Located on the southside of Yosemite Ave. and just west of Maple St., Besitos Fine Cuisine is bringing a little of the big city culinary experience to downtown Manteca. Owned by Charles Paz and Guivia Uchida, this restaurant is all about bringing change, one meal at a time.

Charles grew up in Manteca and Guivia, although a transplant to the city, has raised two sons here whom both graduated from Manteca High. With one son going off to college and another going into the Army, Guivia wanted to give back to the city and ensure her kids had something worthwhile to come back to. She and Charles saw downtown as a great place to start because it has a lot of potential.

Guivia wanted to bring a big city feel to downtown through her food. Charles, being from Manteca, had all of the connections and the knowledge of how Manteca works, culturally and politically. With this knowledge, he was able to help make their dream happen. Together they believe they can make a difference in Manteca’s downtown and improve the economy.

Besitos’ unique blending of American and Mediterranean cuisine is a product of both Charles’ and Guivia’s love of their culture and childhood food experiences. Both the menu and the back patio were inspired by the colorful sights, sounds, and memories of their childhoods. Coming from a mixed family that blended Spanish and Italian culture, Guivia says she has tried to bring the vibrant colors of her grandma’s garden and the flavors of the dishes she grew up with to Manteca.

Although COVID-19 had an impact on their business, they did not let that get them down. Seeing the fear and pain that many seniors were going through, having to shop for themselves, they were inspired to devise a plan to feed 100 seniors every Friday for free! They were able to successfully accomplish this from April through August 2020. Bravo Besitos!

Besitos Fine Cuisine

216 W Yosemite Ave

Manteca, CA 95336

209.707.5801

Located off the 120 Bypass at Union Rd., Living Spaces promises to bring a new modern look to the city and citizen’s homes. Living Spaces is a furniture retailer with 26 stores across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. In the summer of 2003, Living Spaces opened its first store in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Three years later, the company's flagship store and corporate headquarters opened in La Mirada. The store recently tilted up the shell walls in Manteca and this future 116,641 sq. ft. facility will be visible from the 120 Bypass. It will be set at an angle that will allow a view into the showroom as commuters pass by, promising great marketing potential and attraction of non-local buyers to contribute to the Manteca economy. This premiere showroom will carry the latest in current home furnishing trends. Citizens can take a look at their product line by visiting the following website: www.livingspaces.com.

At just around $20 million dollars, this project is the largest commercial development of this type since Costco opened in 2008. Unlike Wayfair and Ashley Furniture in Lathrop, this facility will not double as a warehouse. Once you make your showroom purchases, they will actually ship from a Fremont distribution center. This showroom will also feature a dine-in restaurant, increasing the audience it can attract. Another draw for potential shoppers will be the largest collection of electric vehicle charging stations in Manteca to date.

Living Spaces handcrafts each piece of their furniture and builds them from start to finish in their very own California factory. Quality is ensured by dedicated craftspeople who cut the fabric, sew cushions, insert springs, and hand fill pillows. These handcrafted products are delivered to the lower 48 states, and soon, to Manteca homes.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma has compiled a comprehensive list of State and Federal loan resources here: http://bit.ly/stosmallbizlist​​. Governor Gavin Newsom recently launched CBIG, the California Business Incentives Gateway. This is a groundbreaking tool that brings together all of the state and local business development incentives to a single access point. Click here for details​.

San Joaquin County has also created a list of web resources. We suggest you monitor the County Health Department website for the most up-to-date information about the County's decisions at http://www.sjcphs.org/​. We also suggest you visit ​​https://sjready.org/events/covid19/ for the most up to date details on closure notices and COVID informational events.

The City of Manteca's Economic Development Department is aware of the severe impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Manteca small business economy. In an effort to assist our business owners, we have put together a list of resources and ideas, including a webinars page and digital toolkit. You can also visit our COVID-19 update page here.​

March 3, 2021 - Newsom’s 7.6 Billion Dollar Bill for Coronavirus Support Enables New Round of COVID Recovery Grants. The new bill signed on February 23rd sets aside $2,075,000,000 for businesses, with $50,000,000 of those funds being dedicated for eligible nonprofit cultural institutions. To apply or get more information, visit https://careliefgrant.com/​.