The Abridged version:
- Mother’s last day in business was June 19, the vegetarian restaurant announced via social media Tuesday.
- Founded in Downtown Sacramento in 2014, its oyster mushroom po’boy was a lunchtime favorite for many workers throughout the decade.
- Mother closed its Downtown location in January 2020, but reopened in a Midtown space in 2023.
One of Sacramento’s favorite vegetarian restaurants is shutting down — and this time, it appears to be for good.
June 19 marked Mother‘s last day in business, according to the restaurant’s social media post Tuesday. First opened as a Downtown Sacramento lunchtime favorite, it closed in January 2020, then reopened in Midtown at 2319 K St., Suite B, in 2023.
Michael and Lisa Thiemann and Ryan Donahue originally founded Mother in 2014 at 1023 K St., an antithesis two doors down from their upcoming meat-focused restaurant Empress Tavern underneath the Crest Theatre. Both proved to be serious hits in Downtown Sacramento.
In the mid-2010s, Mother represented the pinnacle of vegetarian cooking in Sacramento. Oyster mushroom po’boy sandwiches drew lines out the door during lunch, and then-chef Matt Masera whipped up 10-course tasting menus for dinner customers looking for a night out. Michelin rewarded Mother’s efforts in 2019 with a Bib Gourmand, given to restaurants producing excellent food at a great value.
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Six months later, Mother shut down. Empress Tavern followed that August, a basement concept besieged by social distancing regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s since reopened as pop-up space for Alchemist CDC chef dinners.
Mother, meanwhile, reopened in Midtown Sacramento, bringing oyster mushroom po’boys back to the masses along with an expanded menu in a larger space. Robb Venditti, former owner of Rossi Catering in Tahoe Park, joined the ranks as a partner and chef this time.
Venditti manned the kitchen at the new Mother, particularly after Michael Thiemann left to pursue another culinary opportunity in Hawaii last year. Mother 2.0 offered those prix-fixe tasting menus as well, and incorporated seasonal items such as farro salad with strawberries and arugula to its menu.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.