Baseball team announcement

I’m back from vacation with lots of breaking news for you.

Work is underway to fill the former de Vere’s Irish Pub space with a pub restaurant. The yet-to-benamed eatery is owned by World Famous Fare, which has seven other restaurants, including Fanny Ann’s Saloon in Old Sacramento, and Madison Bear Garden and Mom’s Restaurant in Chico. Four of them are in Nevada: Red’s Old 395 Grill in Carson City, Red’s Bar & Grill in Fernley, Red’s Golden Eagle Grill in Sparks, and Little Waldorf Saloon in Reno.

CEO Jack Sterling, who owns the Chico-based restaurant group with his wife, Darien, said the Davis pub will have a different name than those above. (He and company President Brandon Keith have differing opinions, but “we’ll let you know who wins,” Keith said.)

One thing they do know: they plan to bring a little of everything they do best to the Davis restaurant. “We have a breakfast place (Mom’s), and Fanny Ann’s and Madison Bear Garden are known for their burgers,” Sterling said. “In Nevada, we’re known for our barbecue.”

And they have lots of experience attracting college students. Madison Bear Garden is a popular student hangout, just steps from the Chico State campus.

They expect to serve things like ribs, steaks, hamburgers, salads, and offer a full bar with lots of regional draft beers. They may narrow down the food choices once they see what’s popular here. “Guests will vote with their purchases,” Sterling said.

They hope to open the restaurant in late August or early September. Hours would be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight, with earlier breakfast hours on the weekends.

Sterling said he’s excited to have a restaurant in Davis, with its a vibrant downtown. “It’s a beautiful place. I like the fact that there is a little bit of something for everyone down here. We can’t wait to get going.”

The Sterlings live in Chico with their twin 17-year-old daughters. One of the girls is interested in attending UC Davis.

Madison Bear Garden and Fanny Ann’s are heavily decorated with movie props and other paraphernalia. That oversized décor won’t work for the Davis spot, Sterling said. “We don’t have the ceiling height to add a lot of things above. It will be very Daviscentric,” with colorful, artistic collections and the obligatory bicycle art.

I saw the inside on Wednesday. Much of the wall décor is already up, while crews work to rearrange furniture and make other building improvements. Antique beer cans are stacked near the ceiling along the walls of the dining room. In the back "library" room, shelves feature antique typewriters on one wall and a collection of ceramic Jim Beam bourbon bottles on another.

The large hutch that served as a wall in the center of the de Vere’s dining room has been moved to the library. Two large TVs — arranged back-to-back – will replace it in the front room.

No matter the name or décor, Sterling said the focus will be on providing good food. ————

The bad news is Uncle Vito’s is closed for good. The good news is the owners of the upcoming Mamma restaurant and market have signed a lease for the Vito’s space at 524 Second St.

Mamma is a pasta and pizza restaurant and Italian market that’s filling the former Bistro 33 and

City Hall Tavern

sites. That hasn’t changed. The name and concept for the Uncle Vito’s replacement has not been announced. But it won’t compete with Mamma, which is on track for an August opening at 226 F St.

Uncle Vito’s Slice of NY opened in Davis in October 2008. It had a steady stream of business with its quick-serve pizza and beer specials. When COVID temporarily shut down eateries in March 2020, Vito’s was one of the few Davis restaurants that didn’t reopen. Its two Sacramento restaurants remain, owned by Paesano’s Restaurant Group.

Napa restaurateurs Michael Galyen, who grew up in Davis, and chef Arnaud Drouvellé, a native of France, are the owners of Mamma. Galyen owns NapaSport, a steakhouse and sports lounge in Napa. They like Davis, and continue to look for additional restaurant opportunities here.

Galyen said the original plan was to purchase the full liquor license from Uncle Vito’s. But the space and location were attractive too. They signed a fiveyear lease with an option for a five-year extension. The business partners are still finalizing the food concept, which will focus on takeout and affordability.

Galyen said Vito’s had 10 seats at the bar, while Mamma has 30. “It’s a totally different scale. (The full alcohol license) just makes more sense (at Mamma).”

They plan to reapply for a beer-and-wine-only license for the Second Street restaurant, and open it by December or January. Plans call for a facelift but not much heavy construction.

“Mamma is a handshaker. We’re going to be there,” he said. The Vito’s space is smaller and a different style of restaurant. Its pizza ovens will be great for making bread and buns for the restaurant.

Mamma was set to make its concept debut at BottleRock Napa Valley, a three-day music festival this weekend. The food booth is called Mamma Davis, selling penne and rigatoni pastas with marinara, ragu or alfredo. “Davis” was added to the name for identification purposes (it’s the name of the LLC) but the Davis restaurant will simply be called Mamma.

Meanwhile, Galyen said he’s excited about the plans for Mamma, and is working with some Davis High School buddies to make it happen. They’ve added a “pasta theater” in the back of the upstairs, where diners will get to watch chefs make handmade pasta and breads.

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Wayback Burgers is coming to The Marketplace.

The Connecticut-based company has 166 restaurants in 35 states. The menu features burgers, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, chicken tenders, salads, sides and milkshakes.

