English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Modesto, CA

A mom, dad and son trio are opening a second location of their fusion restaurant in Stanislaus County.

Terracotta Poke Bowl has one location in Turlock and soon will have another in Modesto. It’s owned by Nick Chan and his parents, Carol Li and Anthony Chan.

“We opened our first restaurant just before the pandemic and it’s been a journey full of hurdles,” Nick Chan said. “Thanks to (Turlock’s) support, we persevered and are now proud to establish our second location here in Modesto.”

But opening a second restaurant came with even more hurdles. The family faced challenges with the county health department for two years before getting the green light, Chan said.

“From rewiring outdated electrical ground systems and addressing a grease trap that hadn’t been drained in over a decade, to correcting code violations left by previous tenants, we’ve completely remodeled the space to meet strict regulations,” he said.

Monday, Chan and his parents will get to show off the remodel — and their unusual menu — to Modesto. The restaurant’s soft opening, at 1801 H St., Suite A3, will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Originally called Terracotta Pub, Terracotta Poke Bowl serves Hawaiian, Asian and Mexican cuisines.

The name change came in 2020 based on customer recommendations and to better reflect the restaurant’s focus, Chan said.

Terracotta was Turlock’s first poke bowl place. Chan said he felt a poke restaurant was just what the town needed, and with his parent’s 20-year-long background in the restaurant industry, it “made sense” for them to start one together.

“Even when we lived overseas in Hong Kong, my grandparents and great-grandparents were also restaurateurs, so it felt natural to continue the family tradition,” he said.

At the Turlock restaurant, customers can order traditional Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, nachos and quesadillas. If that’s not what they’re craving, Asian options include fried rice, shrimp entrees, egg rolls and potstickers.

The restaurant also serves build-your-own poke bowls. And if you can’t decide what type of food you want, there are fusion options like poke burritos, poke tacos and poke bowls with meats like asada and chicken rather than raw seafood.

Additionally, Turlock customers can grab a cold beer to enjoy with their meal. Draft and bottled varieties are available at the restaurant at 3831 Crowell Road.

Why the unusual menu combination?

“It’s just all the food I loved in college,” the Chico State graduate told The Bee in 2019, when the first restaurant opened. “I just loved having a beer, watching sports, eating poke and Mexican food.”

However, the menu in Modesto will be slightly different. The restaurant is in the Smart and Final shopping center near Los Lagos Taqueria. With that, the family has decided to not offer the Mexican dishes that are on the menu in Turlock.

The meats — asada, pollo, pastor and barbecue pork — still will be options for the fusion poke bowls. Another difference: Beer will not be served in Modesto. “(Modesto) is a quick-service restaurant rather than a sit-down establishment,” Chan said. “I will aim to get more creative, adding or adjusting items to suit the new audience.”

Boba, which was introduced in Turlock around a month ago, will be on the menu in Modesto.

Chan’s parents will focus on managing the original restaurant while he takes the lead on the expansion.

“The second location is my opportunity to show them that I am fully capable of running the restaurant on my own, allowing them to finally retire and enjoy life after work,” he said.

The restaurant, off of H and 19th streets, will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.

The Modesto Bee

209-253-9007

Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.

Veterans Day activities are moving forward in Modesto with a reverse parade and a ceremony to honor military veterans, a committee said.

The Modesto Veterans Day Parade was canceled this year because of rising costs. The parade committee announced a revised plan for a stationary parade and ceremony Nov. 11 at the Stanislaus Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Road.

The stationary parade will begin at 8 a.m. There also will be a car display. Doors will open at 9 a.m. A ceremony paying tribute to military veterans will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Congressman Tom McClintock is the scheduled keynote speaker. American Legion Commander Timothy Gilbert is the 2024 parade grand marshal and Curtis Varvel is veteran of the year.

The committee said community leaders and members recently committed support for holding the 2024 veterans ceremony. The parade committee said this month it hopes to raise around $10,000 and build a fund for holding the traditional Modesto Veterans Day parade in years to come.

For information on making donations and volunteering, visit www.modestoveteransdayparade.com.

Also on Nov. 11, the city of Turlock will hold its “annual Veterans Day Ceremony ... honoring the sacrifices of our Veterans and paying respect to those who have served.”

The ceremony will be from 10 to 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the city’s public safety facility, 244 N. Broadway.

A Veterans Day parade will begin at 10 a.m., beginning at the FES Hall, 190 N. Lee Ave., and concluding at William A. Fish Veterans Park, according to the city calendar. A ceremony honoring veterans will begin at 11 a.m. in the park on Clifford Way, immediately followed by a free lunch.

In Patterson on Saturday, Nov. 9, Veterans Symposium 2024 will be held at the Hammon Senior Center, 1033 W. Las Palmas.

Sponsored in part by the Stanislaus County Veterans Advisory Commission, it will feature guest speakers, community resources and more. Light snacks and drinks will be served..

The free event will be from 9 a.m. to noon and is intended to “give back to the veterans of Stanislaus County who served and defended our country,” according to a promotional post.

Have information on any Stanislaus County Veterans Day events not listed here? Email local@modbee.com and we’ll update this story on modbee.com.

This story was originally published October 31, 2024, 11:40 AM.

A 42-year-old children’s boutique in Modesto’s McHenry Village shopping center will close this year following the announcement of its owner’s retirement.

Ragamuffin, at 1700 McHenry Ave., Suite 24, will have a “farewell sale” beginning Friday. It will be closed Thursday to prepare.

Kathie McBroom, Ragamuffin owner for more than 13 years, said it was an “extremely difficult decision” to retire and close the store. But with increasing online shopping options, keeping the doors open isn’t feasible.

