profits of a vegetarian hotdog stand, Farm Sanctuary was born.

Today, the peaceful organization attracts thousands of visitors a year to its two sprawling farm shelters for previously abused animals in Watkins Glen and California, and has inspired a bestselling book by Baur. 

At 4 p.m. on Aug. 8, Baur will visit Minty Wellness in Darien Center to discuss his book and Farm Sanctuary itself, which is currently the nation's leading farm animal rescue, education and advocacy organization. 

Local animal advocate Danielle Legg is hoping to raise $2,000 by that date, and has pledged to "Go Bald for Bob Harper" if her goal is met. (Despite his very human name, Bob Harper is a pig -- one of more than 400 animals living at the organizaton's Watkins Glen location.)

To help raise funds, Legg is holding a raffle for several vegan items, including: two gift baskets from Lush Cosmetics (valued at $140); a gift basket from Hugo Naturals, containing vegan bath and body products (valued at $95); a gift bag by Michelle Dermaceuticals, containing vegan beauty products; handmade gift tags and greeting cards; a necklace and earring set made by Julie Sheremeta; a massage donated by David Kimball LMT; and a Minty Wellness Getaway package, including an overnight stay and breakfast for two at the Minty Wellness hotel, restaurant and spa. 

For further information, contact Danielle Legg at veganleggs80@yahoo.com or the Minty Wellness hotel, restaurant and spa. It's located at 1961 Church Road in Darien Center. Phone is 591-3939. Email is www.mintywellness.com.

Linda Tyczka never expected Minty Wellness to receive the kind of praise it has from meat eaters in Genesee County and beyond.

Among locals, "they're probably our biggest client base," Tyczka said.

Why wouldn't meat eaters embrace the gourmet restaurant inside the upscale hotel and spa in Darien Center?

Well, there's no meat served at Minty Wellness. It's an entirely vegan and raw food establishment.

Since opening last May, more and more local residents have been discovering Minty Wellness and telling their friends about the food.

"There are so many local people coming," Tyczka said. "We have a group reservation from a local bank. None of them are vegan. They just heard it’s a nice place and the food is good. We’ve taken the vegan menu past granola and beans. We try to do a little gourmet and it’s working well.”

The story of Minty Wellness begins more than three years ago at a raw food seminar in Maine. There, Tyczka met Mary Minihane, who makes her home in Ireland. The two women struck up a friendship and Mary suggested opening a vegan and raw food resort.

Her initial idea was to open it in Costa Rica, but after the women travelled there they couldn't find a suitable location, so Minihane started looking in California and Arizona.  Then she sent Tyczka information on property in the Poconos.

At that point, Tyczka said, "Hey, what about my place."

Tyczka and her husband David own 100 wooded acres in Darien. Minihane researched the market, liked its proximity to Buffalo, Rochester and Toronto, and agreed to back the construction of the facility.

The entire hotel, spa and restaurant are brand-new from the ground up. The eight hotel rooms are each unique, though the entire decor of the hotel is sleek contemporary with a touch of retro modern. The spare, uncluttered environment inside is immediately relaxing, which Tyczka said was the goal all along.

"I'm all about environment," Tyczka said. "It doesn't matter where I go, I want to be in a nice environment. We didn't just want to have a vegan hotel and just plain rooms. We wanted that experience to carry up into the rooms so people would be like, 'I can't wait to get to my room.'"

Some of what the spa offers includes Swedish massage, hot stone massage, soothing soak, Vichy massage and colon hydrotherapy. Laura Koepp is also on staff to offer Naturopathic therapy.

For those looking for an overnight or longer retreat, besides relaxing in the hotel, there are four golf courses within 15 minutes, plus nearby Darien Lake, as well as the wood areas for hikes or snowshoeing.

Overnight stays include a vegan breakfast.

As for the lunch and dinner menu, it features such delectable-sounding dishes Cajun Mayo Avocado, Linguini Alfredo, Tomato Dill Nori Roll and a vegan taco dubbed the "best taco ever."

"It's awesome to be acknowledged by the locals," Tyczka said. "It's one thing to pull people from Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto, but to be recognized by local people is just a really gratifying thing."