Pat-pat-pat-pat.

With expert hands, Leonard Siliceo prepares a perfect hamburger patty for the next day’s serving at Boardwalk Fresh Burgers and Fries.

His gloved left hand dips back into the 10-pound chub of ground beef, takes out another handful, places it on a scale, always 3.5 ounces, never 3.4 or 3.6. He adds or takes off small pieces, then pat-pat-pat-pat, another ball-shaped patty is made.

On a busy prep day, such as those ahead of $2 burger Wednesdays, Siliceo can make 450 such hamburger patties and half as many turkey burgers. After 45 identical balls are formed and laid out, they are individually pressed between wax paper, placed in a large plastic carton and taken into the walk-in refrigerator.

It is quiet, solitary work. But it gives purpose, provides a sense of accomplishment and has been transformative for the 54-year-old, who is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

“I usually have to concentrate when I’m in the back,” says the reserved Siliceo.

When not preparing the burgers, Siliceo is responsible for cycling the oils for the deep friers and making sure they work properly. Occasionally, he is responsible for opening or closing the restaurant and has been given his own set of keys.

As Siliceo peforms his chores, Daniel Chavez, 31, is busy with a team in the grill area, scraping it clean, flipping burgers, throwing cheese and other condiments on the various orders.

Both Siliceo and Chavez came to the Beach Boulevard eatery thanks in part to Orange County Goodwill Employment WORKS, which provides individualized job placement and retention services to adults living with mental health diagnoses and receiving treatment.

In 2016, the organization placed 54 clients into full-time jobs and 134 into part-time work throughout Orange County.

To the parents of Siliceo and Chavez, the jobs have made a world of difference.

“He’s a whole different person. It brought back his confidence. It really changed his life,” said Carmen Perez, Daniel’s mother. “He’s the Daniel I raised.”

After graduating from high school in Garden Grove, Chavez slipped into isolation and depression as schizophrenia took over his life. His mother said he was nearly catatonic before she was able to get him the right help and medications.

Keowanna Hunt, one of 11 employment specialists in two Goodwill Offices in Orange County, said merely getting Chavez to speak and respond to questions took time and work. Eventually, she was able to get Chavez to the point where he could interview.

After two years of unemployment, Chavez was hired at Boardwalk, in part because of the strong work of Silieco.

Siliceo had been out of work for more than a year after moving to Huntington Beach from Temecula.

His mother, Marcelina Siliceo, said she was told her son could get disability insurance, but couldn’t bear the thought of that and what it would to do his self-esteem.

“He feels worthwhile when he’s working,” she said.

Siliceo takes money from each paycheck and either gives some to his mother or buys groceries.

“He’s contributing, and that makes him feel good,” she said.

Asked what drew him to apply at Boardwalk, aside from it being a leisurely13-minute walk from his home, Siliceo said it was “the atmosphere. It’s like a family.”

And, of course, he said, “I knew they had very good food.”

The guy who made it possible for Siliceo and Chavez is Andrew Ritchie, 52, the owner of Boardwalk.

Ritchie says he hired Siliceo after his third interview, replacing a homeless man who had just walked out on the job.

“I think some people just need a little help,” Ritchie said. “The two of them have come along and created a foundation here.”

According to Ritchie, in their quiet ways Siliceo and Chavez have inspired a sense of community at Boardwalk. So much so that, for the first time, Ritchie held an employee party last year for the holidays.

Ritchie says he is currently interviewing a third candidate from the Goodwill program.

Hunt said employers are often worried about the stigma of mental health when they are hiring. But not Ritchie.

“Andrew was like ‘I’ll give them a chance. I’ll let them work and let them prove if they can handle it,’” Hunt said.

It hasn’t been seamless. For example, Chavez had trouble working at the speed needed, particularly when slicing potatoes for fries.

However, Goodwill sent in a job coach who helped Chavez get up to speed.

Now Chavez says his favorite part of the job is “smashing the potatoes.”

Carissa DeLeone, who is managing the store on a busy Wednesday evening, says Siliceo and Chavez are her two favorite employees.

“I don’t think I could manage without them,” she said. “They just have a wonderful energy. They’re never late. They don’t call in sick. They know their jobs and do them. And they’re so sweet.”

Siliceo’s mother said part of her son’s condition allows him to focus and meticulously perform tasks that to others may seem tedious.

“As soon as they teach him something, boom, he’s got it,” Ritchie says.

That’s why Siliceo enjoys the solitary, exacting job of forming the patties.

“It’s simple,” he says.

Pat-pat-pat-pat.