“People aren’t shopping locally as much anymore,” McBroom said. “One of my workers that’s been here for 10 years wanted to take over, but the numbers just didn’t make sense. So, just can’t continue on.”

McBroom was an employee at Ragamuffin for a decade beginning in 1989. That was five years after the brand — launched as a catalog business — became a brick-and-mortar shop.

She took over the lease around 2011 when founders-owners Maggie Zeff and Susan Conway retired.

“It’s definitely bittersweet because I have a lot of years invested in here, even prior to owning it,” McBroom said. “It’s sad that an era has to end.”

Ragamuffin was founded in 1982. It was a way for Zeff and Conway — schoolteachers, neighbors and friends — to market the clothing they designed while spending more time at home with their children.

The pair had sewn items for their children for years before they started the business, and for the first two years, they were appliqueing sweatshirts and embroidering overalls by hand. The mail-order firm was at that time called Ragamuffin Whimsical Designs.

In 1984, Zeff and Conway opened a retail outlet at McHenry and Morris avenues. They relocated to McHenry Village in 1988.

The focus then shifted from hand-embellished items to specialty styles by small designers.

In 1994, Ragamuffin was gutted in a fire that destroyed 10 businesses in McHenry Village. Then-Modesto Fire Capt. Bob Avers said the fire was intentionally set by someone who doused several areas in a rear storeroom in Ragamuffin.

“That was a ghastly year,” Conway told The Bee in 2001. “But it had a silver lining — business was better than ever when we reopened.”

And business remained good until a couple of years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, McBroom said. Sales were nonexistent during the COVID closures, but when the shop reopened, the first two years were “really good” again, she said.

“This year in particular has just been awful,” McBroom said.

There is no set closing date, but the sale will continue until inventory is gone. The store will close when that happens or at the end of December.

Ragamuffin is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit ragamuffinboutique.com.

Rain is coming to the Modesto region, along with a significant drop in temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.

“With this next system, we’re expecting temperatures to cool to below normal, starting early next week!” the weather agency said on X, formerly called Twitter.

Cool down ahead!! With this next system, we're expecting temperatures to cool to below normal, starting early next week! Are you looking forward to the cooler temps? For your local forecast, visit https://t.co/7FMe5tvLcs and enter your zip code. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/RvGZ4lbTS3

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) October 24, 2024

The weather is expected to start shifting this weekend, with “increasing cloud clover and (a) chance for light precipitation” forecast for Sunday, the weather service said.

Here’s what’s in store for Modesto:

The latest weather forecast for Modesto shows cloudy skies on Friday, with a high temperature near 79 degrees and a low temperature around 52 degrees. Light winds at about 5 mph are expected later this evening.

On Saturday, the forecast shows mostly sunny skies, with continuous winds around 6 mph. The high will be around 78 degrees and the low will near 59 degrees.

Rain clouds will begin rolling in on Sunday.

On Sunday, there is a 20% chance of rain, with a high near 75 degrees and a low around 53. Winds are expected to sweep in speeds around 3 mph to 8 mph.

Skies are forecast to be mostly sunny on Monday, with a 20% chance of rain. The high will near 68 degrees, and the low will be around 52.

Tuesday’s high will be near 67. The low will be around 47.

On Wednesday, there is a forecast high near 68 and a low around 50.

Thursday will see “a slight chance of showers,” the weather agency said.

To prepare for rain, the weather agency said residents should:

What do you want to know about life in Modesto? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@modbee.com.

A former Save Mart manager has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging wage theft. The total value of unpaid wages is estimated in the millions.

Joseph Christiansen, who worked at Save Mart for more than 20 years, alleges Save Mart Companies intentionally misclassified store managers and assistant managers as exempt from overtime, allowing the company to deny lawful compensation under California labor laws.

In the complaint, Christiansen alleges he was regularly required to work extra hours per week performing nonmanagerial tasks, such as operating cash registers and stocking shelves, without proper compensation.

The lawsuit accuses the company of multiple violations, including failing to provide minimum and overtime wages, denying meal and rest breaks and issuing inaccurate wage statements. The lawsuit also claims the amounts stolen from thousands of employees add up to millions of dollars each year.

Christiansen claims that the company’s unlawful practices worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release, as Save Mart “made strategic decisions to put profits over its employees.” The suit aims to recover unpaid wages and penalties, and to compel Save Mart to change its labor practices.

The complaint further alleges that Save Mart has a history of settling wage theft claims while continuing the same unlawful practices, according to the release. The company is accused of using settlement agreements to avoid correcting labor violations, most notably in a 2020 settlement over unpaid wages for assistant managers.

“We stand with Joseph Christiansen and the many current and former employees seeking justice, and we will vigorously pursue their rights to ensure that corporate practices align with California labor laws,” said Andrew Levine, a founding partner at the Fairchild & Levine law firm. “Companies that continue to put profits before people who make them successful need to be held accountable when violating employee rights.”

Christiansen seeks to represent thousands of current and former Save Mart Companies employees, the release said. Save Mart Companies, headquartered in Modesto, operates 187 stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx brands.

Cutter Law, a firm based in Sacramento that protects consumer rights, and Fairchild & Levine, a firm specializing in the enforcement of California employment laws, are representing Christiansen.

The case is currently pending in the Superior Court of California, Stanislaus County.

Save Mart has not responded to a request for comment as of Thursday evening.

For more information or to inquire about joining the lawsuit, contact the attorneys representing the plaintiffs at cutterlaw.com/class-action-lawsuits/save-mart-wage-theft.

This story was originally published October 24, 2024, 6:00 PM.

The Modesto Bee

209-253-9007

Dominique Williams writes about new business, restaurant and retail developments for The Modesto Bee. She is a Ripon native and a graduate of Sacramento State.