The Easy Vegan Gets Creative to Launch Supper Club Amid Industry Challenges

Despite a global pandemic and economic uncertainty, co-owners Taylor Herbert and Alexi Mandolini launched the Easy Vegan in August 2020. Through pop-ups and the occasional plated dinner, it built a reputation as one of the city’s best plant-based concepts.

When The Easy Vegan won The Great Food Truck Race in 2023, the duo planned to put their share of the prize money toward a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

But as Herbert notes, “$30,000 is a drop in the bucket for building out a space.” This is especially true in Denver, where vegan concepts have their own hardships on top of industry-wide challenges including increased rent, high insurance rates and inflated food prices.

“For us, it's about finding a space where rent and those overhead costs are manageable enough that we could put out the food that we want to and manage to pay people a truly living wage,” comments Herbert, adding that she and Mandolini starkly oppose HB25-1208, a proposed law that would cut base wages for tipped employees.

Though an affordable dining space in the city may sound far-fetched, the duo recently discovered a solution in plain sight. Why not make their independent, private kitchen a restaurant? After all, the only thing “missing” from its 675 South Broadway location is a door leading out to a sidewalk. Once the city and health department gave their stamps of approval, their long-awaited brick-and-mortar concept, Mother Other, was in the works.
“Mother Other is a supper club. It isn’t a proper restaurant; it’s something along the way,” describes its ticketing page. The concept debuted in February and will host dinner services monthly, with seating currently available on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22.

Priced at $100 per person, this month’s six-course menu spotlights cashew ricotta on local sourdough; a little gem salad with creamy cracked pepper dressing; and broccoli cheddar arancini (a fan favorite from chef Mandolini that, due to prep time, is no longer offered at farmer's market pop-ups). An intermezzo featuring celery and clementine will be served next, followed by a vegetable schnitzel starring salt-baked and deep-fried celeriac with whole-grain mustard. Carrot cheesecake ends the plant-based meal on a sweet note.

Seasonality largely dictates the menu and in upcoming months, Mother Other plans to partner with local and regional producers. “We're excited to work with the farmers that we have become so close to at City Park Farmers Market and South Pearl Street,” says Mandolini, adding that this year, the Easy Vegan and sister concept Other Dog will also appear at the Highlands Square Farmer's Market.

In addition to fresh produce, plates from Mother Other feature Italian and Polish influence, a nod to Mandolini’s heritage. Diners will also notice hints of Japanese flavors and there are plans for future chef collaborations, too.

Given that the vegan population is limited, Mother Other aims to appeal to a wide audience with approachable dishes. “We want to offer different types of dining experiences — maybe instead of seven courses, we're doing three — offering different price points to make the experience more accessible is one of the goals of this year as well," Herbert notes.
As far as the concept’s name, Herbert explains, “The industry as a whole, it's still definitely dominated by men. There's always this emphasis on women belonging in the kitchen at home but often, they can be tokenized in a professional kitchen setting.”

Mother Other pays homage to her and Mandolini’s mothers and grandmothers, who taught them how to cook. The title also touches on the idea of chosen family, welcoming those who may be marginalized into a safe space.

Chef Mandolini, who’s often in the back-of-house, notes a unique benefit to its operation: “By inviting people into our private kitchen, I'm able to talk to guests and really connect with everybody. It almost feels like we're bringing people into our home.”

Similar to a chef’s counter, Mother Other allows diners to watch plates come together. Concentrated on her craft, Mandolini garnishes with a pinch of this and drizzle of that while Herbert and other staff serve the dimly-lit room of two dozen guests. Bring your own beer or wine to the affair.

Cooking classes are another new opportunity at the duo’s South Broadway location. “Our own private kitchen space allows us to continue to build up these diverse revenue streams. So if the economy changes and one thing starts to fail, we have other things that can prop it up,” explains Herbert.

Launching a business in the pandemic era was anything but easy. However, these restaurateurs have proven to be scrappy, strategic and patient. “For us, it's just a matter of playing the long game,” says Herbert. “We're not going anywhere; we love this industry. We may not have hit all of the goalposts that we thought we needed to hit in the beginning and that's totally fine. We're having fun.”

Mandolini agrees, “We're having so much fun. In a post-COVID world, we're all just trying to navigate this industry, and I'm feeling very grateful lately that we're able to do these cooking classes, host these dinners, and really stay true to ourselves and the food that we love to serve.”

For more information about Other Mother, including upcoming Supper Club events, follow it on Instagram @motherotherdenver.