New outdoorsy vegetarian cafe opening in downtown Sacramento. Here’s who’s opening it
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Downtown Sacramento is full of coffee shops designed for a spark between meetings. Immortal Cafe & Supply wants to be the last stop before customers get their fix of nature.
The vegetarian “lifestyle cafe” will open at 1111 H St. this summer at the ground floor of The Offices at Retro Lodge building, co-owner Eric Cockrell said.
In the meantime, Immortal will bring its outdoorsy brand, plant-based options and craft coffee to Cesar Chavez Plaza’s “Bodega Days” on Thursdays beginning May 5 and sporadic pop-ups around the city.
“We’re trying to be that pit stop before people might take off for the weekend to the trails or to camp or whatever, without coming off too much like an REI,” Cockrell said.
Cockrell is one of four Immortal partners alongside his wife Jessica Weddle-Cockrell, Shannon Horan and Edward Evans. Each of their influences can be seen in parts of the planned cafe.
A barista and former roaster at Temple Coffee Roasters, Evans will mainly source beans from Olympia Coffee Roastery in Washington and Melbourne-based Proud Mary Coffee, which has a Portland roastery. Horan runs local record label SBG Records, and Immortal will take pride in its alternative music selection, from underground hip-hop to doom metal.
Cockrell bartends and manages the kitchen at Ro Sham Beaux wine bar in midtown; Immortal will source beer and wine from local producers as well as ones farther away. He was previously a sous chef at Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine and cooked at Track 7 Brewing’s now-closed taproom The Other Side in East Sacramento.
Weddle-Cockrell helped open Franquette in West Sacramento before returning to sister restaurant Canon in East Sacramento, where she bakes bread and desserts. She’ll be Immortal’s chef, whipping up pistachio shortbread cookies and turmeric egg white plates in the mornings.
Immortal’s tight, seasonal menu will progress as the day goes on, to items such as German potato salad or miso-cured tofu hoagies with wild mushrooms and pickled peppers. There’ll be some gluten-free options and several that are vegan, such as an Impossible lasagna with tofu ricotta.
The cafe will sell coffee pots and filters as well as cookbooks, kitchen tools and even bike repair kits. Cockrell is a Cat. 1 road cyclist (the most competitive amateur racing category), and he and Weddle-Cockrell were previously the cafe operator and pastry chef of Métier Racing & Coffee, a bike/coffee shop in Seattle.
What to look for: Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free bites with curated coffee, wine and beer.
Where: 1111 H St., Sacramento, on the ground floor of The Offices at Retro Lodge.
Hours: Opening around 7 a.m. and closing around 7 p.m. four or five days per week, with a break in the afternoon.
What’s next: Immortal’s brick-and-mortar opening is still a few months away, but it’ll be popping up in Cesar Chavez Plaza and around the city next month.
