Full Moon Riders

Posted on April 20, 2019 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

Bicycling! Whether it’s a hobby, how you get to work, or a way of life, there are a series of events coming soon that you need to be aware of right away! For the fifth year, the Downtown Stockton Alliance is hosting the Full Moon Riders starting TODAY, April 20th. The Full Moon Riders will be gathering to ride every month on the evening of the full moon from April through October. Each ride will be led by various local organizations and be an opportunity to experience the wonder of downtown Stockton. This will also be the first time that the Downtown Stockton Alliance will be donating $1 per rider to a different non-profit organization at each ride.

Courtney Wood, the economic development coordinator for the Downtown Stockton Alliance explained the background and purpose of the Full Moon Riders event. “I think the original goal was that downtown was kind of empty at certain times and [the Downtown Stockton Alliance] were like, ‘wow, this would be great to have bike riding here’ because there aren’t many cars in the evenings when people go home from their offices. So it’s kind of a cool place to bike ride. I think that was part of it: to get people down here to use the streets to promote bicycling.”

Bikes & Bites

Not only is this event an opportunity to give visitors and residents a unique look at downtown Stockton, but also a chance to grab a bite to eat with fellow cyclists. At the end of rides, leaders will direct the riders to some of their favorite restaurants in the area for a filling and delicious dinner or maybe just a quick snack. If anything, it is a chance for people to come together after a fun ride and take pleasure in some downtown Stockton cuisine. Some participating restaurants may even have special deals and offers for the Full Moon Riders.

And if that still doesn’t sound like a good time, there will also be a giveaway at each ride for the first 100 riders. Registration always begins at 5:15pm in Janet Leigh Plaza on the day of the ride.

The Downtown Stockton Alliance Ambassadors will be helping out at the event. Special events ambassador Shirley Griffith explained the role that the ambassadors play during the event. “We have a table set up with giveaways and signup sheets, so at the beginning we get everybody’s name and email. We also take liability forms and give the riders the giveaway prize. And when they leave the plaza to go on their rides, we load everything up, go to the restaurant that is participating that night and put out bike racks.” So while everyone is enjoying themselves on their rides, it’s the ambassadors that are making sure everyone has a great experience.

So if you’re someone who simply enjoys a leisurely bike ride or you’re a passionate bicyclist, you definitely want to join the Full Moon Riders and experience another side of downtown Stockton. Just remember to ride responsibly and that children under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet.

Listed below are some more details on each of the upcoming rides. You can also find more information at https://www.downtownstockton.org/play/full-moon-riders-2/

April 20th

6-8:15pm, led by the San Joaquin Bike Coalition.

Non-profit beneficiary: SJ Pride Center

Restaurant: Channel Brewing, Cast Iron, and Kabob & Gyro House

May 18th

6-9pm, led by Deacon Steve from the HUB

Non-profit beneficiary: the HUB

Restaurant: Cancun

Bonus: After-ride bike-in movie!

June 17th

6-8:15pm, led by the San Joaquin Bike Coalition

Non-profit beneficiary: Ready-to-Work

Restaurant: Papa Urb’s & Alfalfa’s

July 16th

6-8:15pm, led by Roadfinch

Non-Profit beneficiary: Mary Magdalene Community Services

Restaurant: All participating Downtown restaurants

August 15th

6-8:15pm, led by Roadfinch

Non-profit beneficiary: Child Abuse Prevention Council

Restaurant: The Downtowner, Subway

September 13th

6-8:15pm, led by Stockton Bike Club

Non-profit beneficiary: Mexican Heritage Center

Restaurant: Nena’s, D’lilah’s Cakery

October 13th

6-8:15pm, led by Robby’s Bicycles

Non-profit beneficiary: HATCH Workshop

Restaurant: participating Janet Leigh Plaza restaurants

Elisco’s Fresh Mexican Grill

Posted on April 6, 2019 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

There are so many food options to choose from when hanging out in downtown. No matter what you are in the mood for, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for here.

If you are ever craving some authentic Mexican food, pay a visit to Elisco’s Fresh Mexican Grill. They are a newly opened business located at 125 Bridge Place, near the movie theater; they bring a unique flavor to the downtown area that is hard to beat and you are sure to enjoy.

Whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you will be able to find something on their menu to satisfy your appetite. If you need a filling breakfast, get a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, potatoes, bacon, ham, and chorizo. Or maybe you are in the mood for huevos rancheros: two over-easy eggs with sauce over a tostada with rice, beans, and cheese. You will be sure to finish breakfast happy and stuffed.

When it is later in the day and you are looking for something to eat for lunch or dinner, there are even more options. Maybe a burrito with your choice of meat, beans, rice, sour cream, pico de gallo, and salsa. Or a super BIG taco with your choice of meat, beans, pico de gallo, salsa, avocado, and cheese. They even have vegetarian tacos, burritos, and salads if meat is not your thing. No matter what you are in the mood for, you will find something tasty on their menu.

So if you are looking for authentic Mexican food from a family-owned restaurant that puts so much love and care into the food that you can taste it, visit Elisco’s Fresh Mexican Grill, where the food is so good, that it’ll almost bring you to tears.

Stocktown Nutrition

Posted on March 30, 2019 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

Downtown Stockton is a place where everyone can find a little corner that fits their needs or interests. If you’re interested in fitness, healthy treats, or just enjoy a tasty shake, then Stocktown Nutrition might become your new favorite place.

Stocktown Nutrition is brand new to downtown Stockton, located at 211 East Weber Avenue, and it is a fun little shop that is a go-to place for those looking to live a healthier lifestyle. As soon as you walk through the door, you’re greeted by smiling faces, uplifting music, and a menu of delicious and refreshing teas and shakes.

Tami Tennis, owner of Stocktown Nutrition, explained to us the services that they provide to new customers. “Stocktown Nutrition is a high-energy positive place where we help people be healthy. We offer a service here that is three different products for a total of $8. We give a shot of aloe, that is good for absorption of nutrients, we also do a green tea that has antioxidants and is good for burning fat and speeding up the metabolism. And then our protein smoothies are complete meal replacements.” Those protein smoothies are all less than 250 calories with 24 grams of protein, and come in a variety of flavors from Cake Batter and Caramel Macchiato, to Orange Julius and Raspberry Cheesecake.

Another one of the services that Stocktown Nutrition provides to clients is a weight loss program. Stocktown Nutrition has trained coaches that are available for 3-day trials (that start Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays), and a 6-day trial (that starts on Mondays). The weightloss program is a package that includes 6 meal replacement shakes. The program can help with meal-prep or weight loss.

Stocktown Nutrition and Tami Tennis are dedicated to making a difference in the community and people’s lives. “I was called down here to …[become] a positive place in our community and I honestly believe that,” shared Tami Tennis, “I’ve seen the difference in people who don’t have hope and don’t have light, and … when they start getting good nutrition and they start feeling better, then their whole world starts to change.”

Through a bright outlook on life and flavorful shakes, Stocktown Nutrition is on the path to make people’s lives happier and healthier. As time goes on, Stocktown Nutrition will definitely make downtown Stockton a better place to live and play.

Stockton Restaurant Week

Posted on February 3, 2019 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

January is California Restaurant Month and from January 18-27, Visit Stockton presented the 10th Annual Stockton Restaurant Week. Stockton is a city with plenty of culinary talent and unique flavors that can only be found here. Stockton Restaurant Week is an event where restaurants all around Stockton have a chance to show off their best dishes and menus at special fixed prices.

Building Community

Visit Stockton has been organizing this event every year for ten years. Wes Rhea, the CEO of Visit Stockton explained the purpose behind Stockton Restaurant Week, “The main reason that we started this event is to really build a relationship with restaurants. That’s the number one thing people do when they visit a city is to go out and eat. So it really helps us support the restaurant community. We typically work a lot with hotels and attractions but this gives us an opportunity to work with restaurants. And also this is a traditionally slower time of year. January, post-holiday, people are focused on fitness or already ate a lot and cooked a lot, and so we’re trying to shift that business during a particularly slow time.”

Over 30 restaurants participated in this years Stockton Restaurant Week and plenty of restaurant owners and patrons express their delight at experiencing such an event. Especially with so many restaurants now offering vegan and gluten-free options. Some of the participating restaurants are here in downtown Stockton.

Downtown Restaurant Participants

CAST IRON TRADING – 110 North San Joaquin Street

Visit if you’re looking for specialty coffees, housemade breakfast items, sliders and burgers, and much more!

