Another restaurant is coming to Manteca.
No, it’s not the sixth McDonald’s or even the sixth Subway Sandwiches or sixth Starbucks.
It’s not a pizza place nor is it Mexican or Chinese food.
Instead it’s Vitality Bowls that’s billed as having a “dynamic café vibe and superfood menu” that’s classified as “a fast casual healthy food restaurant.”
It’s opening in May in the Stadium Retail Center anchored by Kohl’s and just across Airport Way from where a Sizzler’s restaurant is being built.
Fred and Delores Baluyut, who are opening the café, have indicated they plan on opening additional locations in the Manteca area once they get Vitality Bowls up and running at the Stadium Retail location. They are 30-year plus Manteca residents that are making the entrepreneurship plunge after two decades in the sales industry.
For all of those on social media slamming food choices in Manteca and claim there is nothing healthy to dine at in the Family City, they may have to eat their words.
Vitality Bowls doesn’t just act healthy by taking fat and such out of existing fare. While they offer smoothies, a fresh juice bar, organic soups, and Panini sandwiches the heart of their menu are 10 Acai Bowls using acai berries as their base.
The Warrior Bowl as an example for its base blend has organic acai, multi-vitamin blend, almond milk, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, flax seed, broccoli, and multi-vitamin boost. The topping are organic granola, bananas, strawberries, almonds, goji berries and honey.
The Dragon Bowl’s base has organic pitaya, mango juice, coconut milk, bananas, pineapple, raspberries, and immunity boost. The toppings are strawberries, kiwi, almonds, goji berries, bee pollen, and honey.
There are also two dessert bowls, a breakfast bowl and an oatmeal bowl. They offer two salads — a strawberry spinach salad and a kale salad.
There are four semi-traditional sandwich offerings — turkey, ham, salami, and veggies.
There are nine selections from the fresh juice bar. One example is The Intensifier featuring apple, beef, celery, raw ginger, and lemon. There is also the Lemon Ginger Shot. The two ounce drink includes fresh lemon and raw ginger with a dash of cayenne.
The kid’s menu offers a bowl option, a smoothie option as well as a grilled cheese sandwich with Mozzarella and Provolone cheese — (you were expecting American cheese or cheddar?) — served on either white or whole bread. Kids also have a choice of a side of fruit, carrot orange juice, non-fat milk — again you weren’t expecting whole milk — and lemonade.
They also offer a frozen banana dipped in chocolate.
It’s the first Vitality Bowls location in Inland California. The other Golden State stores are in Brea, Brentwood, Castro Valley, Chula Vista, Cupertino, Dublin, Irvine, Lafayette, Newark, Palo Alto, Pleasant Hill, two in Pleasanton, Redwood City, San Ramon, Sunnyvale and Walnut Creek.
There are five out-of-state locations including South Miami Beach, Irving in Texas, Indianapolis and Denver.
The San Ramon Valley-based franchise altogether has 20 locations with another 20 in development.
Roy and Tara Gilad, founded Vitality Bowls in 2011 in San Ramon. They started the superfood café concept as a result of discovering their daughter’s severe food allergies and wanting to find safe, healthy food alternatives. They started franchising in 2014.
All items on the menu are made to order for each customer. They are prepared in a kitchen to avoid cross contamination so customers with food allergies can feel safe about eating at Vitality Bowls. No ingredient fillers such as ice, frozen yogurt, added sugar or artificial preservatives are used.
For more information go to VitalityBowls.com
Anyone for a
‘Sidewalk-BBQ-
Thon’ protest?
Speaking of food, one exasperated Manteca resident sent an email sayings she’s thinking about staging a ”Sidewalk-BBQ-Thon” to protest the city allowing a homeless man to BBQ daily on the sidewalk near the entrance to the East Yosemite Avenue McDonald’s.
Manteca City Council hopeful Gary Singh — whose family owns a business across the street — has gone on record saying he believes the city isn’t enforcing municipal ordinances apparently out of fear of being sued by the homeless.
At any rate, the woman says she’s not too sure where a BBQ-thon would be more effective — on the sidewalk in front of the Manteca Civic Center on Center Street or maybe on the sidewalk on Main Street near Yosemite Avenue.
Sierra state football
champs getting their
rings this Thursday
This Thursday, April 21, the Sierra High State Championship Boys Football Team will be receiving their championship rings and have on their championship jerseys for a photo shoot at Sierra High school.
The players will be in front of classic cars for a photo shoot for the Antone Raymus Golf Tournament & Car Show. The Manteca Children’s Foundation and Antone Raymus Golf Tournament is honoring the Sierra High Championship Football Team this year.
It is the 18th annual golf tournament. The car show is on May 21 at the golf course and the Golf tournament is on June 10 at the Manteca Golf Course. Proceeds go to help the less fortunate children in Manteca with clothes, blankets, scholarships and more.
Bulletin readers
step up to help fix
more feral cats
Melanie Parker sent a note asking to thank Bulletin readers that stepped up and either loaned or donated live cat traps on short notice.
It allowed Parker — who works with Karen Duke of Happy Pet Owners to care for feral cats — to capture an additional 22 feral cats to take advantage of an offering from the San Francisco SPCA for free spaying and entering. Altogether 37 cats were fixed.
Parker and Duke have been working for years on community feral cat problem. They spayed and neutered 432 during 2015 out of pocket. They also help feed feral cats.
If you’d like to help, contact Parker at 209.898.6553.
