Dad's presence felt at Mom's Kitchen: Auburn restaurant celebrates reopening

Mom's Kitchen in Auburn oozes nostalgia, from its round seats and red and white paint and tablecloths down to speckled flooring and back up to the 1950s-era rock and roll music be-bopping through the speakers. Portraits adorn each wall, some in color, others black and white, many of them faded with age – stacked in vertical rows and horizontally as well, with a family wall located by the front counter. It warms Leeann Needham's heart, all of it, the way the pancakes at Mom's Kitchen warmed her dad's tummy in the final years of his life. Suffering from vascular dementia, Needham says Paul Davis no longer knew the difference between an apple and an orange but, "When he tasted the syrup … 'OK, I know what that is,' " she says. He also loved a scoop of butter with his pancakes and enjoyed them at Mom's Kitchen weekly until his passing. "My father's last 10 years was here in Auburn, and Mick (Pappas) made a very serious impact with his wonderful pancakes in his beautiful Mom's Kitchen," Needham says, adding her dad's mood during his visits to the eatery "was kind of like this back in the day. He was chipper, and it was kind of nice to see. It was beautiful." Needham, along with husband Art and daughter Amanda, purchased the restaurant from Pappas in January and over the next six months made some changes to its appearance before reopening officially on June 21. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Auburn Chamber of Commerce was held Thursday, Sept. 10. There's also a name change on the menu: Paul's pancakes was officially added before the reopening. The event served as a "small reunion," Needham said. Daughter Amanda just returned from North Carolina. Needham's mom attended, as did her brother and friends from the Bay Area. "I honestly thought it was a sign from something bigger than myself saying this is what you need to do. Dad's calling you," Needham says. "And it worked out." Mom's Kitchen originated in Colfax and eventually relocated to Auburn. With the move, customers followed – and they're still following. Needham says hungry diners travel from Colfax, Foresthill and Grass Valley to eat at Mom's Kitchen. "Overwhelming," she says. At least 200 portraits cover the walls of the restaurant. Needham says she "felt such a strong spiritual connection with so many" photos that she tried to research their history. Some of the portraits have been reframed and dusted off. "It just so happens in the last six months I have met very many beautiful people that have found their moms on the walls that have even been up there since the Colfax days," she says. "I would love to share the story and to spread the wonderful, beautiful memories." Mom's Kitchen is open from 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and is closed Monday and Tuesday. The restaurant is located at 359 Nevada St., across from the Placer County Office of Education and just up the street from Green Acres Nursery & Supply at Eisley's. "Somehow, it just magically fell together," Needham says. "Somehow, my dad is looking down at us and every now and then, I come in and have pancakes just to sit with Dad. I can hang out all day."