DELIBERATION ROOM – 19 North California Street

They got veggie and meat appetizers to go along with All-American cuisine like pulled pork and corned beef sandwiches.

DELTA BISTRO AT UNIVERSITY PLAZA – 110 West Fremont Street

A great place to have a drink while also enjoying a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches.

MISAKI SUSHI & BAR – 222 North El Dorado Street Ste. M

Enjoy some Japanese cuisine like chicken teriyaki and signature sushi rolls.

PORT CITY SPORTS BAR AND GRILL – 222 North El Dorado Street

It’s hard to beat a plate of ribs, shrimp scampi, or a mixed plate of wings, chicken strips, onion rings, and fries.

THE DOWNTOWNER – 40 North Sutter Street

Does a Prosciutto-Mandarin Salad, a Wagyu BBQ Meatloaf, or a Big 10 Burger sound good? Then maybe visit The Downtowner.

You can learn more about the restaurants that participated in this year’s Stockton Restaurant Week by checking out the event’s page on Visit Stockton’s website.

I think that it’s safe to say that the 10th Annual Stockton Restaurant Week was a huge success and next year’s is sure to be just as great. It is really something special to have an event like this and an organization like Visit Stockton to get so many businesses involved all for the benefit of Stockton and it’s residents.

D’lilah’s Cakery

Posted on November 5, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Andrew Rocha

Sweetening the Community with Cupcakes

For anyone who has a sweet tooth or who just needs to pick up some treats for a party, D’lilah’s Cakery on the corner of Weber Avenue and Sutter Street is the place to go! Grab some cupcakes and other delicious snacks today!

Unique & Tasty Treats

Having just opened a few weeks ago in Downtown Stockton, D’lilah’s Cakery is already attracting crowds and selling out almost every day that they are open! People just cannot seem to get enough of their unique and tasty treats. Not only do they bake favorite cupcakes like birthday vanilla, birthday chocolate, and red velvet, but also alcohol infused cupcakes like chocolate caramel hennessey, and salted caramel coconut rum.

D’lilah’s also has a hot and steamy peachy cobbler, refreshing and sparkling mermaid lemonades, and aesthetic salted caramel and strawberry shortcake jars. There are plenty of specials and deals throughout the week, like Truffles Tuesdays – purchase any truffle and get one for free! They also have discounts during Happy Hour on the last hour of Wednesday and Saturday, and discounts for students on Student Fridays!

Business in Downtown

When asked how she likes her new location, D’lilah of D’lilah’s Cakery states that,

“Downtown Stockton is perfect. It’s got that city vibe and that artsy type of feel and it’s close to home. So, it just fit and has a good atmosphere.”

With the Cakery being D’lilah’s first storefront, she already loves the experience she’s had in the area and the customers that have visited. But she still has dreams of more!

“I would like a food truck. I would like to franchise, and I’d like to bring a bakery to major cities like San Francisco and L.A., to get it out there, because I feel like we have something that can really take over, so I’m glad that we got to start in the central valley.”

Already, D’lilah’s Cakery is off to a great start! However, because they are so popular and are selling out almost every day, it is important to get there early before the rush of people purchase all the cupcakes and other sweet treats! The Cakery is open Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

D’lilah’s Cakery also makes custom orders. It is best to get those in as soon as possible, optimally two weeks prior to when they are needed. Either stop by to make an order, call them at 209.740.1026, or contact them through their website, www.dlilahscakery.com.

Connect

To keep up to date with everything that D’lilah’s Cakery is doing, follow them on Instagram and on Facebook @dlilahscakery.

D’lilah’s Cakery is sure to keep growing in popularity as the Downtown area is charmed by the sweetness of cupcakes, and the friendliness of the owner and staff!

From the Love of Coffee & Stockton

Posted on May 15, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Laura Garcia, Terra Coffee
& Sylwia Lipiec-Qualls,
Communications Manager, Downtown Stockton Alliance

Efrain and Laura Garcia have always loved coffee. Efrain moved here in 2014 while Laura was born and raised in Stockton. A small counter top roaster was always in their kitchen until in 2016 they finally decided to follow their dream and started Terra Coffee Roasters.

