All-vegetarian restaurant Mother to reopen, this time in midtown Sacramento

Mother, the beloved vegetarian restaurant that captured downtown Sacramento in the 2010s, will reopen in midtown later this summer, co-owner Robb Venditti confirmed Thursday.

Mother will move into 2319 K St., the former home of Skool Japanese Gastropub that’s sat empty for the last four years. The menu will be mostly the same as Mother 1.0, including the chicken-fried oyster mushroom po’boy sandwich that became synonymous with the restaurant.

“We’re trying to really stick to the original formula as far as everything,” Venditti said. “We might change a little bit of counter versus table service, but we’ll work out the details as we get closer (to opening).”

Venditti founded and recently sold Rossi Catering in Tahoe Park after a stint as Pangaea Bier Cafe’s chef. He’s partnering with original Mother creators Mike and Lisa Thiemann and Ryan Donahue.

Sacramento gastronomes waited with bated breath for that original trio to open Empress Tavern, a meat-lover’s paradise below the Crest Theatre. Mike Thiemann had developed a reputation as Ella Dining Room & Bar’s chef a block away.

As Empress’ opening was pushed back, though, Mother emerged two doors down at 1023 K St. in 2014 and became a star in its own right. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike came for workday lunches and early dinners, which helped earn Mother a Bib Gourmand (great value) from Michelin in 2019.

Day-to-day operations were stellar, but Mother really wowed with specialty dinners that featured 10 chef-chosen small vegetarian plates.

Those exceptional dinners will occasionally reappear at midtown Mother, Venditti said, along with seasonal specials and perhaps cocktails in 2024. Beer and wine will be available to start.

Mother closed abruptly in January 2020, then Empress shut down that August before reopening with different ownership and a revised concept earlier this year.

Mike Thiemann and Venditti had been friends and overlapped briefly at Mulvaney’s B&L in December, before Venditti went looking for a location in which to open a modern Italian restaurant. He didn’t find that, but saw another concept at 2319 K St.

“(I thought) ‘you know what would be perfect here?’” Venditti said. “I proposed it to Mike, Lisa and Ryan, and we checked space out. I though, ‘you know what, Sacramento would really love this and I want do something as soon as posssible.”

Suspicion of a Mother comeback began rising after Venditti filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement with Sacramento County for 2319 K St. on Monday. A lease will be signed within the next week or so, he said.

This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 5:00 AM.