According to a story in the Sacramento Business Journal, Wayback plans to open around October and employ 30 people. It’s at 1351 W. Covell Blvd., Suite A, between Petco and See’s Candies. When I checked on Wednesday, I didn’t see any work being done yet inside the space.

Its Facebook page states, “Wayback Burgers is about serving delicious and fresh, hand-made burgers and hand-dipped milkshakes, and more amidst an atmosphere that hearkens back to a simpler place and time — a time when ‘customer service’ meant something, and everyone felt the warmth of the community.”

The shopping center previously had a burger restaurant, Krush Burger, from 2014 to 2017. ————

Davis Barbecue Pit

closed on May 20. Originally citing repairs, it later posted comments on Facebook saying there was a disagreement between the owners. Posts said part or all of the business was for sale. Some of those posts have been removed. On May 23, it announced the business was closed.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, partner J.R. Anderson said he didn’t want to go public with what he called internal problems. Gerald Bond and his wife Shaari are the other partners. Anderson called it a turn-key business, for sale as is. On Facebook, Bond disputed a post that said the business was 100 percent for sale, saying the number should be 60%. On Thursday, Bond told me via text that costly, extensive repairs were a factor.

The barbecue restaurant closed five months after it opened on Dec. 15, 2021. It was the third barbecue restaurant at 640 W. Covell Blvd., Suite D. The partners purchased Davis Barbecue Pit from Kristin Johanson, who opened it in March 2021. A Dickeys Barbecue Pit franchise was there before that, and McDonalds Express preceded that.

The Bonds are Woodland residents. They won barbecue cook-offs across the country before opening the Davis restaurant. After Gerald retired from a career as a crane operator, they joined forces with Anderson, a longtime friend who owns a construction business in Loma Rica. ————

In preparation for its Davis restaurant, Broderick Roadhouse closed its Midtown restaurant and bar as of late Friday. According to The Sacramento Bee, it also plans to reopen its original West Sacramento restaurant, which has been closed for two years.

The Davis eatery replaces D Street Steakhouse, which closed this spring.

The story said the new Davis restaurant – also not named – will source ingredients from the Davis Farmers Market. It plans to offer healthier options, including vegan dishes, and focus on grilling more than frying. The roadhouse is known for burgers and fries.

Responding to a Facebook post, Broderick said it planned to open in Davis in early June. I’m waiting for a reply to my interview requests.

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The franchise owner of the Club Pilates coming to The Marketplace hopes to have a soft opening on June 30 and a grand opening on July 5. It’s at 1361 W. Covell Blvd. in the former GNC spot next to Jamba Juice. Work is underway inside the space. ————

I’m getting lots of requests for updates on Yolo Beer Ranch, which will replace the former

Satiety Winery & Café

barn at 40101 County Road 25A in Woodland.

See COMINGS, PaGe a6

Brady, Carbahal to lead First Northern’s board

Special to The Enterprise

DIXON — First Northern Community Bancorp, holding company for First Northern Bank, announced that Patrick R. Brady was elected to a two- year term as chairman and John M. Carbahal was elected to a one-year term as vice chairman at its recent 2022 Organization Meeting of the Board of Directors. Together, Brady and Carbahal bring over 35 years of First Northern directorship experience to their leadership positions.

Brady joined First Northern’s Board of Directors in 2013 and served as vice chairman of the board from 2021 to 2022. He currently serves on the bank’s Loan, Compensation, and Profit-Sharing Committees. He also serves as chairman of the bank’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.

Brady retired as CEO of Sutter Roseville Medical Center in 2018. He had been involved with Sutter since 1981. Brady served as the CEO of Sutter Solano Medical Center (SSMC) for approximately six-and-ahalf years. Prior to SSMC, he served in a variety of executive level positions with Sutter Health in the greater Sacramento Area and in hospital management in Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona.

Brady has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota. His professional activities include leadership roles in healthcare associations and advocacy groups. He has participated actively in local and regional affairs through a variety of community boards. Brady’s service on boards both in the private and public sectors, and experience as a Chief Executive Officer, have provided him with extensive knowledge and experience in financial management, corporate governance, and risk management.

Carbahal has served on the board since July 1996.

He served as chairman of the board from 2013 until 2016. He currently serves on the bank’s Loan, Nominating & Corporate Governance, and Asset/Liability Committees. He also serves as chairman of the bank’s Audit Committee.

Carbahal is a Certified Public Accountant and since 1984 has been a principal and shareholder of Carbahal & Company Inc., an accountancy corporation. Carbahal received his undergraduate degree in business administration — accounting from Chico State University and his MBA from Golden Gate University. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Carbahal is very involved in the community as a member of the Winters Rotary Club. He is a past board member of the Yolo County Land Trust, and past president of the Winters Rotary Club and the Yolo County Chamber of Commerce.

First Northern Bank is an independent community bank that specializes in relationship banking. The bank, headquartered in Solano County since 1910, serves Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, Placer and Contra Costa counties, as well as the west slope of El Dorado County.

CARBAHAL BRADY