Latin-fusion Mama Blanca's open again

Ten years after its initial opening in Whitefish, Latin-fusion restaurant Mama Blanca’s is getting a second chance.

Dave Sheeran, owner of Second Street Pizza, opened the new Mama Blanca’s last week in the former Shooter’s and La Hacienda inside the Remington Bar. Despite having no phone, no sign outside or presence on social media, business is good on Central Avenue.

“The first week has been nothing but goodwill vibes,” Sheeran said.

Past the front door, labeled at the time by only a small tarp sign, is the modest dining hall filled with booths, tables, a bar and a counter. Gold antique ceiling tiles are the first thing to catch a visitor’s eye, followed by the bar and counter tops, which are from the former Whitefish City Hall that was demolished just two months ago.

Reclaimed wood covers the northern wall while red Spanish tiles light up the surface on the eastern walls. A salsa music Pandora station softly dances out of the speakers as line cook Giovanni Lopez plates dishes behind the counter.

Sheeran’s wife, Susie, designed the inside with the help of local contractors. On Thursday, locals and travelers alike filled the small space to try the new food.

It’s a much different scene than Mama Blanca’s initial opening 10 years ago, which turned into a closing after just 18 months. Shortly afterward, Sheeran opened Second Street Pizza in the same location. Sheeran chalks Mama Blanca’s undertaking as a result of being the new guy in town.

“People weren’t sure about it, so I had that working against me,” Sheeran said. The few reviews that did come out where great, he said, but traffic just never picked up.

“But 10 years later people were still talking about it, asking if I would bring it back.”

Sheeran, a native of Queens, New York, brought his hometown flavor to the Flathead Valley with Second Street Pizza. But Mama Blanca’s comes from a different kitchen.

“Mama Blanca is my mother-in-law,” Sheeran said. Susie Sheeran comes from a Puerto Rican family and her mother lives in Chicago.

“I applied the same things from cooking with her in Chicago to this menu to make it all work,” he said.

It’s a similar menu to the original Mama Blanca’s but more streamlined, Sheeran said. The original menu had too many items and several items took too long to dish up.

The new menu features hot-pressed sandwiches, burritos, tacos, desserts and more.

The Cubano pork sandwich has been the most popular item on the menu so far. The Cuban pork is brined overnight and marinated for five days. The sandwich comes with pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mayonnaise and mustard on a pressed bun.

There’s a bottle of Sheeran’s homemade vinegar dressing at each table, and if asked, the line cooks can supply a full-flavored but not overbearing habanero sauce.

Mama Blanca’s manager Stevie Schram said the restaurant has been well received by the community and staff in the first week.

“It’s not an easy thing to open a restaurant,” Schram said. “You can’t take your eye off it, the staff, the food or the customers.”

Schram has worked for Sheeran for five years. Keeping people on staff for the long term is part of Sheeran’s business; Sam Beogher worked for him at Second Street Pizza for years before eventually becoming his business partner.

Mama Blanca’s is the 10th restaurant Sheeran has opened.

Sheeran said the shoulder season isn’t the best time to open a restaurant in Whitefish, but the property came up and he had to jump on the opportunity. He credits his opening-week success to the Whitefish residents, who he fondly refers to as “the town-folk,” spreading the word and having faith in his product. He recognized that those who didn’t show up for him in the beginning are now making his initial endeavor a triumph.

“It was more like a test in the beginning,” Sheeran said. “I had to pass to get here. The town has learned I make good food. After 10 years, the community has welcomed us with open arms.”

In the coming weeks, Sheeran will face his next test with the tourists that inflate the Whitefish population between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

By then, Sheeran plans to open an adjacent dining room that will boost capacity from 25 to 65. To counter the upcoming wave of tourists, he will add another five to 10 to his staff.

“Now the real work begins,” Sheeran said. “Bangin’ nails isn’t the real work in the restaurant business.

“I’m just happy to have another swing at it,” Sheeran said, before jumping behind the line to dish up a plate of tacos.