SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Sacramento restaurant shuttered by the pandemic is making a temporary return to continue a worthy tradition.
For a dozen years, Sacramento Chef and Restaurateur Patrick Mulvaney and the de Vere’s brothers have staged a friendly yearly rivalry on social media, as they drum up publicity for their annual St. Baldrick’s event.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation raises money for childhood cancer research and holds events all across the nation. People volunteer to shave their heads and raise donations in the process.
“Over the course of 12 years, we’ve raised about $3 million for childhood cancer research,” Mulvaney told ABC10. “Half of that, fully, stays in Sacramento, so it’s a great day for Sacramento.”
Mulvaney’s and de Vere’s last joint event was held in March 2020, just days before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Then, this last autumn, de Vere’s announced impacts of the pandemic would force its two locations – in Sacramento and Davis – to close.
For this year’s St. Baldrick’s event – on Monday, April 25 - de Vere’s is returning to team up with Mulvaney. That’s why the chef has temporarily changed his restaurant’s name from “Mulvaney’s Building & Loan: An American Restaurant” to “Mulvaney’s Shield & Pig: An Irish Pub,” referencing the pig in Mulvaney’s logo and the shield in the de Vere’s logo.
The change is just for the St. Baldrick’s event, Mulvaney said.
“We’ll probably have 100-or-so people shaving their heads. They’ll be out here taking donations,” Mulvaney said. “My wife, lord knows, is happy that I’m getting rid of this!” he added, grinning while grabbing a lock of his long hair.
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Monday, April 25, the St. Baldrick’s event will take place in the block in front of Mulvaney’s restaurant, located at 19th and L streets in Sacramento.
Anyone can come out to this free event and watch people “Brave the Shave.”
“So when you come down and decide that you’re going to shave, we’ll get you lined up and Bobbin – my wife – will follow you around with a cowboy hat and raise a couple of dollars and help childhood cancer research,” Mulvaney said.