Laura and Efrain Garcia, the founders of Terra Coffee Roasters. Photo by CVBJ

“Terra Coffee was built from the love of coffee and our town – Stockton. Right after we started the business, we knew we wanted to have our first brick and mortar location in Downtown Stockton,” reminisces Laura. “The first location to ever serve our signature Cafe de Olla blend was at the Mexican Heritage Center and Gallery in early 2017. We wanted to get down to Efrain’s roots and get an honest opinion on our take of the traditional Mexican coffee. We never thought that a year later we would be partnering up with this non-profit to open our cafe.”

Terra Coffee Roasters started as a Cottage Food Operation regulated by the California Homemade Food Act which allows certain foods, known as Cottage Foods, to be made in private homes and sold to the public. The Garcias source coffee beans around the world and micro-roast them at home weekly in six-pound batches, making every batch with the utmost care.

At first, Laura and Efrain only catered at local events and venues while keeping a look out for a permanent location. They finally put down their roots in the artsy, colorful space at 111 South Sutter Street where the Mexican Heritage Center and Gallery had been located since 2011.

Terra Coffee opened their brick & mortar location at the Mexican Heritage Center & Gallery.

“It was a long and patient wait to find our downtown location. We knew that we wanted to be part of the downtown revitalization and when the Mexican Heritage Center heard we were looking for a place, they reached out to us and in January 2018 we opened our doors,” fondly remembers Laura.

The cafe is open from 7 am to 4 pm on weekdays and for special events at the Gallery. Terra’s freshly roasted artisan coffee, hand-crafted drinks and locally sourced pastries have already earned them a strong following. The Garcias take pride in their business and product and it shows!

Asked for a piece of advise for other small businesses, Laura offered: “While our story is definitely a unique one, we hope to inspire our community to follow their dreams and to be a part of their town, Stockton. Whether it’s buying from a local business or starting their own.”

Downtown Stockton Living

Posted on April 26, 2018 by digitalgear

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By Oscar Segura, Lofts & Marketing Manager,
Residences at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel

Hello there, my name is Oscar Segura. I am delighted to have been selected to tell my story about Downtown Stockton.

I currently work for the University Lofts at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel. I manage the residences and get to meet people from all walks of life who are interested in our concept of modern downtown living amenities with an all inclusive price.

The idea that only students live in our residences is a misconception I am working on changing. Anyone can apply to live at the University Lofts and enjoy what we have to offer. I mean, who doesn’t want weekly housekeeping included? Oh, and residents receive 20 % off in the Delta Bistro, the hotel’s restaurant. We offer an array of floor plans starting from studios all the way to panoramic 3-bedroom penthouses overlooking the ever growing and changing Downtown. We are just a stone’s throw away from such venues as the Stockton Arena, Banner Island Ballpark, Bob Hope Theatre, and The Sycamore, just to name a few. There is always something going on in Downtown Stockton!

As for me, I am a self proclaimed foodie. Give me all the food! Almost every day you can catch me in one of the many downtown restaurants or cafes. My favorites, just to name a few, are:

Cast Iron – try their hardy sliders or carnitas tacos;

Terra Coffee – I always get the Café de Olla plus it’s a great place to take in some local art;

Deliberation Room – they have a great lunch combo with a panini and salad, YUM!

Thai Thai – because, duh, Thai!

Don Rafa’s Taco Truck – for some much needed yummy Mexican food;

Bella Vista – because, I need more carbs! Check out their endless pasta night on Thursdays, oh, and wash that down with the Tuscan Spritzer (reminds me of my time traveling through Italy, SO GOOD);

Trail Coffee Roasters – because I am hooked on their Lavender Latte and their new coffee shop is so beautiful. Gianna and her team did an amazing job!

House of Ice Cream – because we all scream for ice-cream!

Red Orchids – for some bomb Pilipino food. Plus, try their chicken adobo and they also offer lunch buffets with a new menu every day.

Fusion Boba Café – Give Me All The Boba!

One thing that always mesmerizes me is the architecture in Downtown Stockton. There are many beautiful buildings here that have so much history. Downtown is attracting awesome creatives who are taking refuge here breathing life and energy into our neighborhood, and it is exciting to watch it grow.

My personal life is all in Downtown. I live, work, and work out in Downtown. Everything I do daily is within a 4-mile radius and I love it! Sometimes I just walk aimlessly with camera in hand photographing those alley ways and details otherwise easily missed. For me, love is in the details and there are a lot of details in downtown’s architecture and a lot of love in the people that inhabit and help improve it.

Until next time!