MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee's LGBTQ+ community has dealt with a share of uncertainty this year, from funding concerns at the LGBT Community Center to the sudden closure of This is It!

But despite challenges, there've also been new beginnings -- one of which has taken up residence in the space formerly occupied by The White House in Bay View.

Chef Vanessa Rose signed the lease for the historic building back in April, transforming it into Mother's restaurant and third space and officially opening to the public at the end of June.

She says the name is a multi-faceted reference, paying homage, in part, to the mothers and fathers - or heads of house - in ball culture. In addition, Rose says it was her own mother who taught her how to cook.

The space is meant to celebrate the diversity of Milwaukee's queer community, and efforts to strengthen inclusion can be found in everything from the ingredients used in dishes to their special events.

A "lifer" in the industry, Rose says taking on the role of owner has also given her the opportunity to improve upon certain aspects within the service industry she's found flawed. 

"I think that's something that this space is really centered on," Rose says. "Challenging and questioning and trying to make what small little sections of the world you inhabit slightly better."

LGBTQ+ third space

With federal funding cuts threatening a number of LGBTQ+ resources, Rose says she felt it increasingly important that Mother's provide a welcoming space for those in need, and a platform for the underrepresented.  

"We are, as a community, under attack," Rose says. "And seeing a lot of these favored spaces close, meant that I felt like I needed to try and tip the scales a little bit." 

Her goal is to offer an atmosphere that differs from what may typically be expected of a queer bar or restaurant. Something she describes as less alcohol focused and more about community building. 

"Something I think I experienced with my transition, personally, was that because the spaces were not something that appealed to me, I distanced myself not just from the community, but my own identity," she says. "Because there wasn't a space that I wanted to go spend a lot of time. Too many bright lights, music's too loud, I don't want to drink a lot. So, this is meant to be kind of an alternative to those spaces, for people who want something a little bit more chill, a little bit more lowkey."

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Mother's, Rose says, is a space where you can show up "dressed to the nines or in blue jeans and a T-shirt." You don't have to walk in and spend a lot of money; you don't even have to come to eat.

"We just don't lock the doors until service anymore...I don't care if you sit around, or play a game, or host your meetings here. If we have space and you need some, we're happy to let you use it."

She says this is an easy way to give back, and something she believes will reap benefits for the community.

"Part of the biggest tragedies with third spaces as they exist today is there really isn't a lot in the way of places you can go while spending minimal, if any money whatsoever," Rose says. "What I think a lot of communities really need is the ability to gather."

Globally inspired menu

Rose had been looking for a space to bring her vision to life for some time, first considering a location in Riverwest before securing the Bay View site.

Tikka Masala Gnocchi Mother's IG

"When I started thinking about this five years ago, at Amilinda, the question that I had for myself was…what does queer cuisine look like?" Rose said. "I can't do just one. We're from everywhere."

She says the goal was to make sure everyone was reflected in the menu, which meant reapproaching fusion food and sourcing ingredients from around the globe. 

She describes the dishes as unorthodox and campy in nature, one of her favorites being the Tikka Masala Gnocchi.

"We take two traditions - we're very respectful of the gnocchi, we're really respectful of the Tikka Masala - and we put it together to turn it into something that I think is unique and beautiful."

Rose says it's a way of playing with food of different cultures in a way that doesn't take away from a business owned by people of that culture. Avoiding appropriation by creating something completely different. 

"I think that's the best way of representing people, and it's the most fundamental thing on earth, the need for food."

Mother's team

Having worked in various service industry positions throughout her life, Rose says she wanted to address some of the more problematic elements she's identified within it.

"I don't like the idea of servers being beholden to people's kindness in order to make rent. I don't like the notion that chefs are expected to work 80, 90, 100 hours a week, salaried," she says.

At Mother's, everyone working a full shift receives the same cut of gratuity.

"That's part of our entire employee basis, where I am not more important, inherently, than our dishwasher. We are all paid the same."

Mother's also follows the European dining model, meaning all prices listed already include both tax and service.

Rose says it's priced the same way as any other restaurant; the difference is it also has 28.5% added on, so guests can calculate how much they're going to spend down to the penny, knowing everyone on the service staff has been taken care of. She says knowing tax and tip are already built into the price helps guests properly budget for a night out.

In addition, "It's a way of regulating and ensuring a certain base wage for people who have, in front of house or in bartending, lived their lives by way of feast or famine."

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She says it's a way of helping not only the industry itself, but the queer community within it, noting that as she's seen, a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community end up working in the service industry at some point, in some capacity.

"It was kind of a two-for-one," Rose says. "How do I help both these groups that I care about a great deal?"

"So this is an opportunity for us to really step up and be more than a restaurant or a place that makes food, or a place that can get you drunk. It's so much more mission based."